Contraception Books

Very short read, but a great book for protestants who would like to learn more about why one would oppose contraception.

The reason I am giving this a low rating is because the authors have changed their views. The statement on their web site was laughable, its sad how far people can fall.

I liked the book, it was a quick easy read. But it's not a keeper. I really feel passionate on the issue of contraception for the Christian couple. I feel this book was more like an idea than a teaching. It seemed the authors were trying to avoid stepping on anyones toes by rather just giving you something to think about rather than share their honest opinions. If I wasn't already letting God control my fertility, this book wouldn't convince me.

Four years after writing this book, the Torodes have changed their mind on natural family planning. Why? It's apparently too difficult and causes too much guilt to the husband in a married relationship (...huh?). They no longer advocate NFP, and instead condone certain forms of contraception (google "Open Embrace" - one of the top hits is an essay that rejects the principles set forth in this book). This may or may not have any bearing, but they've also joined the Greek Orthodox church - as such, I'm not exactly sure if there's any part of the book's title that's actually true for the authors any more. Do some homework on the Torodes before you purchase this book to see if it's worthwhile to buy it; this doesn't mean that I'm necessarily condemning or endorsing it, but ask yourself whether you'd want to take the advice of a couple who have recanted their position a mere four years after publication.

From a slightly more cynical perspective, I can't help but wonder why the Torodes are still allowing the book to be sold if they no longer agree with what they've written in it. While they might be embarassed with the book's contents, I'm sure they're not embarassed about spending the royalties.

For the novice, a couple things need to be definitively stated here: Firstly, the Bible says exactly *nothing* about Birth Control, neither pro nor con. Everyone's opinion on the subject, from the Pope on down to John Q. Believer of *any* sect of Christianity is voicing just that: opinion. That's fine, one is allowed to have their own opinion, but they shouldn't mask it as "God's Law," or attempt to apologize it in as "What God meant, but didn't actually say." (For that matter, there's no condemnation of masterbation in the bible either, and the Catholic obsession over the subject stems from a willful misreading of the story of Onan).
The basic concept of Protestantism was to free Christianity from the excesses, corruption, and stifling traditions of Catholicism, and on a functional level, the idea was to only "Speak on those subjects the Bible speaks on, and to be silent where the Bible is silent." The point is, quite simply, that a protestant is to behave in accordance with the things the Bible specifically says, and on subjects that the bible doesn't mention, it's up to your own discression, so long as it is not otherwise immoral. Illicit sex outside of marriage is condemned, so obviously that's bad, as is witchcraft and homosexuality: there's no getting around those if you're Protestant. However, there's no mention of flying in airplanes, voting libertarian, or living in North America, and so all of those things are, therefore, a matter of taste, and not a matter of Divine Command, no matter what the individual may say to the contrary.
My problem with this book is that it asks the reader to take upon him/herself more burden than God Himself requires of them, and it disingenuously presents it in an apologetic fashion, trying to dupe impressionable readers into thinking "This is what God really meant." I have a problem with any "Christian" book that misrepresents the bible, as should anyone who (like me) calls themselves a Christian. It implies that people who do more than is asked of them in this regard will have a more full, rewarding life than 'weaker' people who actually want to have sex with their spouses just because - hey, let's face it: sex is fun - and it implies that people who actually want to have sex are somehow inferior or less in love than those who hold out. This, despite the fact that the Bible clearly says husbands and wives are not to deny themselves to each other.
This book represents a maddening new kind of Fundamentalism in which the Bible itself has only talismanic value, to be quoted only when it confirms preconceived notions (Wether good or bad) that the individual has, and to be misrepresented when it says otherwise, or simply used to bludgeon someone over the head with, knowing that few people - even Christians - have a good working knowledge of the book anyway.
Speaking as a life-long Protestant, I find this book to be disturbing.

Why the asterisk? Well, just three initials of caution: STD's. That being said, if you are in a committed, safe, fidelitous relationship, then you should enjoy your partner and yourself in all the ways you can. This book is sort of a 'primer' on how to do just that.

So why a book on what, well, is just so normal and natural? Because knowing the 'basics' makes the 'advanced' so much more fun! I remember finding this book in my parents bookshelf. They weren't really hiding it from me, but they weren't showing it off either. I remember turning the pages seeing the vivid illustrations and hoping my parents didn't do THAT and secretly hoping that one day I would. Typical teenager. A few years later, I actually read the text.

But I learned some things from those 'secret' readings. One was that everything I felt and thought were pretty normal. And another was that sex is healthy and a basic part of the good life. Reading this book didn't cause me to run out and act like a sex maniac. In fact, I think it helped to temper me somewhat.

