The Sex Book

Describing itself as a ‘no-holds barred guide to the ins and outs of sex’, this compact paperback offers frank and explicit information for the initiated or those ‘starting to think about it’. Not a book to have on the open shelves perhaps, but one that is well suited for its targeted audience. The author, a Canadian teacher and writer, mother of two teenage girls and a 10-year-old boy, has worked closely with her intended readership, and it shows in her confident tone that is never patronising or censorial. Fully adapted for the UK market by the Family Planning Association amongst others, there is detailed information on contraception, anatomy and the context of relationships arranged in A to Z format, as well as sound advice on values and feelings. A smattering of cartoons and jazzy tints enliven its contents, though the ersatz typewriter face is an odd choice for an age group that may never have used such an ancient machine. The one drawback of the encyclopedic format is that information on important issues such as HIV and STIs is repeated many times in successive entries – no bad thing in itself, but it has the cumulative effect of making it all seem like one long health warning. An index is included in addition to the A to Z entries and useful addresses in a resources section.