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Loose Girl: A Memoir of Promiscuity

by Kerry Cohen (Goodreads Author)

3.50 · rating details · 2,932 ratings · 504 reviews

Cohen's captivating memoir about her descent into promiscuity, and how she gradually found her way toward real intimacy, is a story of addiction--and not just to sex.

Hardcover, 224 pages

Published June 3rd 2008 by Hyperion

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May 23, 2008

Wanda McCrae rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book was raw and intense in its revelations. But it suffers from a fatal flaw: the road to recovery was relegated to 9.5 pages of the 210-page memoir. And only one of those paragraphs was devoted to the pain she felt at stopping the promiscuity and attempting to face the aching emptiness without being distracted by a man. She ironically writes:

"Days pass. I spend time with my friends. I teach. I read novels and work on my own. I even try reading a self-help book abou...more

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Feb 26, 2011

Evan rated it

Shelves: sexuality, 2010-reads, yearning

Apropos the naysayers of this book, it would be easy to criticize or impugn or second-guess Kerry Cohen's motives for writing it. I don't pretend to fully know what those motives were, and frankly I really don't care. The book is exactly what it says it is -- a memoir of promiscuity -- and unless you're too dense to read the title before you even crack the spine then I'm hardly amenable to taking seriously any whining you have about her behavior or character.

Cohen writes about what it ...moreApropos the naysayers of this book, it would be easy to criticize or impugn or second-guess Kerry Cohen's motives for writing it. I don't pretend to fully know what those motives were, and frankly I really don't care. The book is exactly what it says it is -- a memoir of promiscuity -- and unless you're too dense to read the title before you even crack the spine then I'm hardly amenable to taking seriously any whining you have about her behavior or character.

Cohen writes about what it means to want and need acceptance as a young girl, not understanding the game and making mistakes while figuring it all out -- or trying to. She isn't always admirable in her pursuit of same -- and she says so -- and to criticize the book because you may not like her or think she's hypocritical is disingenuous and absurd, and ultimately irrelevant to the point. I always detect the whiff of self-righteous moralistic hypocrisy in readers who knowingly pick up books on sexual topics with sexual protagonists and then proceed to criticize the books for being sexual and having sexual protagonists!

Although much of this covers familiar territory, I think she brings a lot of issues under the microscope with unforced ease and thankfully does not delve too hamfistedly into pop psychology. She writes it unpretentiously, cohesively and vividly. She keeps the narrative moving, provides a good sense of place without overdescription, and elucidates clearly what she is seeing and feeling. She captures well the contradictory impulses of growing up, and I really felt by reading this that I understood what was going on inside the head of a young girl. I sensed a true individual in the pages, even though the issues are common and have been written about millions of times.

Unlike another book I recently read -- David Henry Sterry's Chicken, about the life of a teen boy prostitute -- this book avoids mixed messages about the protagonist's familial influences and the bits we get clarify rather than confuse. As a man and as a reader, I found the book illuminating; it took me somewhere I have never been and can never go, and that's what I want from nonfiction. The book is honest and earnest and surprisingly non-sensational, and, truth be told, I went into it with a prurient interest and came out of it getting more than that, and that is the mark of a good book. Good job.(less)

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Aug 10, 2008

Yulia rated it

Shelves: me-moirs, read-to-me-by-frank, to-review-later, writers-on-writing

It's a challenge not to judge the character of someone who writes such a revealing and vulnerable memoir, but I'll do my best to stick to my views on the book, not my opinions of the author, whether I saw myself in her or what she should have done.

