Kirk's review
Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America
by John D'Emilio
Kirk's review
Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America by John D'Emilio
Kirk's review
rating:
bookshelves:
essential-reference
A thorough overview of the main trends in America's tortured ideas about s*e*x*---not so much the down & dirty but concepts of gender, permissiveness, gaydom, and youth. As with most histories than span several centuries, the narrative goes broad rather than deep; occasionally you sense some repetition of ideas, which is inevitable, I suppose. Yet I found the final section on the 20th century, "The Rise and Fall fo Sexual Liberalism," fascinating. There's a great section on Margaret Sanger, the mother of modern birth control, and her (and her husband's) battles with Anthony Comstock, one of the most famous blue meanies of all time. I also liked how---unlike VH-1's current documentary, Sex: The Revolution, this study doesn't go gaga congratulating baby-boomers for breaking taboos of virginity and monogamy in the 60s. Instead, a lot of the hypocrises of that revolution are pointed out---including the predatory opportunism it encouraged among supposedly enlightened wh...more
