The Sexual State of the Union

In the chapter "As Porn as We Wanna Be," Susie blows the lid off the porn debate, challenging us to fess up to our appetites for X-rated entertainment -- and to recognize the societal changes those appetites require. "Famous athletes and courtroom defendants have moved into prime-time pornographic amateur hour, " she observes. "Al Capone could never have dreamed of this, but O.J. may have to soon." In "The Vibrator Clerk Chronicles," she unearths the buried truth about fantasies -- what makes them so forbidden, powerful, and necessary. In "Talking in the Dark," she offers first-hand analysis of the student-initiated sexual behavior policy that created such an uproar at Antioch College -- and reveals whether students really follow it. (A hint: "Forget about asking anyone's consent; you couldn't hear a bloody thing above the music.") In "I'll Never Forget You," Susie divulges her experiences with a sex match made via the Internet -- asking us to confront our fears about technology, intimacy, and the appeal of anonymous sex.

Throughout, Susie pushes out the borders of propriety until they blur, become irrelevant, and downright stifling in the face of our inherent need to touch and be touched. Passionately, accessibly, and with her inimitable hip-chick charm, Susie lays outs with her no-holds-barred argument for a freer, more honest, and ultimately healthier understanding of sexuality, gender, desire, ecstasy, love and power -- and she will forever change the way you think about sex.