Recommended Books
The Director's Dozen #3
Reading recommendations for your education and pleasure!
A listing of twelve books relating to sexual health, healing and happiness, picked and reviewed by Dr. Barnaby Barratt.
Selected by Barnaby B. Barratt, PhD, DHS, ABPP, FAPA
Pick of the Pack: General Sexual Education
1. A New View of a Woman's Body: A Fully Illustrated Guide
by Federation of Feminist Women's Centers. West Hollywood, CA: Feminist Health Press, 1992.
At about $20, this is a wonderful book to be read by every woman and those who love women. It is full of invaluable, sensible information. And the chapter on the structures and functions of the clitoris explodes a longstanding myth that identifies the clitoris with its external glans. An important work that supports female health and pleasure.
2. A Lifetime of Sex: The Ultimate Manual on Sex, Women and Relationships for Every Stage of a Man's Life
by S. C. George and K. W. Caine. Emmaus, PA: Rodale, Men's Health Books, 1998.
A useful book for men, somewhat marred by a heterocentric emphasis, but full of good information in an easily readable format.
Pick of the Pack: Scholarly Contributions to Sexological Science
3. The G-Spot and Other Discoveries about Human Sexuality
by John Perry, Beverly Whipple and Alice Ladas. New York: Dell, 1982.
The research reported and evaluated in this classic work has expanded our horizons. And although there are many important studies that came out after this book was published, at about $7, this paperback is still an indispensable bargain for any sexologist's professional library. Dr. Whipple was 1998 recipient of the Midwest Institute of Sexology's annual award for research contributions in clinical and educational sexology.
Pick of the Pack: For Your Erotic Pleasure
4. Erotic by Nature: A Celebration of Life, of Love, and of our Wonderful Bodies
edited by David Steinberg. Santa Cruz, CA: Down There Press, 1982.
A fabulous volume of literature and photographs celebrating our many sexualities. A joy to peruse, and a wonderful gift idea for a special friend.
More Recommended Books
5. The Illustrated History of Erotica, Three Volumes
edited by Charlotte Hill and William Wallace. New York, NY: Carroll & Graf, 1993.
A useful and interesting survey, lavishly illustrated but focused almost exclusively on the western tradition.
6. Experiencing HIV: Personal, Family, and Work Relationships
by Barry Adam and Alan Sears. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1996.
Almost a million people in the United States are HIV+ and this book presents their stories. A superb example of insightful and compassionate research, originating in a study of HIV+ individuals in the SE Michigan and Ontario communities.
7. Trans Liberation: Beyond Pink or Blue
by Leslie Feinberg. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 1998.
An important work by a leading spokesperson for transgender issues.
8. The Literary Companion to Sex: An Anthology of Prose and Poetry
edited and with textual commentaries by Fiona Pitt-Kethley. New York, NY: Random House, 1992.
An interesting excursion through the western literary tradition.
9. Sexual Energy, Ecstasy: A guide to the Ultimate Intimate Sexual Experience
by David Alan Ramsdale and Ellen Jo Dorfman. Playa Del Rey, CA: Peak Skill Publishing, 1982.
One of the earliest of the wave of books presenting methods for sexual intensification.
10. Sexuality
by Joseph Bristow. New York, NY: Routledge, 1997.
An interesting essay trying to define sexuality in psychological and cultural terms.
11. Body Talk: Philosophical Reflections of Sex
edited by Jacquelyn N. Zita. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1998.
High quality scholarship, but heavily academic, this is a collection of provocative essays for those interested in contemporary continental philosophy.
12. Sexual Medicine in Primary Care
by William Maurice. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Press, 1999.
This is the best available textbook for physicians and other healthcare workers in an area where previous texts have been significantly deficient.