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An award-winning science fiction writer, esteemed professor of comparative literature at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and celebrated essayist and memoirist, Samuel Delany is one of America's keenest observers. He was also a longtime habitué of many of the sex theaters in New York City's Times Square, spending, by his own estimate, "thousands and thousands of hours" at the Capri, Variety Photoplays, the Eros, and the Venus. In the 1990s all of these theaters were shut down through new restrictive zoning laws, part of a combined effort by the Walt Disney Corporation and the administration of Mayor Rudy Giuliani to gentrify the area, replacing these seedily memorable institutions with antiseptic, innocuous architectural and cultural creations in the name of health safety. But as Delany reveals in his new book, Times Square Red, Times Square Blue, the decision to clean up Times Square had little to do with public health, and everything to do with corporate greed.
In the two essays that comprise this eloquent, provocative book, Delany grieves for the loss of this strip of sexual release. Though he is careful not to romanticize or sentimentalize the peep shows and porn theaters, he does illuminate the way in which these venues crossed class, racial, and sexual orientation lines, providing a delightfully subversive utopia--and a microcosm of New York life. In the first essay, "Times Square Blue," Delany details his shared erotic and conversational encounters with working-class and homeless men in the theaters (which primarily showed straight porn films) and the genuine friendships that resulted; these immensely personal reminiscences also provide a social history of late-20th-century Times Square. Drawing on historical and theoretical resources in the second essay, "Three, Two, One, Contact: Times Square Red," Delany next builds a thoughtful and passionate argument against the gentrification of the area and the classist, characterless direction in which he sees New York heading. Read together, the essays of Times Square Red, Times Square Blue are both heartfelt homage to a beloved city and lament for a quirky vitality increasingly phased out by encroaching capitalism. --Kera Bolonik
Book Description
"Measured but emotional, illuminating but challenging." -The San Francisco Chronicle
"Remarkable." -Salon
"Essential." -The Nation
"In a provocative and persuasively argued cri de coeur against New York City's gentrification and the redevelopment of Times Square in the name of 'family values and safety,' acclaimed science fiction writer Delany proves himself a dazzlingly eloquent and original social commentator. . . . This bracing and well-calibrated blend of journalism, personal history and cultural criticism will challenge readers of every persuasion." -Publishers Weekly[starred review]
Both a celebration of the kaleidoscopic possibilities inherent in urban diversity and a eulogy for the plurality of human contact and stimulation squelched by the Times Square makeover." -Village Voice
If one street in America can claim to be the most infamous, it is surely 42nd Street. Between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, 42nd Street was once known for its peep shows, street corner hustlers and movie houses. Over the last two decades the notion of safety-from safe sex and safe neighborhoods, to safe cities and safe relationships-has overcome 42nd Street, giving rise to a Disney store, a children's theater, and large, neon-lit cafes. 42nd Street has, in effect, become a family tourist attraction for visitors from Berlin, Tokyo, Westchester, and New Jersey's suburbs. Samuel R. Delanysees a disappearance not only of the old Times Square, but of the complex social relationships that developed there: the points of contact between people of different classes and races in a public space. In Times Square Red, Times Square Blue, Delany tackles the question of why public restrooms, peepshows, and tree-filled parks are necessary to a city's physical and psychological landscape. He argues that starting in 1985, New York City criminalized peep shows and sex movie houses to clear the way for the rebuilding of Times Square. Delany's critique reveals how Times Square is being "renovated" behind the scrim of public safety while the stage is occupied by gentrification. Times Square Red, Times Square Blue paints a portrait of a society dismantling the institutions that promote communication between classes, and disguising its fears of cross-class contact as "family values." Unless we overcome our fears and claim our "community of contact," it is a picture that will be replayed in cities across America.
Customer Reviews:
hey, reader! stop giving no-star ratings to this book!.......2004-01-31
A confused "Amazon Customer" is repeatedly inserting blurbs from other periodicals into the "customer review" section of this page, AND failing to give "star" ratings to these inserts -- thus steadily dragging down the star-rating of this book. Since the blurbs are positive and have been repeatedly entered, I assume this "Amazon Customer" wants people to be interested in the book. Well, by failing to give a star rating, you're doing exactly the opposite! So either stop inserting blurbs altogether, or start giving them star ratings. This book is too cool to be muddied up by your confusion.
Prelude and fugue.......2000-03-11
Samuel Delaney has done the near imposible - he has written a book that is both titillating and informing. Dividing his cogent 21st Century social philosophy into two parts is at first disconcerting: Why are we reading (buying) a book that lets us in on the gossip of firsthand observation of Times Square New York, then in a page turn becomes a sophisticated academic treatise on our current social problems, in the City, and in a Country? Once past this mirage of a hurdle Delaney makes it patently clear why he chose this format. If we are introduced to a problem in a seductive manner, we pay closer attention to the bigger issues. This superb little book is illuminating in its exploration of where we are in our interpersonal relationships, our interplay with those around us (street, neighborhood, city, country), and our current drive to homogenize our world. Beautifully written, immensely readable, and a very important contribution to our social perceptions!
An intelligent, touching book.......2000-01-06
I always thought of Samuel Delaney as a writer of science fiction, my least favorite genre, so this is my first book by him. I was impressed and delighted. The worst thing I can say about it is that Mr. Delaney has a love of dependent clauses strung along inside comma-copious sentences that were sometimes hard to read. But he has awesome insights too, and compassion and wisdom lace every page. Makes me wish I was old enough to partake of that culture.
Sex and the City.......1999-11-24
A remarkable book, with both the frankest discussion of people's sexual desires and needs of any book I've read in years, and a compelling argument about the crucial role places like the old Times Square play in the life of a city. A paeon to America's cities and an intimate history of a culture being destroyed. Delany's masterful prose makes this brief book a treat to read. A great stocking stuffer for the intellectually and sexually adventurous.
Not worth it.......1999-11-20
This book promises to be a history and social commentary on Times Square's sleazy recent past. But in reality the book is told from a very narrow and restrictive point-of-view (. . . )There's nothing wrong with that except he practically ignores the fact that the West 42nd Street sex shops, peep shows, and massage parlors were also an attraction for heterosexual men. The reader will get painfully tired of reading endless descriptions of Delaney's sexual exploits among the XXX theater crowd. Additionally, the handfull of black and white photos of the empty storefronts of the "Forty Deuce" were taken after most of the shops had been driven out of business. Without good photos of the way 42nd Street used to be, the vibrant nature of the area is greatly diminished and Delaney's text doesn't make up for it. If you are looking for a social history of the old Times Square, something balanced and better illustrated, try Josh Alan Friedman's "Tales of Times Square" instead.
Book Description
This work addresses specific investigative and forensic processes related to sex crimes for those who work in law enforcement, the defense community, or in the private sector. It is an unprecedented collaborative work -- the first working manual for sex crime investigators, written by sex crime investigators and forensic scientists.
The key feature of this work is a thorough overview of the investigative and forensic processes related to sex crime investigation. It takes the reader through investigative and forensic processes in a logical sequence, showing how investigations of rape and sexual assault can and should be conducted from start to finish. It is intended to set the investigative and forensic standard for sex crimes investigation.
It is designed to be accessible, in terms of language, not only to a detective or investigator who does hands on casework, but to the student in the classroom learning about the subject for the first time.