It's somewhat awkward when she comments on her own writing ability, as none of her characters come to life. Either her friends are known only by name, or a man is identified by his sexy eyes and hair (often long and tousled). Is Eli scr...more

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Jun 03, 2010

Kelly rated it

Shelves: memoirs, biography, depressing, dramatic, moving

Well written and fast-paced, I beg anyone to read this book and tell me they can't identify with at least one of the characters. Straying from the all too easy trap of recreating history that is commonly found in memoirs, Cohen's latest is as honest as a Burger King bathroom light at 3am. There are moments throughout the book when you're not sure if you want to hug or slap the author; whichever knee-jerk reaction you may have though, it is to the author's outstanding ability to gather you in he...more

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Mar 25, 2008

Andrew rated it

Reading this book was kind of hard going, especially at first. I don't want to give the indication that the writing was bad; it was actually really good, but that was part of why it was hard to get through. Kerry Cohen's matter-of-fact narration of her teenage years, and the way she spared nothing in her quest for attention and approval from boys, is unflinching, and sometimes it's hard to make it through the harsh stories she tells, especially when she describes with clarity and detail the feel...moreReading this book was kind of hard going, especially at first. I don't want to give the indication that the writing was bad; it was actually really good, but that was part of why it was hard to get through. Kerry Cohen's matter-of-fact narration of her teenage years, and the way she spared nothing in her quest for attention and approval from boys, is unflinching, and sometimes it's hard to make it through the harsh stories she tells, especially when she describes with clarity and detail the feelings of need and desire that lay under the surface for her throughout these experiences. I actually put the book down for longer than a week on two separate occasions, both times because I just didn't feel like I could take any more of the book's bleakness.

However, towards the end, when Kerry started to pull herself together, recognize the bad behavior patterns she had, and work towards changing them, I started to feel a bit better about the story I was reading. Even though I didn't have that much fun reading a lot of this book, I think it was quite well-written, succeeding in its effort to place the reader inside the mind of the titular "loose girl", a teenaged and, later, twentysomething girl who sought affirmation in sex, often from men who didn't care about her and treated her like an object. And it was probably good for me to read it, too, because even though I didn't recognize myself in Kerry's methods of dealing with her own feelings of emptiness and insignificance, I saw a lot of myself in those feelings. There was a point, towards the end of the book, when Kerry started talking about her desire to be a writer, and how she wasn't working towards it, instead focusing all her energy on her boyfriend. She said, "I'm wasting my life on this man," and I realized that I myself do a lot of the same things--waste my life on constantly worrying about whether or not I'm in a relationship, and, when I'm in one, focusing on it to the exclusion of all of my other goals in life. Thankfully, I've never gone the route of frequent, meaningless sex, but I've done plenty of things that were just as damaging in my own way. In the end, even though I'm a shy boy instead of a loose girl, I saw a lot of myself in this book. It may not be a fun read, but it's definitely a worthwhile read, even for those whose experiences are very different than those of Kerry Cohen.(less)

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Jun 24, 2008

Robert rated it

In "Loose Girl", Kerry Cohen has written a memoir of startling clarity and unblinking honesty. So often, memoir has proven to be a vehicle for proselytization or even vindication, but Cohen resists the temptation to assign blame or explain away the personal impulses that drove her to reckless behaviors and a pattern of promiscuity and heartbreak. Instead she is straightforward and clear, exploring her own weaknesses and her dysfunctional quest for love and intimacy through unrewarding ...more

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Jul 07, 2008

Kris rated it

A quick and good read as biographies go. Not much in way of wit or prose, it's a rather raw and straight forward telling of how and why the author came to make the decisions she did regarding sex and relationships. Yes, there's parental issues and what no mentioned but most of it is about her need to feel loved. I think that's why I liked the book as much as I did; I can completely relate to the feelings she describes. Granted I haven't had sex with even remotely close to the number of peopl...more

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Jun 15, 2008

Beth rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I just read this guys, and it just came out, I went to the reading at Powell's and bought it there, I'm so contemporary for once.

I thought this "MEMOIR OF PROMISCUITY" would be about me but instead it was about the kind of person I find pathetic and tiresome. The narrator is not addicted to sex, but to male attention. Like, REAL addicted. Don't think this is a memoir of a modern slut, sexual liberation, blah blah blah. This is the story of a girl who wants NOTHING IN LIFE E...moreI just read this guys, and it just came out, I went to the reading at Powell's and bought it there, I'm so contemporary for once.

