Human Sexuality in a World of Diversity [Hardcover]

Having majors in both the natural and social sciences, I can honestly say this is a very unprofessionally written text for just a single reason. There are constant, in-text, one-sided diatribes between the "first author" and the "third author." The third author is the ever-lovable Lois Fichner-Rathus who is married to the first author. The problem is that this woman takes numerous opportunities to slam males and masculinity throughout the text (without any similar asides from the male authors).

One section I remember in a not-so-fond manner is where the "third author" rants about how men can't help but be competitive, even with animals, on page 119. On page 23, there is a footnote that reads, "The first and second authors of this text [males] point out that it is not necessarily advantageous for females to have the ability to discriminate duds from winners. The third author confesses that she wishes she had had that capacity years ago."

The book also presents rather one sided views of topics like circumcision. In the book, they describe how, in uncircumcised males, "smegma--a cheeselike, foul-smelling secretion--may accumulate below the prepuce, causing the foreskin to adhere to the glans." (110) The text neglects the fact that smegma naturally occurs in females as well around the clitoral hood with improper hygiene. If they had mentioned this, would it be grounds for supporting clitoradectomy? They then cite data from a Wiswell study concerning penile cancer, and UTI's and declare that circumcision "lessens" these risks. The problem is that the data in that study was actually correlational because the circumcision (as an I.V.) was not controlled by the experimenter, rather, the observations were made ex-post facto where factors like poverty determined who was circumcised. This introduces the possibility that significant differences (monetary, hygiene, education, etc) existed between the subjects. Don't they know that correlation doesn't imply causation?

I liked one comment the third author made in the childbirth section on page 364. She describes how the obstetrician invited her husband to cut the umbilical cord and she "seized the scissors and cut the umbilical cord herself." She asks, 'who gave the obstetrician the right to determine who would cut the umbilical cord!' Heck, I'm amazed she let her husband have the privilege of sleeping with her to conceive the child in the first place. He's lucky she even bothered to take, er, append her husband's last name onto hers.

I don't mind a book with humor, but when the humor makes certain readers feel like they are under siege with every new page, then it no longer serves the usual purpose of conveying information.

Besides that, the book is ultra-thorough. It covers sexuality on biological, moral, psychological, and sociological levels. It is almost too thorough to make for engaging reading for someone interested in a single aspect of sexuality, but this also makes it adaptable for use in many fields of study.

Update: I have been informed that the unprofessional comments are gone in subsequent revisions, so I have no qualms in giving this book another star.

My star rating may be a bit too harsh for a book that does indeed go and define human sexuality and the subjects therein, but when you're reading a textbook on the subject, you have to expect that even the most dismal and pathetic of textbooks would ever cover the subjects they are supposed to cover, or else they would never end up in a classroom.

Instead in this book, amidst the subject comes what screams to be amateurish writing, questionable facts, and just plain bad humor, occasionally used to mask the fact that the authors' touch on certain subjects they just don't know.

As I can't draw on every single example from memory, I'll deal with what examples I can:

- Tantric Sex: The authors know absolutely nothing about what tantric sex is. A "Q&A" section is opened up asking about it, and the authors proceed to ramble on incoherently, with such "things" as "it's like having a tantrum! Sorry, bad pun", before proceeding to say it's everything from yoga and meditation to lighting candles and receiving a massage. Ahem, NO, that is NOT what tantric sex is.

Fact: Tantric sex is a philosophy that combines Hindu spiritualism with indulgent sexuality. Saying that Tantric sex is "yoga, meditation, erotic massages, candles" is like saying this textbook is "words, pages, letters, ink, Times New Roman font, basketballs".

- Sex toys: The author very wrongly states that sex toys (ie, dildos and vibrators) are inherently unsafe if they penetrate. That must be why they sell millions of them without problem.

Fact: Penetrative sex toys are not "inherently unsafe" if you TAKE CARE OF THEM, the same with ANY object that enters your body. Virtually all sex toys have instructions for proper cleaning and storage, with most "kits" or stores that sell them also selling special cleaning solutions. On its own, if you're insane enough to leave a dildo in a dirty toilet for a few days, then pull it out, cough on it, and stick it inside you, good for you and try not to get sick. The authors aren't lying when they say penetrative sex toys can be dangerous; they're simply answering a different version of the question. It's the equivalent of asking "Can I learn how to pleasure my wife if I read this book?" and the answer being "You will know how to avoid getting pregnant, avoid STD's and STI's, and how pornography is okay to buy even if you're married".


Virtually every page or every other page attempts to "lighten" the subject matter with poor jokes that serve only to detract from the studies, as well as seeming to emphasize the prevailing idea when reading text like this that the study of human sexuality is a mockery, to always be accompanied by childish titters and snickers at the picture of a penis or a vagina during orgasm. There is nothing this book gives that couldn't be got more professionally elsewhere.

I'm taking a "Sexual Psychology" class, and this book details the nature of humans' need for sexual gratification. It gives detail illustrations and picts on both, the male and female genitals, how and why they work, the chemical actions that take place inside the human body which causes men and women to seek each other out, either of the opposite gender, or the same gender. It gives in fine detail, how a fertilized egg develops into a male or female; how the sperm cell's chromosome will influence the egg into forming either the female or male genitals. I mention "female" first because the human egg cell is defaulted to develop into a female, unless the sperm cell says otherwise. The book fails to mention that not all sperm cells are designed to fertilize the egg, which implies the authors disagree with the British findings. I recommend "Sperm Wars" by Robin Baker (to learn what the author neglects to mention about sperm), also available on Amazon. The authors detail not only heterosexuals, but gives scientific data on why some people grow up as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. It further takes into account social culture, and how sex attitudes may differ in developed nations, versus 3rd-world nations. Another "plus" to how the author had written, is that it's easy to understand. Unlike biology and chemistry textbooks that are written with "big words" in every paragraph, this book is written with high school graduates in mind. It was very easy to follow along, and I wasn't reaching for the dictionary every 10 minutes to look up a word, like I'm doing when I read my other textbooks. To break the monotony of reading and absorbing all this data, the author would make a few humorous remark to elicit a smile or laughter from it's readers. My greatest regret is wishing I had come across this information earlier in life. I'm now in my late 40s, had gone back to college to pursue a degree because my trucking job is slowly being taken over by cheaper Mexican truckers. I've had pass problems with girlfriend relationships, and being confused with my desire for other women. Had I read this book earlier in my life (late teens), I would've handled my difficulties a lot better. As I'm typing this, I've only read the first 7 chapters, and there are 19 chapters in all. This book is a "must-have" to include in your personal library. Even if you have no time to take a class in psychology, reading this book will give you a better perspective on how and why people behave the way they do.

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