This work is an excellent training manual for sex crime investigators around the world. It is also an excellent textbook for any hands on university course on the subject of sex crime investigation. This work is an excellent supplement for any investigative course involving violent crime or death investigation.
* The only comprehensive reference available on the investigation of sexual assault and rape, a crime 10 times more prevalent than murder
* Authored by qualified investigators and forensic professionals with more than twenty years of collective experience working cases, preparing them for court, and offering testimony
* Written in a clear, practical style, ideal for professionals in forensic nursing, law enforcement, the legal community, and the investigative community
Download Description
This work addresses specific investigative and forensic processes related to sex crimes for those who work in law enforcement, the defense community, or in the private sector. It is an unprecedented collaborative work -- the first working manual for sex crime investigators, written by sex crime investigators and forensic scientists. The key feature of this work is a thorough overview of the investigative and forensic processes related to sex crime investigation. It takes the reader through investigative and forensic processes in a logical sequence, showing how investigations of rape and sexual assault can and should be conducted from start to finish. It is intended to set the investigative and forensic standard for sex crimes investigation. It is designed to be accessible, in terms of language, not only to a detective or investigator who does hands on casework, but to the student in the classroom learning about the subject for the first time. This work is an excellent training manual for sex crime investigators around the world. It is also an excellent textbook for any hands on university course on the subject of sex crime investigation. This work is an excellent supplement for any investigative course involving violent crime or death investigation. - The only comprehensive reference available on the investigation of sexual assault and rape (10 times more prevalent than murder instances). - The text includes extensive illustrations of perpetrators, victims and other rape case evidence for identification of incidents of rape. - The writing is clear and practical, ideal for professionals in forensic nursing, law enforcement and the investigative community
Average customer rating:
- OMG i love this book! She has hit the pinhead with a jackhammer
- Another Brilliant Book by Patricia Hill Collins
- There's A LOT More To Say
- Yes, people, we still have racial/gender stereotypes
- Black Folk, Gender Matters!
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Black Sexual Politics: African Americans, Gender, and the New Racism
Patricia Hill Collins
Manufacturer: Routledge
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Book Description
Caricatures of Black sexuality saturate American popular culture in bootylicious rap videos and paternity tests on the Jerry Springer show. Blacks have been cast as hypersexual animals in Western culture since a scantily clad "Hottentot Venus" was displayed in a cage in Paris in the 1800s.
In Black Sexual Politics, one of America's most influential writers on race and gender explores how images of Black sexuality have been used to maintain the color line and how they threaten to spread a new brand of racism around the world today.
The ideal of pure white womanhood, Collins argues, required the invention of hot-blooded Latinas, exotic Suzy Wongs, and wanton jezebels--images that persist in the media today in everything from animal-skin bikinis to the creation of the "welfare mom." Men confront a similar bias in a society that defines African American males as drug dealers, brutish athletes, irresponsible fathers, and rapists. Collins dissects the widespread impact of these distorted messages as she explores African American love relationships, sex in youth culture, interracial romance, sexual violence, and HIV/AIDS.
A revolutionary work that touches the intimate and public lives of all African Americans, Black Sexual Politics brilliantly illuminates the subtle interplay of race, sex, and politics in American culture today.
Customer Reviews:
OMG i love this book! She has hit the pinhead with a jackhammer.......2007-08-10
I am so confounded by the author and her views and studies. It is simply the greatest, I repeat greatest book on the Black American psyche. Although a little tough to digest and understand at times, she will re-emphasize her point so that we the reader don't miss out on the facts. I understand our workings more and how I view sexuality and other races. GET THIS BOOK since you are reading this review and you know this is the type of topics that interest you!
Another Brilliant Book by Patricia Hill Collins.......2005-10-26
This is another breakout of brilliance from Patricia Hill Collins. Collins has broken to a new level of analysis of the intersections of race, class, sexuality and gender, and offers transformative interpretations of black popular culture. BRAVO, Ms. Collins! This book is a must-read for any black individual that cares about the lives of the black diaspora, especially in the new millenium.
There's A LOT More To Say.......2005-05-26
I am not afraid to look the reality of colorism in the eye and acknowledge that it does exist within the black community. It is my greatest hope and dream that someday the dark skinned black and the light skinned black will be seen as the one family in the future. I want so much to love the lightskinned sister and brother as my own reflection and not be divided from them or made to feel that one is treated better than the other, but sadly, that day is not here and this book bravely and powerfully illustrates that point to the fullest.
I am a medium brown colored woman, my mother was very dark skinned and I have witnessed the evils of skin color prejudice all my life. In most situations, it was Black Men who were prejudiced against myself and the women around me beccause of our coloring. These men felt no shame or limit in their racist intra-family prejudice and measured their entire lives by how many light skinned or white women they could attain and how light brite their children could come out. It's everywhere and anyone who denies it is both a fool and a liar.
That is why I highly recommend THE BLACKER THE BERRY by Wallace Thurman. There is no truer portrait of the self-hatred among our people than the one extolled in this book, and what makes it even sadder is that this book was written in the 1920's. So that only shows how deep this kind of evil runs.
Lately, I have become very interested in this subject and I have searched for other books that explore this subject with intelligence, honest, beauty and wisdom and I have found several that I consider to be classics on the subject of Colorism.
(1) MARITA GOLDEN'S book "Don't Play In the Sun" is definitely the most modern up to date book of the bunch. It expertly weaves the story of her life experiences in the 1960's Black Power movement with the current struggles of women like Serena Williams and India Arie to find their way in the world, even in the midst of being shunned and ignored by the black community itself. The book's analysis of the Hollywood casting system and the "Mulatto Follies" of BET and MTV is priceless.
(2) "The Bluest Eye" by TONI MORRISON is by far the most riveting and painful book that I have read on this subject of colorism. I believe that her book, more than any mother, gets to the psychological and historical root cause of the problem and exposes the mode in which we pass the problem on generation to generation. The destruction of an innocent black girl named Pecola Breedlove will leave you heartbroken and shocked as you see the bold naked truth unfold right before your eyes. You can't ignore this book, because the story being told is the one that you are all too familiar with no matter what color you are.
(3) "Flesh and the Devil" by African novelist KOLA BOOF is another deeply powerful book that examines colorism, but not out in the open. This book is unique in that it focuses on a very enchanting love story between a Black Prince and Princess and follows their reincarnations through history as they struggle to find their way back to each other. Through detailed moments in black history, both in Africa and the United States, the provocative author highlights the way that black people originally viewed their beauty and humanity and then juxtuposes it against the way they see themselves now in the modern world. The result is nothing less than devastating. I love this book so much, because the storytelling is so rich and the depth is so sweeping and grand. Anyone who loves good writing and is proud to be descended from the Black race will find themselves literally changed forever by the powerful images depicted in this very poetically moving story.
(4) "The Color Complex"--VARIOUS AUTHORS, is a very simple, straight forward analysis from a sociological point of view. Much research and statistical facts are used to illustrate that our communities are infested with these issues.