I thought this "MEMOIR OF PROMISCUITY" would be about me but instead it was about the kind of person I find pathetic and tiresome. The narrator is not addicted to sex, but to male attention. Like, REAL addicted. Don't think this is a memoir of a modern slut, sexual liberation, blah blah blah. This is the story of a girl who wants NOTHING IN LIFE EXCEPT A MAN'S LOVE. She's so desperate to be loved and kept by a man that her entire life is defined by her attempts to snag any suitable boy she meets, by any means necessary. That's where the sex comes in. For her, being easy is part of a cultivated fun-girl act that she hopes will cause boys to fall madly in love with her. It's not about pleasure -- it's about demonstrating that she's easy to be around, that she can please him, that she's not emotional or clingy, that he can count on her for a good time. In fact, she's incredibly needy, and when this comes to light, the boy of the week pulls away. So she desperately moves on to the next one, and the whole thing is repeated. Promiscuity is not about fun or liberation for her -- it's a way to catch boys and make them love her.

What the hell!

So okay, this book taught me that not all sluts are alike, and it gave me a few insights into a philosophy that totally baffles and disgusts me, so maybe I'm more understanding now, less of a bigot. I do know girls like this, though they are not always rampantly promiscuous.

P.S. Guess what CURES her slut ways? I'm going to spoil it:

MARRIAGE! Now she can't sleep around, so she must be cured? Like SEX was her problem in the first place? Hello! Nuh-uh! She's addicted to male affection, and now she's ostensibly got a lifetime supply of it. How can that be called a recovery? Sorry, Mrs. Cohen, but it seems like you're as dependent as you ever were, and twice as deluded.

The narrator never learns to love herself enough to live independently. This is baffling, frustrating story with a sad, deluded ending.
(less)

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Jun 15, 2008

Kathleen rated it

This is a book that every woman needs to read! Even more so if you are the parent of a daughter. I pair this with Pledged by Alexandra Robbins as "Must Reads" for any girl on her way to college, in college, or about to send their own daughter to college.

Kerry gives a powerful and moving picture of what could happen when we don't empower our own girls to take charge of their bodies as well as their minds. By sharing her painful past with us, she hopes to give us the tools...more

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Jul 04, 2008

RatsRGods rated it

Recommends it for: wanna-be sluts and the people that love them

Recommended to RatsRGods by: My boo

This book was okay. It was a very fast read (books about slutty girls alway are). I guess I can just say it's an "in between the good stuff" book. A readable but forgettable account of a young womans life of being a ,well, Loose Girl. Most of the time I just wanted to shake the author and say "Yeah, I get it! You're a needy, bottomless pit that tries to fill it up with PENIS! Real original. Get over it!" It's kinda like a poorman's version of Less Than Zero.

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Jan 15, 2009

Christy Sibila rated it

Everyone has a story to tell: about their shitty childhood, failed marriage, battle with cancer, a parent with Alzheimer's, but quite honestly, not everyone should share their story with the world. Yet people do, and the result is piles and piles of simply awful memoirs, that would be better served as pages in a private diary. Loose Girl is not one of these memoirs. Kerry Cohen is a talented, bona fide writer, who masterfully connects her story to the human condition, without the added benefi...more

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Oct 01, 2009

Dooley rated it

· review of another edition

I don't see how this memoir benefits anyone but herself. This is not a novel about self-reflection and/or improvement, this is a depiction of a "notchpost" sex addict who comes off as bragging about her sex life. If the author was *truly* seeking love and used sex as a means to find it, then why did she cheat on everyone that she ever claimed to have "loved"? Why, after a lifetime of promiscuity, complete with STD/HIV scares, who knows how many pregnancy scares, and pushin...more

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Jun 23, 2008

Geoff rated it

Recommends it for: Fans of Addiction Biographies

Loose Girl is a well focused look at one woman's journey through insecurity, dysfunction and unhappiness. It reads a lot like many other 'addiction' books but since the 'addiction' it covers is sex, the highs and lows are a lot less extreme. Author Kerry Cohen does a good job of drawing the reader in and
creating a very vivid and engaging world. Her writing is clear, flowing and polished. I found myself zipping through the book fully engaged with Cohen's journey. My biggest gripe is that...more

