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The Sexual Compass
by
"The story was that some scientists in Edinburgh had carried out experiments on mice. When the scientists gave a large dose of insulin to the mice in their food, a number of the mice began to engage in same-sex sexual activity."
"I might be giving out some gay vibes now, but until recently, I was a sexually interested heterosexual man..."
Gay to straight or straight to gay?
W ...more
"I might be giving out some gay vibes now, but until recently, I was a sexually interested heterosexual man..."
Gay to straight or straight to gay?
W ...more
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Paperback, April 2015 cover, 138 pages
Published
April 15th 2015
by Unmusic Books
(first published December 23rd 2014)
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I this book we have two narrators. They are both unhappy with their social lives, especially with the love/sex part. There has been a scientific breakthrough that has proven that insulin can change a persons sexual orientation, it is called "mouse" because the study was confirmed with lab mice. The first narrator we meet is not named, I think. She is a young, single mother who has not much of a social life. This is to be expected after she had a child while they were off going to college, gettin
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The Sexual Compass was an interesting read diving into the question: can someone take a substance to cure or initiate homosexuality?
I have never read a story quite like this. Often authors don't dive into touchy subjects like this one, but Michael Reed did an excellent job! He touches on subjects like straight men wanting to dive into the world of homosexuality, and gay men who want to be heterosexual for a female partner.
The story itself seems to follow three people (although I'm not entirely ...more
I have never read a story quite like this. Often authors don't dive into touchy subjects like this one, but Michael Reed did an excellent job! He touches on subjects like straight men wanting to dive into the world of homosexuality, and gay men who want to be heterosexual for a female partner.
The story itself seems to follow three people (although I'm not entirely ...more

The Sexual Compass by Michael Reed, self published 2014,136 pages. Genre: social issues/science fiction.
Review: This book is incredibly intelligent. After studying Psychology, Sociology and Criminal Justice, I have to say I was impressed with this book. I'm impressed because the book has a way of making the reader really think about and consider societal issues. Even though this book is fiction there were a lot of parts where I felt like part of the group and everyone was telling me stories. I l ...more
Review: This book is incredibly intelligent. After studying Psychology, Sociology and Criminal Justice, I have to say I was impressed with this book. I'm impressed because the book has a way of making the reader really think about and consider societal issues. Even though this book is fiction there were a lot of parts where I felt like part of the group and everyone was telling me stories. I l ...more

Im having a hard time with this book. The idea is that maybe the government can change your sexual identity at will. I enjoyed the book when i was reading it. I enjoyed the characters. There was one male who i was incredibly connected with and anytime i read about him it made the whole book for me. But like im having a hard time with the social implications of this book. I know that the book is really about the characters and there emotional journeys but still the book is about sexual orientatio
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What an odd, short, minimalist thought piece. I enjoyed it. The ending came about rather suddenly but it made sense both thematically and with my world view of the concepts at hand. One of the nightclub scenes moved me because I identified so strongly with the mental struggles a particular character had there. I received an advance reading copy of this book, but I still would have bought it, knowing what I do now. Hopefully my elliptical language isn't too tedious--I don't want to give anything
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A quick read that makes you laugh as much as it makes you think.
The concept was a phenomenal one and while the language was simplistic, the change in narration and humorous characters still kept the text interesting. I really liked Susan and John as narrators and really enjoyed their humor and wit.
A very interesting thought-experiment of a book that I highly recommend for those interested in the socially-constructed and rigidly-defined concepts of gender and sexuality in society.
The concept was a phenomenal one and while the language was simplistic, the change in narration and humorous characters still kept the text interesting. I really liked Susan and John as narrators and really enjoyed their humor and wit.
A very interesting thought-experiment of a book that I highly recommend for those interested in the socially-constructed and rigidly-defined concepts of gender and sexuality in society.

This was a book that I won and I'm very glad I did. It was an enjoyable read and quite interesting. Two narrators. Themes of unhappiness, longing, sexuality, geek culture, change and reinventing oneself are present.
As a North American, I learned some interesting British slang. ...more
As a North American, I learned some interesting British slang. ...more
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Advanced Copies f...: 48 Free Giveaway - The Sexual Compass | 1 | 27 | Dec 07, 2016 06:10PM |
Michael Reed is a freelance writer specialising in technology, gender politics and geek culture. He has written articles for magazines and websites such as RetroGamer, Linux User & Developer, Men's News Daily, Micro Mart, A Voice for Men, Den of Geek, Linux Journal, OSNews, OpenDemocracy and others.
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