(5) "The Darkest Child" by Dolores Philips is another great novel that shows us the poor blacks who live under the poverty line ingesting these complex social hierarchies based on color and how they not only expose their children to them, but force the entire community to live by the "color code". Everybody is used to it from slavery and the system goes on and on unchallenged. In this book, Tangy Mae, the darkest of 10 children by the white-looking mother Rozelle, struggles to find her dignity and confidence in the midst of her evil light skinned mother inflicting one horrid abuse on top of the other. One thing I will say for the evil white-looking mother, Rozelle, is that she treated all of her children hiddeously and with contempt, from the whitest to the blackest. But she killed the child who was born looking like Tangy Mae and that spoke volumnes. This book is a very real metaphor for what goes on. Very real.
Yes, people, we still have racial/gender stereotypes.......2004-08-25
with regard to sexuality and its relation to society today. From the fake, hypocritical outrage by Americans at the Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake incident at the 2004 Superbowl that led to wasteful congressional investigation to the ongoing probe of R. Kelly's involvement with underage women that were taped at various times and places in the late nineties that were surfaced on the video shelves aroung the nation back in 2002 The saga and the media hype involved in the 2003-04 Kobe Bryant's rape case, the incessant media attention at Michael Jackson's child molestation case, another hypocrical outrage by media pundits over Serena Williams catsuit that showcase her behind at one of her tennis matches in October of 2002.
The ever growing love triangle/babymama drama of Britney Spears, Shar Jackson, and Kevin Federline and their kids by tabloid media. The ubiquituous, scantlily clad "video dancers" on MTV, BET, and VH1.
Bill O'Reilly's sanctimonius commentary on out of wedlock births by Blacks while ignoring the problem in other ethnicities on his nightly TV show. He continues to denounce hip hop as the source of all pathology in America and often urge his viewers to boycott Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Ludicris in his many crusades against the corruption of "mainstream youth."
In December 2003, Essie Mae Washington-Williams revealed to the nation that she is the late U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond's daughter. Less than two years later, she released her autobiography of her life. The 2004 MNF skit which involves the basketball star and the lady from a popular Sunday night show. Also, sexually suggestive movies and videos from Nelly, 50 Cent, Snoop,etc., the revelation of Prince Albert that he had fathered a son by a black flight attendant as well as the lack of coverage regarding missing black women such as Latoyia Figueroa in recent months. Also, not to mention Fantasia Barrino's revelation of rape, illiteracy, and having a kid out of wedlock by a man who battered her prior to her break on Amer. Idol. And more recently, P. Diddy's perfume ad campaign raised a lot of stink in the heartland and the Bible Belt because of its sensual suggestedness. More recently, the Duke University rape crime involving a struggling black college student and white members of the lacrosse team at what it supposed to be a bachelor party in March 2006.
This book trace the origins of racial/sexual stereotypes from slavery onward and how they are affecting society today as well as black and interracial relationships. It also talks about homophobia and the ongoing hostility toward interracial relationships as well as the strained relationships between black men and women due to racism, classism, heterosexism, and the stereotypes perpetuated by the mainstream media today.
I thank Ms. Collins for having the guts to say about the current state of affairs with regards to black sexual politics and its implications in American society.
Black Folk, Gender Matters!.......2004-07-15
Professor Hill Collins asserts that Black Americans will not be able to advance at the rate they could unless they develop a progressive gender politics. Many activist black women have critiqued the overall community for not taking gender issues seriously. Still, this book gives it a fresh perspective that takes multiple identities into account, especiall in the post-civil rights era.
Hill Collins does a fantastic job in stressing that Black Americans are not a monolithic group. In her discussion about the media, she looks at black portrayals dividing depictions by gender and class-based groups. In discussing marriage, she analyzes "same race, opposite gender" mandates as they affect straight sistas, straight brothas, and Black gay men and lesbians separately. She understands that identities do not work in isolation by sit side by side continually interacting with each other.
Hill Collins does an excellent job in showing how all Black people are affected by any oppression. She shows that straight Blacks are harmed by heterosexism too since that same system that deems gays deviants deem Blacks globally as hypersexual. In a chapter on gender violence, she claims that Black men who dismiss the rape of Black women may feel differently given that so many Black men are being raped in jails.
Many talking heads say that older Americans are not as eager to employ new technologies. However, Hill Collins, a graying woman, does well in mentioning how the internet and other new technologies are affecting Black folk. Her analysis of J.Lo, the film "Booty Call", and the rap "Get Yo' Freak On" shows that she is very knowledgeable about youth culture.
I was disappointed how little sexual orientation matters got brought up in her "Fighting Words." However, in this book, she demonstrates thoroughly that she stands against homophobia. Not only is there a whole chapter dedicated to condemning heterosexism, gay issues are laced into every chapter. Like Guy-Sheftall's recent work, she is really trying to push Black thinkers that only want to talk about race, class, and gender (purposely in that order) to the exclusion of sexual orientation. She even praises media depictions of Black lesbian and gay characters.
It's funny that bell hooks is the most famous Black feminist when Hill Collins outshines her here by leaps and bounds. Hill Collins isn't as repetitive and demeaning. Her work isn't dependent upon personal anecdotes. She takes sexual orientation seriously and not just as a side issue. She dedicated to helping Black gays and lesbians and not just yelling that straight Blacks aren't homophobic. I can't wait for the day when Hill Collins gets all the credit she deserves.
Many might not like this book. She offers many critiques and close to no concrete solutions. The introductory chapter is full of caveats and can be easily skipped. Hill Collins cites Cathy Cohen, Dorothy Roberts, Professor Guy-Sheftall, and other progressive womanists so frequently, one may wonder what original ideas she is even proposing. Her discussion of blacks in the media is overly pessimistic.
Still, I loved this book. I think both academic and common readers will be able to digest it and find it useful. I predict great things ahead for this right-on sista.
Average customer rating:
- Pragmatism, the Law, and the Political Economy of Sexuality
- Fun and Fascinating
- A Mind-opening Book
- Posner and the Sexual Revolution
- A Major Breakthrough
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Sex and Reason
Richard A. Posner
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
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Book Description
Sexual drives are rooted in biology, but we don't act on them blindly. Indeed, as the eminently readable judge and legal scholar Richard Posner shows, we make quite rational choices about sex, based on the costs and benefits perceived.
Drawing on the fields of biology, law, history, religion, and economics, this sweeping study examines societies from ancient Greece to today's Sweden and issues from masturbation, incest taboos, date rape, and gay marriage to Baby M. The first comprehensive approach to sexuality and its social controls, Posner's rational choice theory surprises, explains, predicts, and totally absorbs.
Customer Reviews:
Pragmatism, the Law, and the Political Economy of Sexuality.......2006-12-08
Judge Richard Posner's 'Sex and Reason' has influenced me more then any book I recently read, lead me to a complete reevaluation of what the Law is, and what it should be.
In this review I wish to concentrate less on Judge Posner's approach to the regulation of sex, although we will get there, but to his general approach to Jurisprudence. Becuase if 'Sex and Reason' taught me anything, it is that the way lawyers 'do' the Law is in need of thorough revision.
From my perspective as a third year law student in Israel, most of what the Law deals with is the meaning of words. Lawyers and Judges argue about whether or not various actions fall into various legal categories, and, particularly, about ways of interpreting statues and precedents. The main questions are 'how should one interperate the law'? and 'By what method does one decide which interpretation of the Law is best'?