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Jun 15, 2008

John rated it

Shelves: 2000-and-beyond, nonfiction, biography-and-memoir

Kerry Cohen discovered that her body gave her power over boys and men. Early on she described an angst, a turmoil, that everybody experiences and must cope with in some way. Some attempt to deal through drugs, alcohol, exercise or by following their ambitions and dreams. Kerry chose sex. She sought love and true intimacy. What she found instead were lasting confusion and an emptiness that did nothing to lessen her pain. Will Kerry realize in time that she had been searching for validation of her...more

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Sep 09, 2008

Tara rated it

Recommended to Tara by: Cassandra

Shelves: book-club

I was not really sure what I would think of this book. I figured it would almost be like a fantasy or sci fi book because her reality was so different than my own reality. I did realize that we all have the same teenage angst, but we dealt with it in a very different way. Maybe it was her dysfunctional family or maybe the night in the car when she was young. I feel like it gave me an understanding of what girls I knew and know felt like and why they made choices they did.
I thought as...more

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Dec 20, 2008

Terry rated it

Shelves: non-fiction

I gained some insights reading "Loose Girl," although not as many as I had hoped. As a boy - Hoffmann's word for any eligible male - it was fascinating to hear the thoughts of a girl so completely oblivious to the arc of her own actions. As a teen, a young adult, and as a grown woman, Hoffmann plays variations on the same promiscuous theme. But even as I wondered at her actions - "Is she doing that again!" - I felt strangely distant. There is no real shape to the unending...more

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Jul 21, 2008

Patrick rated it

Shelves: 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 21, 2008

Anina Ertel rated it

Shelves: nonfiction, biography

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 11, 2008

Staci rated it

Recommends it for: girls

This book was depressing to read. My adopted daughter is so much like the author it isn't even funny. I was struck by pure sadness that Kerry went through her teens and young adult life feeling that the only time she was worthy of love was when she was having sex with some boy. That need to be loved was so strong that it influenced every thing that she did......EVERYTHING!! My daughter doesn't care what the boy looks like, his personality, nothing...just so long as he "likes" her. Glad...more

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Jan 25, 2009

Kara added it

Remind me not to read this when my daughter gets closer to adolescence. An honest (but depressing) narrative.

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Nov 05, 2008

Susan rated it

I could have written this book myself. I found a lot of myself in the story. The needing and wanting to be loved I personally deal with still to this day. I thought it was a brave story, to put yourself out there like that and admit to your sexual past is humbling at best. I thought it was an easy read. It also made me look at the girls we called 'sluts' in high school in a new way. We are all searching for love. Some of us are just better at it than others. I hope my own life ends with t...more

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Nov 20, 2008

Janet rated it

Shelves: memoir-bio

While I certainly could relate to a story of continually using boys/men to boost self esteem, I didn't think this particular story was very interesting or insightful.

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Feb 05, 2012

Rhayna rated it

In the book "Loose Girl: A Memoir of Promiscuity" the author Kerry Cohen describes her journey in search for love through promiscuity. She talks about her life of promiscuity starting from age 11 while dealing with her parents divorce. This is when she first realized that her body can put her in situations where she has a certain power over men. In this book Kerry, the author and main character describes in explicit detail all of her sexual encounters with men, and her failed relations...more

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Jan 04, 2012

Tori rated it

Kerry Cohen learns at a young age how to use her body to her advantage. She quickly finds that she can feel needed simply by having sex. However sex and an endless string of men cannot seem to curb her appetite for attention and approval.

It doesn’t help matters that she has no parental control whatsoever. Her mother abandons her and her sister to pursue her dreams of becoming a doctor. As Kerry and her sister are sent to live with their pot-smoking immature father things only spiral ...moreKerry Cohen learns at a young age how to use her body to her advantage. She quickly finds that she can feel needed simply by having sex. However sex and an endless string of men cannot seem to curb her appetite for attention and approval.

