Books We Love
Come As You Are - Emily Nagoski, PhD
The Vagina Bible - Dr. Jen Gunter
OB/GYN, The New York Times columnist, host of the show Jensplaining, and internationally bestselling authorDr. Jen Gunter now delivers the definitive book on vaginal health, answering the questions you’ve always had but were afraid to ask—or couldn’t find the right answers to. She has been called Twitter’s resident gynecologist, the Internet’s OB/GYN, and one of the fiercest advocates for women’s health…and she’s here to give you the straight talk on the topics she knows best.
Does eating sugar cause yeast infections?
Does pubic hair have a function?
Should you have a vulvovaginal care regimen?
Will your vagina shrivel up if you go without sex?
What’s the truth about the HPV vaccine?
Becoming Cliterate - Laurie Mintz, PhD
We’ve been thinking about sex all wrong. Mainstream media, movies, and porn have taught us that sex = penis + vagina, and everything else is just secondary. Standard penetration is how men most reliably achieve orgasm. The problem is, women don’t orgasm this way. We’ve separated our most reliable route to orgasm—clitoral stimulation—from how we feel we should orgasm—penetration.
As a result, we’ve created a pleasure gap between women and men:
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50% of 18-35-year-old women say they have trouble reaching orgasm with a partner
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64% of women vs 91% of men said they had an orgasm at their last sexual encounter
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55% of men vs. 4% of women say they usually reach orgasm during first-time hookup sex
In Becoming Cliterate, psychology professor and human sexuality expert Dr. Laurie Mintz exposes the broader cultural problem that’s perpetuating this gap, and what we can do about it.
Pulling together evidence from biology, sociology, linguistics, and sex therapy into one comprehensive, accessible, and prescriptive book, Becoming Cliterate features:
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Cultural & historical analysis of female orgasm (spoiler: the problem’s been going on for ages)
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An anatomy section (it’s all custom under the hood)
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Proven techniques for cliterate sex (it starts with training the sex organ between your ears)
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A comprehensive final chapter for men (because you don’t have to have a clitoris to be cliterate)
Carnal Knowledge: Sex Education You Didn't Get in School - Zoë Ligon and Elizabeth Renstrom
Get progressive, positive, and constructive sex tips and ideas from one of today's most popular sex educators.
When it comes to sex, there's practically no question that Zoë Ligon hasn't heard and researched. Her Instagram and YouTube videos, as well as product reviews, are extremely popular for their up-front approach. Now, she brings her wealth of experience and open-minded attitude to a sex-positive guidebook that's honest, inclusive, and right on time. Lusciously illustrated, this book takes readers through every aspect of sexuality--from body basics and physiology to maintaining healthy relationships. It highlights the usefulness of sex toys in aiding solo and partnered exploration and explains why there should really be no stigma around using these practical tools. It also includes advice on setting boundaries, being respectful of other people's gender identities, and thinking outside the orgasm. Elizabeth Renstrom's dreamy, colorful photographs drive home Ligon's philosophy that there's no one "right" way to have sex. With its focus on intimacy, body positivity, and self-care, Carnal Knowledge can lead you to enjoy sex with security and confidence.
Fierce Desires - Rebecca L. Davis
From an esteemed scholar, a richly textured, authoritative history of sex and sexuality in America―the first major account in three decades.
Our era is one of sexual upheaval. Roe v. Wade was overturned in the summer of 2022, school systems across the country are banning books with LGBTQ+ themes, and the notion of a “tradwife” is gaining adherents on the right while polyamory wins converts on the left. It may seem as though debates over sex are more intense than ever, but as acclaimed historian Rebecca L. Davis demonstrates in Fierce Desires, we should not be too surprised, because Americans have been arguing over which kinds of sex are “acceptable”―and which are not―since before the founding itself.
From the public floggings of fornicators in early New England to passionate same-sex love affairs in the 1800s and the crackdown on abortion providers in the 1870s, and from the movements for sexual liberation to the recent restrictions on access to gender affirming care, Davis presents a sweeping, engrossing, illuminating four-hundred-year account of this nation’s sexual past. Drawing on a wealth of sources, including legal records, erotica, and eighteenth-century romance novels, she recasts important episodes―Anthony Comstock’s crusade against smut among them―and, at the same time, unearths stories of little-remembered pioneers and iconoclasts, such as an indentured servant in colonial Virginia named Thomas/Thomasine Hall, Gay Liberation Front cofounder Kiyoshi Kuromiya, and postwar female pleasure activist Betty Dodson.
Generation M: Living Well in Perimenopause and Menopause - Dr. Jessica Shepherd
Evidence-based. Lifestyle approved. The practical guide you need for the life you want.
Finally, here is a fresh plan for a new generation entering perimenopause and menopause. With clinical insights, actionable tips, and holistic guidance, Dr. Jessica Shepherd, a board-certified OB/GYN and women’s health advocate, redefines how to sustain the marathon of this life stage so you can make the most of your health and vitality. In Generation M, she throws out the old playbook and provides you with an empowering approach to thriving through this change and beyond. Dr. Shepherd draws upon many conversations with leading experts in nutrition, meditation, and fitness, as well as with those living through perimenopause and menopause, who’ve shared what challenges them and what helps them live vibrantly. In this book you will find:
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Scientifically backed information and advice from a doctor and menopause expert
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Evidence-based recommendations, tips, tools, and personal building blocks for the best health practices
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A guided exploration of new medical research and data
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A deep dive on the safety and efficacy of HRT, including information on what medications to take and when to take them
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Holistic advice on how to ease your transition during this period, including recommendations for exercise, diet, sleep, mindfulness practices, and more
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An accessible yet powerful, and at times humorous, voice from a woman who understands what you are going through
Discover the steps you need now for the future you desire—and stay healthy, active, and fabulous along the way.
The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity Is Hurting Young Women - Jessica Valenti
From the bestselling author of Sex Object, a searing investigation into American culture's obsession with virginity, and the argument for creating a future where women and girls are valued for more than sexuality
The United States is obsessed with virginity--from the media to schools to government agencies. In The Purity Myth, Jessica Valenti argues that the country's intense focus on chastity is damaging to young women. Through in-depth cultural and social analysis, Valenti reveals that powerful messaging on both extremes--ranging from abstinence-only curriculum to "Girls Gone Wild" infomercials--place a young woman's worth entirely on her sexuality. Morals are therefore linked purely to sexual behavior, rather than values like honesty, kindness, and altruism. Valenti sheds light on the value--and hypocrisy--around the notion that girls remain virgins until they're married by putting into context the historical question of purity, modern abstinence-only education, pornography, and public punishments for those who dare to have sex. The Purity Myth presents a revolutionary argument that girls and women are overly valued for their sexuality, as well as solutions for a future without a damaging emphasis on virginity.
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma - Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD
A pioneering researcher transforms our understanding of trauma and offers a bold new paradigm for healing in this New York Times bestseller
Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world’s foremost experts on trauma, has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.