In the United States, the main 'field of battle' regarding these questions are between the various Originalist positions (roughly, those who believe that words in statues mean what the people who wrote them meant), textualists (those who believe that texts should be read to be internally consistent) and living conbstitutionalists (the ones who believe that times change and the constitution - indeed, all laws - change with the times).
In Israel, the main contribution is by former Supreme Court Chief Justice and professor of Law, Aharon Barak. By Barak's lights, statutory interpretation is not originalist, nor is it textualist ("the interpretor is not a linguist" is his famous catchphrase - sounds better in Hebrew). Rather, Barak subscribes to a form of Living Constitutionalism which for want of a better term I'll call contextualism (Sometimes, misleadingly in my view, refered to as 'Purposive appraoch') - Barak argues that you can learn about the meaning of laws and decisions from their wider environment - the principles, laws and mores of the society. When faced with a legal question, Barak will strive for Harmoney not with the language of other statues, but with their intentions, so that all Law would create a single, ideologically cogent, fabric. In paraphrasing Hillary Rodham Clinton, one may say that according to Barak, It Takes a Village to decipher a Law.
I emphasises these different approaches in order to demonstrate that the criteria by which we decide whether an interpretation of the law is good are very unclear. But accept, for the moment, that one of these goals is superior to the others, and that we can evalutate various interpretations based on these criteria; We are still left with the question of what the marginal untility of trying to improve our interprative approach according to one of these criteria is.
Suppose a new study slightly imroves our understanding of the original meaning of the U.S. Constitution. Let's say that after a great deal of historical study and analysis, professor A has improved our understanding of the meaning of a certain clause by 5 %. Now interpretations are 5% more likely to correspond to the original understanding of the terms in question.
Well, so what? Are we, as a society, better off because we get a slight improvement in statue interpretation? That is highly unlikely. Even if we accept that one method of interpretation is correct, that does not mean that its outcomes are good. Indeed, it is unlikely that s study of 18th century political philosophy, or a comperative study of the spirit of law, will lead to good social outcomes. If you accept that it will, congratulations: you have just passed from the domain of Jurisprudence to the realm of theology.
From of social point of view, imrpoving stuatory interpretation based on any of the above criteria is a huge waste of time; a great deal of effort and resources are spent on things that will not, frankly, matter.
What I glimpse in Richard Posner's 'Sex and Reason' is an alternative: Pragamtism. The alternative is implicit here; I assume, not having read any of his other books (but I do frequest his excellent Blog, written jointly with econmist Gary Becker), that this approach is developed further elsewhere.
'Pragmatism', as I understand it, is about making positive statements about the consequences of various legal rules, and then chosing the best one. This requires sound theoretical analysis (Posner, and I, see the foundation of it in economics, but in principleit can be founded on psychology, anthropology, sociology, or many other fields, and Posner used reasearch from all these fields in his book) of the situation, and especially empirical research to find if the theory holds. Thus, a pragmatic approach to the questions of legal interpretations and doctrine requires first making positive inquiries into the subject; Only then should we make a normative judgement.
An example for this kind of reasoning would be the case for the supply of contraception to Teenagers. In the United States, some conservatives oppose supplying sexual education and contraception to Teenagers, and promote abstinence instead (in prgrams such as "The Silver Ring Thing", "True Love Waits", and "Free Teens"). Reasearch, however, demonstrated that such programs rarely decrease the negative side effects of Teenage sexuality such as unwanted pregnancy and disease (pp. 270-271). As Posner writes "the idea that puritanism may actually increase ... unwanted births is difficult to accept, but ... only because effective puritanism... would have the oppositve effect. A Puritan ethic that has only a modest effect in reducing the amount of teenage sex may produce more teenage pregnencies and unwanted births than moral indifference to such activity would" (p.272).
Now, in my view, this kind of analysis should be paramount in deciding legal questions such as whether government support for abstinence programs should be deemed constitutional. Perhaps the legal rethoric allowing the government to fund such projects is powerful - but legal niceties should not obscure the underlining realities.
Fun and Fascinating.......2005-12-17
Judge Posner is the finest legal mind of the current age, and "Sex and Reason" is precisely what you'd expect from him. Bemoaning the lack of empirical study that supports modern day sexual jurisprudence, the author takes it upon himself to correct the oversight. Empiricism is not wanting in the book; footnotes are omnipresent, filled with broad support and delightful nuggets.
The book begins with an investigation of sexuality throughout the ages. Sociobiological principles are explained and taken as postulates (women, on average, seek quality, whereas men seek quantity). Posner builds his model of rational sex--dismissing easily typical objections to economic modeling of human behavior--and usng it, attempts to unearth truths about some of the more risque periods of history. We are treated to an analysis of Greek pederasty, the rise of companionate marriage in the Christian church, prostitution throughout the ages, countless other subjects.
Modern sexual jurisprudence is investigated: Griswold is discussed, critiqued, defended. Utilitarian approaches are ventured forth in an attempt to justify Roe. Posner discusses cultural policy issues at the helm of modern debate, and offers us his own bright proposals: a free market in adoption, for instance, coupled with a thorough and unabashed defense.
Richard Posner's mind is nimble. His arguments are fun, light, powerful, thrown forth quickly into the crucible. So criticize what he says: one gets the feeling Posner wants nothing less. Be fascinated as insights are bred from left field. The book will make you think (about sex, no less, as if a person needed any prodding in that direction), make you smile, and it will make you, as it made me, quite impressed with a certain seventh circuit jurist.
A Mind-opening Book.......2002-03-30
Reading Judge Posner's book is a humbling experience. Much of what I thought I knew about sex is a tiny fraction of what this book has documented, analyzed and argued.
I have known that many early Greek luminaries, such as Plato, Socrates and Sophocles were homosexual. This book puts these mere points of interest in a wholly different light by exploring the social settings of the early Grecian (Athenian) society: that the early marriages were not companionate, that women in that society, including wives, were sequestered, that boys and girls were raised separately, and not by the mother, that pederasty was almost an accepted social institution, etc.
I have always believed that homosexuality is a rooted genetically, although it is not binary factor. This book puts homosexuality, through the use of the "Kinsey scale", into different degrees and clearly distinguishes between homosexual tendency and homosexual activity, and defines the opportunistic homosexual in economic terms. With very simple reasoning, this book explains why urbanization seems (only seems) to foster homosexuality and the emergence of homosexual enclaves such as San Francisco and New York.
This book also explains, again through an economic model, why the black men in this country seem (again, only seem!) to be sexually aggressive and promiscuous, whereas sexual abuse of off-spring children (girls) have a higher incidence in white households.
I am also enlightened on how the child birth, which in the early days often caused the death of the mother, created serial polygamy (polygyny, to be more precise) and that the widower, who were older and more economically established men, puts young bachelors at a competitive disadvantage in securing a mate, especially in the early industrial society where the cost of marriage was high.
I am enlightened to the role of the Church as the promoter of companionate marriage and how its fairly profound effect on this social institution. And also why the Church "overtly condoned prostitution and covertly condoned monastic homosexuality."
There are many other issues, such as infanticide, fornication, adultery, divorce, coercive and abusive sex, pornography, adoption, surrogate child-bearing ... to which Judge Posner gave interesting and informative treatment.