It doesn’t help matters that she has no parental control whatsoever. Her mother abandons her and her sister to pursue her dreams of becoming a doctor. As Kerry and her sister are sent to live with their pot-smoking immature father things only spiral out of control. While Kerry’s sister becomes depressed and locks herself away in her room, Kerry is left to fend for herself. Her father is hardly ever home, and when he is he acts like one of her peers. Her father provides drugs for her friends, and seems to even approve of her promiscuous lifestyle. This leads to Kerry going with her friends to bars and parties where they meet up with men and pursue sex. Kerry’s adolescence is filled with drug experimentation, pregnancy scares, sexual interludes, parties, and a string of minor STD’s. Kerry’s sexual partners become too numerous to count, and she doesn’t recall most of their names. Still sex is her main drug, and she becomes codependent on the short fulfillment it provides her. As she progresses from high school to college things begin to spiral more out of control, and she tries desperately to take control of herself. As she shifts the blame of her actions between herself and her parents she struggles to find herself.

My Thoughts:
I really felt bad for Kerry in this novel. Even though our choices are our own, she was never given much attention even from a young age. Her mother was flighty and self involved, and her father didn’t provide much structure to teach her how a young girl should behave. Her father could care less about her sexual acts, never questioned her choices, and even seemed to approve of her experimentation. I was appalled at how often and easily Kerry gave up her body or participated in sexual acts even when she didn’t want to. She never said no, and wasn’t afraid to take a friend’s boyfriend if she had the chance. She wanted to feel loved and needed so badly she would do almost anything to get it. This book is a great deterrent for a almost any teen girl to read. The fact of the matter is, whether we believe it or not, there are girls like Kerry Cohen all over the place. Girls without structure, lack of parental guidance, and who harbor misguided beliefs. Girls who crave fulfillment reach for sex or men to replace what they lack. It's refreshing that someone would write this memoir and let the truth out about the emotional turbulence involved when you crave the things as Kerry Cohen did. Hopefully this proves to be eye opening for many girls who find themselves in the same situations. The events in this memoir are very rich in detail and it will leave you wanting to see how Kerry progresses in her journey of finding herself and somehow ending her destructive sexual addiction.

Disclaimer: I did not receive a free copy of this book nor did I receive any compensation for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

VISIT MY BLOG TO SEE MORE REVIEWS AND TO ENTER IN SOME GREAT GIVEAWAYS (less)

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Nov 15, 2011

Kyle Wendy rated it

Clearly a quick and easy read, since I finished it in one day. This was an interesting and often sad and desperate story about a girl seeking love through sex. She feels powerful when she sleeps with guys, but after it is over she feels as though she is still looking for something...something she will never find by sleeping with dozens of men. I found her promiscuity easy to blame on her absent mother and permissive father, but in actuality it was her lack of self esteem and willingness to do da...more

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Aug 22, 2011

Steven rated it

Shelves: novels

Kerry Cohen has written a compelling autobiography in Loose Girl: A Memoir of Promiscuity. I was captivated.

It is rare that I read biographies of any sort. But this one sounded interesting. How honest would she dare to be? What could she have to say to me that I would find pertinent? It felt like she was completely honest. The book had much to say to me.

So her promiscuity grew out of a need to be accepted, loved. But it wasn’t truly free, no strings attached, promisc...more

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Aug 14, 2011

Lisa rated it

Shelves: disappointing, memoirs

2 stars= "it was ok"

I used to love reading memoirs about real people(not celebrities, although I have read some good celebrity biographies over the years). This is the first one I've read in years, I believe. It feels like years. I had wanted to read it for a while and I saw it in a secondhand shop for under a dollar.

It really disappointed me. I found it lacking in a lot of things. Maybe because I've read amazing books lately and it's hard to read something that's b...more2 stars= "it was ok"

I used to love reading memoirs about real people(not celebrities, although I have read some good celebrity biographies over the years). This is the first one I've read in years, I believe. It feels like years. I had wanted to read it for a while and I saw it in a secondhand shop for under a dollar.

