Hooking Up, a girl's all-out guide to SEX & SEXUALITY, by Amber Madison

So this book is geared more toward high school and very young college aged, maybe even older middle school aged, girls (as you can imagine, since it's a book on sexuality that has very basic, but detailed, information on what every person should know about sex, written with a young female audience in mind). Still, it's a really well- written and presented book, full of very important information every girl should know ASAP.

Especially the chapter on sexual assault and rape.

Also the chapter on STD's.

And the chapter on pregnancy.

These are things no girl should have to wonder about for very long. Her parents should, at the very least, give her this book.

In my opinion.

An excerpt worth reading, from the chapter on Sexual Stereotypes (another good chapter! see, there are lots of them):

"WOMEN DON'T GET HORNY OR ENJOY SEX AS MUCH AS MEN DO

"Stereotypically, women aren't supposed to want sex. We're like the sexual benchwarmers; we're supposed to get all dressed up to play (makeup, cleavage, tight pants), but then we can't go out on the field (or we're 'slutty' if we do). And since we're not supposed to want sex, many people believe that women actually don't want it. Some people think that women don't get horny or that, if they do, they don't get nearly as horny as men. Sure it's true that women may be more hesitant than men to engage in sex, but that's not because we desire it less.

"Guys are raised to be in touch with their sexual side. They are bombarded with pictures of half-naked women in poses that imply, 'Hey, baby, wanna screw?' Name a typical 'guy thing,' like sports games or beer commercials, and there are usually hot, half-naked girls connected with it. Furthermore, the American idea of a 'man' is a guy who wants to get it on as much as possible.

"Imagine if the world tried to make us permanently horny in the same way it does to guys. What if our girly magazines were filled with pictures of ridiculously hot, naked men? What if shows like Oprah had hot male cheerleaders who shook their asses every time she made a good point? And what if 'being a lady' meant behaving like a porn star? It seems ridiculous, but that's essentially the world that guys grow up in. Guys don't want sex more than girls, or get hornier than we do; it's just that they've been taught it's OK to express their sexual desires, whereas we're supposed to suppress ours.

"Girls may be more hesitant to engage in sex acts, but it's not because we desire sex less than guys do. We just have more to lose. When a guy has sex, He's a 'pimp' - he's not going to get himself pregnant, and his chance of catching an STD is half that of a girl's. And even if he's having sex for the first time, he's likely to have an orgasm.

"When a girl has sex, she has to worry about people frowning upon her 'dirty' decision. She has to deal with the anxiety of a possible pregnancy and the increased chance of catching an STD. And even after risking all that, there's a good chance that she won't even get off. So if women are slower to want to jump in the sack, it's not because our sex drive isn't as strong - it's because sex is riskier for girls than it is for guys.

"The problem with thinking that women don't get horny or don't want sex is that it makes sex something that we do for guys and not for ourselves. It sets us up to feel used and dirty when having sex because we're told that we don't really want to be doing it. And it completely undermines our sexual satisfaction because if women don't want sex, what does it matter if we enjoy it? We have to acknowledge our sexual desires and needs, because it's not fair to go into sexual encounters thinking a guy's experience is more important than our own."

SIDENOTE FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY (that's me): Only teaching abstinence in substitution of sex education is NOT effective, intelligent, or actually even sex education at all. Small children will always reach puberty and will always be curious. You can teach them your morals, to wait until marriage, whatever you think is right. But you shouldn't not teach them about sex and its risks, as if teaching them will cause them to jump into a sexual relationship with someone else. On the contrary; not teaching them anything about it makes for ignorant, curious, horny people who can and will make really stupid choices. If you teach them the risks, it might actually help prevent them from doing some things before they are truly ready. PARENTS: no, I don't have kids, so no, I don't really know what it feels like. But if you want safe, healthy, happy children, the least you can do is teach them properly.

[End Rant]