The thoroughness with which Judge Posner analyzes a problem is unmatched. Although I am not always completely convinced by his reasoning (because some of the arguments are necessarily qualitative and intuitive,) but the plausibility is striking. And I am frequently amazed by the different angles with which he looks at an issue, and the amount of facts and data he brings forth to support his views. When facts contradict what his theory predicts, he graciously points that out. In the conclusion of the book, Judge Posner, with scholarly grace and modesty, points out that his work was exploratory, a learning process for himself, and was not being presented as definitive.
Judge Posner's writing style is very good. The book is never boring, though some of the information and arguments are repeated due to the inter-relatedness of many of the issues. Throughout the book, the Judge's remarkable analytic skill can be felt. At one point, the Judge mercilessly took apart the New Jersey Supreme Court's opinion of the Baby M case (Stern vs. Whitehead) and clearly showed how judges, lacking knowledge on the subject matter and often ignorant about economics, proceeded to vote their own prejudices, and substituted rhetoric and sloppy logic for judicial analysis. This one episode, which clearly illustrates the reason he wrote this book, as he stated in the introduction, is worth the price of the book.
How many judges are as good as Judge Posner? Since he has published so much, chances of his ever being nominated and confirmed to be a justice of the High Court must be pretty slim, considering the infamous borking effect. This is just as well. I wishfully think his publications probably has a greater influence on the society, especially the legal community, than if he were appointed a justice.
Having read several of Judge Posner's books, I mark him down as one of a handful of top-notch intellectuals in my estimation.
Posner and the Sexual Revolution.......2000-08-14
Chief Judge Posner's book is an erudite and interesting one. Whilst often regarded as a conservative for his scholarly analysis of economic issues in a market economy, this book is not conservative. It appears basically supportive of the sexual revolution. Its utility is at its greatest when it applies neutral economic analysis to the social aspects of sex. It is at its weakest when in the enthusiasm for the novelty and power of its analytical insights, it at least appears to derive moral or normative conclusions that do not necessarily follow from the positive analysis. It reflects the dangers that both libertarian Austrian economists, such as Ludwig von Mises and social democratic economists have both seen in trying to apply insights derived from markets to non-market transactions - here sexual ones. Accordingly, whilst Chief Judge Posner speaks supportively of certain aspects of Swedish policy in relation to sexual matters and expressly and by inference against the traditional conservative Judeo-Christian attitudes to sex in those areas, economic analysis does not dictate that viewpoint. Values dictate that choice, but economics can illumine the consequences of those choices. In sum, an able, readable, but a very personal work, which could be read by those who are not familiar with the limits to the economic analysis of law - an area Posner has brilliantly contributed so much to - as conclusively determinative of issues which cannot be resolved by that positive analysis alone. Whilst less accessible in view of the use of math, Professor Becker's works are closer to a neutral analysis of many of these important questions.
A Major Breakthrough.......2000-07-06
In this book Richard Posner manages to singlehandedly turn legal scholarship on its head. He examines human sexuality from a myriad of perspectives--literature, sociology, evolutionary biology, morality, and history. He does so with impeccable scholarship, demonstrating not only that he is widely read in these diverse areas, but that he has something to say. The book is worth reading for just that.
But Posner's more impressive accomplishment is his singular approach to the regulation of human sexual behavior. His rational choice, economics of law approach is compelling. Even if you are not entirely convinced, Posner builds a powerful case for both academic and policy debate.
Posner's approach contrasts with most legal scholarship, which is lifeless and rarely bothers to consider the social sciences. Posner's book shows the intergal link between law, politics, and economics. It is also approachable and direct. You can't read Sex and Reason and not feel your deeply held beliefs directly challenged by a kind and discerning intellect. He is passionate, articulate, and eminently readable.
Posner's book has become a lightening rod in legal circles and is a must read for any serious reader in the area.
Average customer rating:
- Adultery on the distaff side
- a royal 3 1/2 stars
- Be a Queen? No, thanks.
- Extremely Satisfying...
- Good Lord -- A Compelling Tale of Wild Goings On
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Sex with the Queen: 900 Years of Vile Kings, Virile Lovers, and Passionate Politics (P.S.)
Eleanor Herman
Manufacturer: William Morrow
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ASIN: 0060846739
Release Date: 2006-04-11 |
Book Description
The author that the Times called "Sexy, dishy and funny" has penned another sure–fire media hit and a fascinating examination of sex, power, and royalty from the perspective of the Queen's bedroom.
In this follow–up to the bestselling Sex with Kings we discover the truth about what goes on behind the closed door of the Queen's boudoir. After all, Queen Victoria, that bastion of virtue, had nine children! You'll read about the notorious Catherine the Great , the passionately foolish Marie Antoinette, the destructively willful Tsarina Alexandra, and many more! Some Queens had numerous lovers, others seldom strayed, but all were full–blooded women who lived ––and loved–– under intense public scrutiny. And the men who loved these women sometimes gained riches, and sometimes lost their heads. Once again, Eleanor Herman has combined impeccable research while accessibly telling these fascinating stories.
Download Description
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In this follow-up to her bestselling Sex with Kings, Eleanor Herman reveals the truth about what goes on behind the closed door of a queen's boudoir. Impeccably researched, filled with page-turning romance, passion, and scandal, Sex with the Queen explores the scintillating sexual lives of some of our most beloved and infamous female rulers.
She was the queen, living in an opulent palace, wearing lavish gowns and dazzling jewels. She was envied, admired, and revered. She was also miserable, having been forced to marry a foreign prince sight unseen, a royal ogre who was sadistic, foaming at the mouth, physically repulsive, mentally incompetent, or sexually impotent -- and in some cases all of the above.
How did queens find happiness? In courts bristling with testosterone -- swashbuckling generals, polished courtiers, and virile cardinals -- many royal women had love affairs.
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Anne Boleyn flirted with courtiers; Catherine Howard slept with one. Henry VIII had both of them beheaded.
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Catherine the Great had her idiot husband murdered, and ruled the Russian empire with a long list of sexy young favorites.
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Marie Antoinette fell in love with the handsome Swedish count Axel Fersen, who tried valiantly to rescue her from the guillotine.
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Empress Alexandra of Russia found emotional solace in the mad monk Rasputin. Her behavior was the spark that set off the firestorm of the Russian revolution.
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Princess Diana gave up her palace bodyguard to enjoy countless love affairs, which tragically led to her early death.
When a queen became sick to death of her husband and took a lover, anything could happen -- from disgrace and death to political victory. Some kings imprisoned erring wives for life; other monarchs obligingly named the queen's lover prime minister.
The crucial factor deciding the fate of an unfaithful queen was the love affair's implications in terms of power, money, and factional rivalry. At European courts, it was the politics -- not the sex -- that caused a royal woman's tragedy -- or her ultimate triumph.