It really disappointed me. I found it lacking in a lot of things. Maybe because I've read amazing books lately and it's hard to read something that's brilliant("One Day", which was oh-so-smart and lovely) and then read something like this.

And what makes it harder is that this was a person's life. I can't critisize the plot or characters because it's all real. But I didn't feel it. I just didn't think it was written well.

It was just the author going through her experiences with men. And what bugged me was it was guy after guy and I couldn't seem to keep track of who she was dating, who she was cheating on and who she was just sleeping with. I wouldn't have minded if she focused more on a few of the guys but a lot of the guys she talked about were one night stands.

Yes, she did focus on a few of her "longer" "relationships".(Sorry, I had to "" both those words because most of her relationships weren't even really relationships and I don't really know how long most of them lasted for). But it was just a bit confusing keeping track of what the hell she was doing. Or whom, I should say.

I'm not judging, really. I'm sure she had her reasons for doing the things she did(insecurity, lack of a proper reliable father figure, etc.) but it just kind of bored me and I couldn't like this girl. I'm guessing she's different now; I really have no idea. But she treated people badly, got treated badly, cheated on boyfriends, slept with friends boyfriends, couldn't keep track of who she was sleeping with, etc. And it's not a double standard thing. If a guy was like that, I wouldn't like him either.

I feel like the book should have focused more on why she did the things she did and felt the things she felt. Why she thought sex equaled love. It didn't really, not in a way that satisfied me. It just went through each sexual encounter she had and it got boring. So boring. It wasn't even like the descriptions of her sex life were entertaining or exciting in any way. It was like "and we had sex." and usually it seems like her sexual experiences suck.

This book just left me feeling cold. It didn't do anything for me, really. I read "Easy" by Kerry Cohen and that was slightly better(from what I remember). I think it was a 3 star book.

So yeah. Just wasn't fussed.(less)

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Jul 26, 2011

Molly Driftwood rated it

Shelves: feminism, non-fic, pop-culture

A couple of months ago, I read Cohen's teen novel "Easy". Now it is clear to me that her story of teenage promiscuity and redemption is largely autobiographical. "Loose Girl" is a memoir of Cohen's youth and early adulthood, a candid telling of out-of-control sex, drugs and loneliness. Her narrative is matter-of-fact to the point of being almost bleak. Her mother was absent for much of her youth, and needy when she was around. Her father, who raised her and her elder sister, ...moreA couple of months ago, I read Cohen's teen novel "Easy". Now it is clear to me that her story of teenage promiscuity and redemption is largely autobiographical. "Loose Girl" is a memoir of Cohen's youth and early adulthood, a candid telling of out-of-control sex, drugs and loneliness. Her narrative is matter-of-fact to the point of being almost bleak. Her mother was absent for much of her youth, and needy when she was around. Her father, who raised her and her elder sister, comes off as immature and permissive, trying to gain his daughters' love through money and zero boundaries. Hungry for affection, Cohen seeks the attention she longs for from boys and men when they begin to notice her. Her life becomes a series of destructive patterns: Friends, family, hobbies are all secondary to boys. She does not seem to exist within herself, but is only validated through appreciative male eyes. She conflates sex with love, and is disappointed when it doesn't filll the emptiness inside her. My parents were not like her parents. My youth did not greatly resemble hers. And yet there are certainly moments in the narrative that brush my life in uncomfortable ways, like she is a caricature of me, and I found myself thinking, "I've done/thought/felt that." I've been needy and desperate. I've felt validated by others' attention. I've had a short attention span for serious relationships when someone more fun/less work captured my attention. Through high school and college, Cohen seems to fall straight into bed with every male who catches her eye. She has a few serious boyfriends, but her need and lack of self-confidence, as well as the flaws of the men she chooses, always end up causing the relationship to implode and sending her into a downward spiral of desperation and random sex. Let me state here that I don't think all teenage sex is inherently self-destructive, but I do think there are unhealthy ways of going about it, and Cohen's choices fall very firmly into the latter category. I had thought that the book would wrap up with a hard-won tale of redemption. Cohen is clearly an insightful and self-aware adult who is able to speak honestly and articulately about her past. In a way, she does find some measure of redemption. She meets a good guy, they take things slowly, they become engaged and get married. They love one another, and she is content. But she's not "cured". One night at a bar, a man approaches her, and she feels that familiar tingling -- that need to be desired -- and she almost slips. She doesn't though, and she goes home that night knowing that she's probably always going to struggle with these feelings, and every time, she's going to have to make a choice. And so am I. I want to believe that chapter of my life is over. I've been single for a while now, and while I don't feel the need to rush into anything anytime soon, I feel like I'm getting a clearer idea of what I want. I think this book helped a bit.(less)

