Parents' Guide to

S.E.X.: The All-You-Need-To-Know Sexuality Guide to Get You Through Your Teens and Twenties

By Mandie Caroll, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Fantastic inclusive, progressive sex guide for teens and up.

Book Heather Corinna Body Awareness 2016
S.E.X.: The All-You-Need-To-Know Sexuality Guide to Get You Through Your Teens and Twenties Poster Image

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What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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What's the Story?

Each chapter of S.E.X.: THE ALL-YOU-NEED TO KNOW SEXUALITY GUIDE TO GT YOU THROUGH YOUR TEENS AND TWENTIES builds on the one before it: A description of the whole-person approach is described before puberty and anatomy are discussed; gender identity and sexual orientation comes before chapters on relationships; consent is covered before the mechanics of sex. Safer sex, abuse and assault, pregnancy and reproductive choice options follow one another. Topics and subtopics are discussed in great detail. Sidebars go into depth on a related concept, recurring pop-outs bust myths, offer definitions, and review tips on communication or tech safety. A combined bibliography and resources list is organized by chapters, and an extensive index can help readers find the information they need fast.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

This frank and comprehensive sex guide for teens and young adults is a powerful and compelling resource. S.E.X.: The All-You-Need-To-Know Sexuality Guide to Get You Through Your Teens and Twenties may surprise some adults (as well as younger readers) as it aims to be as explicit, accessible, and nonjudgmental as possible. Gender-inclusive language and never-assumed heterosexuality gives a home to readers of any gender and sexual orientation. This book certainly has a progressive agenda: Respect young people's autonomy to make informed choices that are right for them, at a pace that feels safe, with the goal of developing a healthy sexuality. Adults will benefit from reading this guide before handing it off to teens, and they will probably even learn a thing or two. Many may think, "I wish this existed when I was a teenager."

One quibble concerns advice (in the body image chapter) to talk with a doctor or nurse if you feel like you need to diet or feel bad about your body. Given the fact that anti-fat bias in healthcare has led some healthcare providers to prescribe unhealthy, non-evidence-based interventions to patients, this could be problematic advice. But since that's the only critique in nearly 500 pages, this guide still comes out on top as a must-have for the teen years and beyond.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how to use S.E.X.: The All-You-Need-To-Know Sexuality Guide during adolescence. What's hard (or easy) about discussing sex with family members? Are there other adults you can talk with to learn about sexuality as you grow up?

  • What surprised you about the way the author presents information? How do they avoid assuming the gender of readers? What impact does the explicit discussions of bodies and sex have on you as a reader?

  • What does consent mean to you? Why is consent so important? What have you learned about saying "yes" and "no" to others? What about asking for consent? What's hard and what's good about accepting someone else's "no" or "yes."

Book Details

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