"
Customer Reviews:
Adultery on the distaff side.......2007-07-16
This is the perfect book-end to this author's "Sex With Kings", for it shows that females were just as inclined to adultery as their male counterparts. The problem with being the Queen (or consort) was that, unlike the male, the female, unless she was ruler in her own right, faced severe penalties if caught in adultery. Henry VIII's wives were a perfect example, but there were others who were divorced, imprisoned, sent to a convent, or even beheaded. It shows that "equality of the sexes" is really a very new idea. What fascinated me about this book was the section about Princess Diana and her many and varied adulteries. I must confess to not being particularly interested in the sex lives of the Windsors, but Diana's erotic adventures amazed me! Obviously the term "people's princess" meant that she was a princess to much of the male population. One learns something new every day!
a royal 3 1/2 stars.......2007-07-11
I sometimes wish that Amazon rated on a scale of 10 instead of 5--this is a better-than-3-star book. The book is truly a compendium of the triumphs and tragedies of women in high places for nine hundred years, and it's a romp to read. (It's also a better, and more sympathetic, book than Herman's first effortSex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge (P.S.)--better organized, and more accurate.) Ms. Herman's preferences for some royal ladies over others is very clear, though that is not a terrible flaw. My main problem with the book is expressed in the certainty of the captions of the many beautiful portraits reprinted in the book--there is some doubt that Marie Antoinette and Count Fersen were actually intimate, and very much doubt that Empress Alexandra ever slept with Rasputin--not that Rasputin wouldn't have tried. Certainly many believe as Ms. Herman does, including many of the subjects of these two queens, but I would have preferred it if she had presented both sides of the case, and let us decide. Nevertheless, especially if it whets your interest in history, royal or otherwise, this is a truly entertaining read.
PS I am curious about the choice of cover art for "Queen" versus that for "Sex with Kings"--why a lovely scantily clad lady on BOTH? Perhaps we would be seeing a more "feminist" work if the cover of "Queen" had featured an analagous male figure!
Be a Queen? No, thanks........2007-05-04
A survey of European queens and princesses who found love and sometimes disaster in marriage and extra-marital affairs. Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard are here, and thankfully the author testifies to Anne's innocence in her charges; Catherine the Great of Russia enjoyed lover after lover, well into her dotage; Marie Antoinette's king Louis was not very satisfying, and her nobleman lover's devotion went so far as to try and save her from the guillotine. Many of the kings in these mostly arranged marriages left much to be desired; often they were drunks, or not interested in the arranged queen, or not interested in women at all. Hanoverian Princess Sophia Dorothea (17th c.) was hounded by her mother-in-law and husband until her lover was murdered in her hall, and she spent the rest of her life in a forest castle, cursing her husband with her dying breath - the curse apparently worked, as he died within the year. Intrigue and passion on every page of this breezy read.
Extremely Satisfying..........2007-02-22
I bought this book with the purpose of it being a historical gossip column, and I wasn't disappointed. In fact, it greatly surpassed my expectations. This novel is very well written and contains a great deal of information, while not being stuffy. It was a very quick read and I highly recommend this novel to anyone who has a taste for reading about female royalty and history. Also highly recommend this book to anyone on a long trip, as this book is not difficult to read but will take a while.
Good Lord -- A Compelling Tale of Wild Goings On.......2007-02-06
Ms. Herman captures the tone of this book perfectly -- whimsically recounting the intrigues, romances, love and horror stories over 900 years of Royal contretemps, across the imperial courts of Spain, Europe, England and Russia.
I found this book to be thoroughly enjoyable -- a quick, engaging, and carefully researched look at the sometimes incredible lives of the royals. The queens had their work cut out for them, what with various impediments, sexual and otherwise, placed in their way to a fulfilling love life. These kings were a bunch of losers, for the most part, though the queens weren't always so hot either.
Book Description
Award-winning historian Lillian Faderman teams with journalist Stuart Timmons to write the first history of gay life in America's ultimate frontier town: Los Angeles
The exhortation to "Go West!" has always had a strong hold on the American imagination. But for the gays, lesbians, and transgendered people who have moved to L.A. over the past two centuries, the City of Angels has offered a special home--which, in turn, gave rise to one of the most influential gay cultures in the world.
Drawing upon untouched archives of documents and photographs and over 200 new interviews, Lillian Faderman and Stuart Timmons chart L.A.'s unique gay history, from the first missionary encounters with Native American cross-gendered "two spirits" to cross-dressing frontier women in search of their fortunes; from the bohemian freedom of early Hollywood to the explosion of gay life during World War II to the underground radicalism sparked by the 1950s blacklist; from the 1960s gay liberation movement to the creation of gay marketing in the 1990s. Faderman and Timmons show how geography, economic opportunity, and a constant influx of new people created a city that was more compatible to gay life than any other in America. Combining broad historical scope with deftly wrought stories of real people, from the Hollywood sound stage to the barrio, Gay L.A. is American social history at its best.
Customer Reviews:
More engaging than a Hollywood script.......2007-06-10
Gay L.A. is fascinating from beginning to end, from the history of gay and lesbian actors in the 1920s to the LGBT community's political power and media visibility today. A surprising number of gay and lesbian cultural institutions had their start in Los Angeles: the Advocate magazine, churches and synagogues, groups representing the diverse ethnic communities in L.A., and countless others.
The history of oppression in the 1940s, '50s, and early '60s is especially chilling. Gay men and women in the post-war era could be arrested simply on suspicion of being gay. Gay activists were hindered by a legal system that forbade the mailing of any kind of publication that mentioned homosexuality until 1958, when the Supreme Court ruled they too had freedom of speech and press, something a lower court had denied.
If you read the sections on the mid-20th century along with books about that era like The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the DecadesBefore Roe v. Wade, about pregnant unmarried women who were forced to leave home to give birth and relinquish their children, it becomes clearer why nuclear families seemed ubiquitous during the 1950s: Everyone else had been silenced or exiled.
Great book.......2006-12-12
I read about gay rights in the news every week, but never knew much about the background of this movement. Gay L.A. is a great read and opens up a new world of activism, secret lives, and entire underground societies. It's easy to think that New York and San Francisco were responsible for all the gay breakthroughs, but Los Angeles has an amazing story. This book also tells the story of gay women as well as gay men, which is fascinating. This book is carefully footnoted, but is written like an epic novel, reaching back into the 1800s. It's free of the political dogma and academic jargon that can weigh down similar books. Like it or not, L.A. is one of America's major cities, and what's so interesting is that it's a bunch of small towns, beaches, immigrants and Hollywood all rolled into one. You learn so much about the city itself as well as the gay world, which had to be hidden until recently. I strongly recommend it.
Important, timely and well-written history.......2006-12-11
Gay L.A." is an important, very comprehensive and inspiring book--one that we've all been waiting for! It is packed with two-centuries worth of fascinating information, but it doesn't read like a boring history book at all. I was intrigued by all stuff I didn't know: the role of gay people in the city's early formation and especially the decades of corrupt oppression that were to follow. There is also a lot of new information about the Hollywood-studio era and the beginnings of the gay liberation movement in Los Angeles. This book really held my interest throughout. The Los Angeles Times gave it a full-page rave review, which "Gay L.A." certainly deserves.
A lively and revealing history.......2006-12-06
[Disclaimer: Co-author Stuart Timmons is a friend of mine.]
I very much enjoyed the book. Certainly, those of us who lived through some of the events and who know or knew some of the people will enjoy the tale. And many folks, particularly newer generations, don't know much about this history at all. There's also plenty of new research, leading to rich detail that's never been told before.
Tales of Hollywood celebrities are culturally important, but are only one part of the much larger story of gay L.A. told in this book. More interesting to me, for example, are the variant sexualities of Native Americans ruthlessly suppressed by missionaries, the prominence of nineteenth century transvetites, the lurching evolution of sexual law and politics, and much more.
some interesting sections.......2006-12-01
I read this mainly as a Hollywood historian. Many many parts of this book are quite interesting, but unfortunately it contains the usual outing of the dead with little or no evidence to support it, just a lot of hopeful rumors from wishful thinkers. "So and so may have been," "everything says he was" etc.