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May 05, 2011

TinasBookReviews rated it

Ok- first dont ask me why I read this....ok so it was for a book club and the one positive I can say about this is that it provoked a ton of heated debate......

Loose Girl a tale of Promiscuity….is just that, a tasteless look into one girl’s sexual conquests with a countless number of men. By tasteless I’m talking the details; so much time was spent on sexual acts and not emotional connection that the book despite its seriousness came off as raunchy. Not that I can’t understand a girl...more

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Feb 20, 2011

Myria rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: avoid, self-destruction, memoirs

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Meh. I couldn't even finish the book. What I did read, I was kind of disgusted by. The mom cupping her sisters breasts and rubbing them talking about how as you get older they get so sensitive and would she like to demonstrate it??? Then a dirty ugly gas worker putting his fingers in her panties playing with her? Even though she's under age and clearly uncomfortable! And losing her virginity to a druggy who has no self respect. Sorry, I just didn't want to read anymore. And as one of these books...moreMeh. I couldn't even finish the book. What I did read, I was kind of disgusted by. The mom cupping her sisters breasts and rubbing them talking about how as you get older they get so sensitive and would she like to demonstrate it??? Then a dirty ugly gas worker putting his fingers in her panties playing with her? Even though she's under age and clearly uncomfortable! And losing her virginity to a druggy who has no self respect. Sorry, I just didn't want to read anymore. And as one of these books should go, it should be about you recovering from all of that and how you found how you should love and have respect for yourself. And by reading the other reviews the author didn't even go there. So if her book is just about her underage filthy affairs, I do not want to finish it.

I don't mean to dis anyone by writing this. After all, I had the same problem when I was a teenager (even though my stories weren't as bad) but to me, if you are going to write a book like this then put something helpful in there for the readers to learn from. Not just something they can relate to. I know this review makes me sound stuck up (especially to people who have been through this exact same thing and to those extremes) but I really don't mean to sound that bad. After all, I did have the same problem and went through sexual abuse as a child but this author could have done so much better on this book. Instead of showing all of the disgusting things that people go through, she should have shed some more light and hope on the subject. I mean usually when you write a memoir that's what it's suppose to be for. (at least to me anyways. *shrugs*) Why write a book about all the bad things, then have your readers feel worse than they probably already do?? What's the point of that??? Is she just trying to write the book bc she feels so guilty of the things she's done? Again, yeah, people relate but seriously? I know it's not a self help book but come on. Oh and MARRIAGE is not the answer for this type of problem!!!!(less)

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About Kerry Cohen

Kerry Cohen is the author of Loose Girl: A Memoir of Promiscuity; Seeing Ezra: A Mother’s Story of Autism, Unconditional Love, and The Meaning of Normal; Dirty Little Secrets: Breaking the Silence on Teenage Girls and Promiscuity; as well as three young adult novels – Easy; The Good Girl; and It’s Not You, It’s Me. Her essays have been featured in The New York Times' "Modern Love" series...more

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Dirty Little Secrets: Breaking the Silence on Teenage Girls and Promiscuity

Seeing Ezra: A Mother's Story of Autism, Unconditional Love, and the Meaning of Normal

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