Recent Reads
Some thoughts on books that I’ve read recently:
Mating in Captivity, by Esther Perel
- This book uses case studies to highlight challenges that couples in long term relationships have maintaining a healthy sex life. Esther provides a great perspective in realistic ways that many people can relate to. Most of the relationships are heterosexual, and seem to represent a middle/upper class population. The audience for this book is really adults in general, and there are probably plenty of people that may benefit from reading this book. My favorite chapter was the one on fantasy, offering a fresh take on a common, yet often unacknowledged topic.
Not Under my Roof: Parents, Teens, and the Culture of Sex, by Amy Schalet
- Not Under my Roof uses Amy Schalet’s research with parents and teens in the US and the Netherlands to reflect on the similarities and differences of attitudes about sexuality. The main question asked of parents was would you allow your teenage son/daughter to have their boyfriend/girlfriend spend the night. The book starts out very academic, although once you get into the testimonials, it is more accessible. Overall, the book offers perspective on cultural difference, and a bit of ‘where did this cultural attitude about sex come from’, but not so much what do we do about it.