One of the reviewers said that people who are alive and can sue are spared this type of statement in the book. I really don't know why because it shouldn't be libel to say someone is gay - perhaps that's just my opinion, having been in show business and having gay friends. My understanding of the libel laws are that the truth is your best defense. So why isn't the author outing living people? Why is it always the dead who are discussed, with the stories growing more and more exaggerated with each passing year?
One blatant inaccuracy is the suggestion that Tyrone Power may have been "kept" in his earlier days. I'd like to know what earlier days these are, as he lived with his mother, cousin Bob and his sister until he got married in 1939. If somebody kept him, they did a lousy job because before he got to Hollywood, he didn't have red cent and had holes in his shoes. I don't know how a responsible writer has the nerve to print something like that when Power has a large, living family who can dispute it, as is being done right now.
I worked and lived in Hollywood. I know a lot of people, now deceased, who were gay. None of them - and I mean none of them - have ever been mentioned in a book. If you want to keep something secret, you do. Everybody and their mother doesn't know it; otherwise, these actors would have been blackmailed within an inch of their lives and, I might add, be subject to books by former lovers. If a hairdresser can claim an affair with Humphrey Bogart, and a woman can write a book about her affair with Cary Grant, where are all these gay lovers and their books? Besides, of course, Rock Hudson's.
Book Description
A glance here, a flirtation there, a moment of misunderstanding. Have the new rules of feminist politics gone too far? Since Katie Riophe's book The Morning After helped spark a national debate over the politics of date rape, the media has focused on controversial sexual behavior of all kinds. Proponents of what has come to be called sexual correctness contend that we live in a culture where date rape, pornography, and sexual harassment are simply facts of life that demand a new sexual standard. Opponents argue that these claims are born out of a victim mentality they see as pervasive in the modern feminist movement that threatens to rob women of the gains of sexual freedom. As the successfull Dell title Debating PC did in 1992, Debating Sexual Correctness brings together some of the best known and most important voices in this debate. From the editorial pages of magazines as diverse as The New Republic and Glamour, The New York Times and Playboy, the country's most thoughtful social critics define or debunk this very controversial notion of sexual correctness. Katie Roiphe, Camille Paglia, Naomi Wolf, Andrea Dworkin, Catherine MacKinnon, and Susan Faludi are only a few of the writers in this provocative anthology that looks at a highly charged debate that has encompassed a nation.
Book Description
Sexually transmitted diseases among teens has become a full blown epidemic-- a national emergency that's killing our kids. In this groundbreaking book Dr. Meeker uncovers the story of this serious epidemic and the pattern of political correctness and marketing hype that has caused this tidal wave of disease.
Customer Reviews:
Timely and Full of Truth.......2007-10-05
The truth hurts and is difficult to read sometimes but facts don't like. Meg Meekers research and assessment of the dangers that face our kids is real and present as any danger today. Love you kids, read the book.
Meeker is out of touch with reality........2006-07-31
I have read Meeker's book, and find it totally devoid of factual information or a sex-positive approach. It is the same old "just say no" approach, which is never going to click with today's teenagers. Like Josh McDowell and Pam Stenzel, she is irresponsible in not telling the truth about sex. Forget her.
not worth the paper it's printed on.......2006-03-22
As an epidemiologist with a PhD, and a focus on adolescent health, I found this book terrible. Dr. Meeker states things that are simply WRONG and have been shown in scientific literature. Specifically on page 146 she says that "the risk of contracting and STD through oral is extremely high." At the time of publication of her book, this was NOT shown. Since that time, the most definitive study shows that there is no risk: del Romero J, Marincovich B, Castilla J, Garcia S, Campo J, Hernando V, et al. Evaluating the risk of HIV transmission through unprotected orogenital sex. AIDS 2002;16(9):1296-7.
Moreover, several studies have shown that virginity pledges, etc can put teens at higher risk of STDs because those who make such pledges are LESS likely to have condoms when they do have their first sexual intercourse, which eventually happens before marriage. Furthermore, none of these messages reduce the chance of having an STD later in life as young adults.
Generally Dr. Meeker mixes stories about her patients with a non-critical, non-scientific manipulation of scientific literature to promote an alarmist agenda that is not helpful and probably damaging. Condoms prevent STD transmission and teens have sex. Face it and deal with it.
How Teen Sex Is Killing Our Kids.......2005-01-01
If all the teenagers in the world read this book, there would have been a sea change in their attitude towards their no-holds-barred sexual revolution. Earlier there were only two diseases syphilis and gonorrhoea and now there is more than a 100 and they are increasing at an extremely fearful pace. Many of these have no remedies so far and the people getting killed by these diseases are increasing on a daily basis.
The author mentioned, in an interview, what helped to complete the book. Kicking the coffee habit. Said drinking it clouded creativity. I agree too, and stopped completely a few weeks ago, with the help of a coffee replacement. It's called s o y f e e and I simply love it. Made from s o y that you brew just like coffee. I even like it better than the real stuff. Look for it at www.s oycoffee.com.
Straight talk our children deserve to hear.......2004-11-24
Epidemic may not be too strong of a word to describe the crisis in teen sexuality we face in the Western world. Although this volume describes the American scene, it would be true of most other Western nations as well. Young people have been sold a bill of goods regarding sexuality, and they are paying the penalty, big time.
Consider some of the statistics: In the US in 2002 up to one quarter of sexually active teens were living with a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Each year over 15 million Americans will contract a new STD. Around a fifth of these will be teenagers. Indeed, while teens make up just 10 percent of the population, they account for 25 per cent of all STDs.
The truth is, the sexual revolution of the 60s has unleashed an untamed monster. When I was growing up one seldom heard of venereal diseases, as they were then called. And there were really only two: syphilis and gonorrhoea. And they tended to be something people other than sailors and prostitutes never worried about. Today there are at least 50 STDs. And with multiple strains of mutating viruses, that actual number may be as high as 100.
Thus a whole new batch of STDs have emerged in line with the no-holds-barred sexual revolution. Chlamydia for example was not even identified until 1976. Thus we have a whole new vocabulary as part of our dictionaries, with disease like genital herpes, HPV, HIV, and a range of new viral infections.
And the problem is many of these diseases are at present incurable (like HIV) and many are asymptomatic (that is one often does not even know one has the infection). And many are quite infectious, easily spread, and hard to control. Herpes for example lives on the skin and is easily passed on.
While antibiotics can stop bacterial STDs (like chlamydia) they cannot stop viruses. And even the bacteria are hard to control, with many mutating into more devious germs, becoming resistant to antibiotics.
Doctor Meegan does not just warn against the physical dangers of casual sex. She also speaks to the emotional, psychological and social harms. The safe sex myth (just use a condom, etc) is not only physically harmful, as most contraceptives are far from foolproof, but the risks of a broken promise, a broken relationship, and a broken heart cannot be protected by the condom culture.
Dr Meeker reminds us that teens are especially vulnerable to negative emotional and psychological side effects due to early sexual activity. And that translates into an epidemic of teen depression and suicide. And the problem compounds itself. Depressed kids in turn are more likely to turn to sex, as many turn to drugs, to deal with their grief.
Losing one's virginity at an early age often leads to a loss in self respect and self worth. A loss of trust and expectation also is part of the downside. The innocence of childhood is ripped away and replaced with a premature burden of adulthood.
The truth is, the condom culture and the explosion in comprehensive sex education have not helped matters, but made them worse. We have never before had so much sex ed, and we have never before had so much teen sexuality, abortion and STDs. There seems to be a clear correlation between the two.
And a major missing ingredient in most sex ed courses is what teens really need to hear: how to say no to sexual pressure. Abstinence before marriage and faithfulness in marriage is the only guaranteed safe sex. Yet this message is seldom being taught to our young people. It certainly is not the message of popular culture.
Critics will simply shrug off this volume and accuse the author of scare mongering. But try telling that to a young person who is now permanently affected by an STD. Try telling that to a young girl whose future is in doubt because sexual experimentation has lead to an unwanted pregnancy. Try telling that to those who have become infertile due to promiscuous sexual activity.
The consequences of the sexual revolution are very real indeed. It is time we had some straight talk on the many dangers of, and downsides to, teenage sex. The good news is we are not animals and we can control our desires. But when all around us are telling our young people that they should just go for it, the message of sexual responsibility is easily drowned out. Thus the importance of this book.
Book Description
Queer by Choice enters the controversial debate of sexual identity by examining choice in gay men and lesbian sexual identity. Drawing on interviews with a sample of 72 people, Whisman analyzes if, and to what extent, choice played a role in determining identity. Contributing factors such as race, class, religion, and educational level are considered. The results of the study are stimulating and often surprising, and contribute to the escalating debates over sexual identity as lesbians and gays continue to soldier for rights and representation.
Customer Reviews:
Thought-provoking but not terrific.......1998-03-12
Whisman does a credible job in presenting the results of her dissertation and she doesn't claim more than is reasonable based on the somewhat limited size of her sample (about 35 gay men and about 35 lesbians). The interview excerpts are interesting, and they got me thinking about how or why women or men choose to be gay. My book group (about 10 lesbians) didn't like the book as much as I did, but I know what it means to write a dissertation and how limited the scope of it usually is (Whisman's research was not funded by a large institution). We would have been more interested in a psychological rather than a political analysis of the data on choice. This is not to discount the importance of the notion of choice from a political perspective . . . but most of us are experienced enough to know that we have to negotiate our way between heterosexual feminists and male homosexuals. On the other hand, the book did stimulate a good discussion of the issues that Whisman raises.
Book Description
Sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults by Catholic clergy burst onto the American scene in 1984. Revelations about such abuse since then have confirmed that this tragedy is not limited to the U.S. Catholic Church, nor is it a new phenomenon that grew out of so-called secularizing trends of the late twentieth century. The Doyle-Sipe-Wall report clearly demonstrates a deep-seated problem that spans the Church's history. This collection of documents from official and unofficial sources begins its survey in 60 CE and concludes with the contemporary scandal. It reveals an institution that has tried to come to grips with this devastating internal problem from its earliest years. At times circumspect and at other times open and direct, Church leaders tried a variety of means to rein in the various violations of clerical celibacy. The sexual abuse crisis is not isolated from the questions of the celibate practice of all Catholic clergy and the moral questions that involve marriage and all human sexual behaviors. These are the main, yet unspoken, reasons why sexual abuse has been such an inflammatory and dangerous issue for the hierarchy. The Church abuse scandal of the contemporary era, rather than seen as a new challenge, is actually the catalyst for a complex process that is forcing the official Church to redefine its ideology of sexuality, its responsibility to its members and its role in society. The three distinguished authors have served as experts and consultants in over 1,000 cases of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy, and have collectively spent over 70 years of official service within the church.
Customer Reviews:
Sex, Priests, and Secret Codes: The Catholic Church's 2,000-Year Paper Trail of Sexual Abuse.......2007-08-15
This book is an enlightening look at the issues behind the sexual abuse of children in the Catholic Church and the failure of leadership to adequately deal with the problem, both decades ago and today. Doyle presents a candid view of the motives behind the decisions that have taken place behind the cloak of secrecy that surrounds the clerical culture. The book is well written, easy to read and easily understand. I highly recommend it to all Catholics.
A very informative book. .......2007-01-06
In my opinion this is a valuable book, especially for Catholics who are very perplexed as to how the sexual abuse scandal happened. Both the history and recent events in this area are covered and explained very well. However, the book comes across as one in which independent writings of the three authors were lumped together with very little coordination or joint editing. In particular, Chapter 4: " The Doyle-Mouton-Peterson Manual ..." should, in my opinion, have been an appendix, and is a distraction in the body of the book. Also, there is significant repetition in the first and latter sections.
Nevertheless, I think this is an important book which should be read by all American Catholics.
Clerical Abuse.......2006-12-07
If this review seems harsh, it's because the lives of kids are at stake and the problem is NOT being addressed openly by the Catholic Church.
When I read a non-fiction book and come across a fact that startles me, I put a dot in the margin next to the sentence and, at the back of the book, list the page number. This helps me research and/or discuss matters of import while preserving their context.
Here are a few of the items I marked of Father Doyle's (et al) objective history of clerical celibacy and child abuse in the Catholic Church:
4- Solicitation in the confessional
21- Pope Leo IX decided to exclude "only those who had offended repeatedly and over a long period of time."
28 - Pope Benedict commanded that no two monks were to sleep in the same bed.
44 - Pope Benedict XIV condemned the practice of priests granting absolution to the very persons with whom they had engaged in solicitation.
60 - The John Jay College Survey review commissioned by the bishops found the 5,450 complaints of clerical sexual abuse included sixteen U.S. bishops.
To determine for yourself if this is a NEW problem, read pages 5,6,7,11,13,17,20,21,22,26,30,33,35,36,37,40,44,46,52,68,104,
170,211,214,215,223,225,226 and 235.
Oh, on page 258, we learn the Los Angeles dioceses uses the same PR firm earlier hired by Enron and Charles Keating.
A must read.......2006-09-23
This book is a must read for all catholics. Thanks to Tom Doyle, Richard Sipe and Patrick Wall for having the courage "to do the right thing" and reveal what the catholic church wants to ignore and keep "secret" - power, control and abuse.
Anne, member
FOSIL
A Superb Book.......2006-08-16
This book is a most useful one - to say the least - for those of us, within the Church, grieved by these scandals and the utterly appalling manner in which they have been/are being handled. This excellent book should be required reading for bishops and priests everywhere.
Sadly, it would appear that there is not much enthusiasm among many clergy for being educated about the nature and extent of the evil that has devastated so many lives. That in itself is a terrible indictment of many in the institutional Church.
There are many false shepherds and - in Jesus' words - "hired hands", who DO NOT CARE about those wounded and torn by "wolves within the fold". They have sympathy for - and affinity with - their "brother priests" who are, in fact, sexual predators; and no love or compassion for their victims whose lives are so deeply scarred.
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- Women with Mustaches and Men without Beards: Gender and Sexual Anxieties of Iranian Modernity
- Writings of St. Paul (Norton Critical Edition)
- Wuthering Heights (Collected Works of Emily Bronte)
- 21: The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey (Aubrey/Maturin Series)
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