It was written by a medical doctor who understood not only the emotions of sex but the physical intracacies as well. In a gentle way it pointed out what was healthy and what could be troublesome. The book wasn't condescending or preachy, just good solid advice you weren't likely to get in a back alley or with a group of your friends. We were too busy lying to each other anyway. And unfortunately you wouldn't get the advice from most family doctors due to the stigma connected with talking about sex.

I noticed from Amazon that this book is about to be re-released in January of 2009. I'm glad that it will be available to a whole new generation of readers. After all, things have changed a lot since the 1970's and knowledge is power. It has also been updated periodically during the years since it was published.

"The Joy of Sex" covers so much ground so it is safe to say you probably won't get it all in one reading. It is a book to read over again and learn about this most basic and so many times misunderstood drive in human nature.

Take this book, mix liberally with kindness and commitment and you have the recipe for deep satisfaction and enjoyment. Excellent book!

This book filled me with smarts on the subjact matter of sex. I'm thrilled to have read this here book. my net book to read will be Battlestar Galactaka or the Return of the Kings.

I picked up this highly priced book for my collection of "sexual techniques" books. I wont go as far as saying that its terrible, or that its wonderful.

I thought that it had way to much writing in it, just random talking about history of sex and other stuff like that. It needs to have more about how to go about doing the possisions etc.

The pictures are all drawings, other than a few in the beginning, but the drawings are old looking and a little dull.

One good thing that I found about the book is the slang that they used in it though. It is hard to find a book that uses slang terms rather than the correct way. I have quite a few sex books, and this is the only one that goes far enough to use [modern phrases], rather than, "vagina" and "penis". I mean, come on, we all know that most people in bed dont use the term "vagina".

If you are looking for more of a history on sex, get it. If you want detail, pass it up.

I am a 40 year old guy who has Dr. Comfort to thank for his suggestions in "Joy of Sex" that women should not shave their armpits. Too many people who should know better have made the mistake of equating armpit hair with body odor and this simply is not the case. My partner of the last 15 years has never shaved any of her body hair and has always been attractive to me.
She used to feel uncomfortable about it sometimes and was considering shaving for the first time in her life and then read "JoS". Combined with the text of that publication and fully realizing how much I appreciated her natural look made her much more comfortable and at ease with herself. This book was informative and entertaining in what may be called an "old fashioned" way but hey it was written in the early 70's. If there is a criticism it may be that some of the sexual intercourse positions may be unattainable for lesser endowed men which fortunatley I don't have to worry about but all in all was a wonderful read and I would advise anyone and everyone of legal age who has even the slightest interest in sex to read it and even for those of us who are vastly experienced, it could still provide some very interesting advice and ideas.

As a forty-something year old guy, I'm just as interested in sex as much as the next guy (or woman), so naturally I do sometimes wander to the Relationships section at the local book emporium and check out the guides on lovemaking. Yes, there are many such books out there (Anne Hooper seems to have made a good career for herself with her own series of "how-to" guides!), but the late Alex Comfort's The New Joy of Sex is by far the best.

Updating his 1972 bestseller for the 1990s as a result of the AIDS crisis, Comfort supplements his always helpful advice from the 1970s edition with new sections in which he discusses safe sex, the importance of sharing and respecting a partner's needs or fantasies. Even better, Comfort uses language that is both informative and pleasing to the ear. He also avoids being overly clinical; knowing how most people talk about sex, he doesn't shy away from using colloquial [phrases] when referring to genitalia. Best of all, Comfort advises his audience that sex is something very human and essential to any meaningful relationship, so it should indeed be a source of joy.

Beautifully illustrated throughout with photos by Clare Park and drawings by John Raynes, The New Joy of Sex should be read at least once by any couple seeking to enhance their relationship.

If you're thinking this is all about one-dimensional secrets like where to stroke what, when and how on some hypothetical man, it's not. Monet's "sex secrets" do include some of that, but that's not her main point. Her main point is that good sex is about human connection, that our most important sex organs include far more than just what's between our legs, and that most of our cultural stereotypes of men are slightly to completely incorrect, and get in the way of good sex (among other things).
She also advocates for a sex-positive culture - one where sensuality and sexuality are a normal part of our human-animal birthright that we are free to express that as we wish in responsible and consensual ways (in contrast to our existing sex-negative culture, which simultaneously demonizes, sensationalizes and vulgarizes sexuality to our collective detriment). Both explicitly and implicitly she illustrates how shifts towards a sex-positive culture could improve our quality of life in ways that go far beyond just sex.
The writing is not her best, but it gets the job done. Perhaps having to cram a big broad survey of a lot of topics into one relatively small book is part of the reason. There's a wealth of detail that had to be left out of this book, I suspect, and that would have enriched the prose if it had fit. Hopefully her future books will expand on her holistic vision of a healthier culture of human sexuality.

I was delightfully surprised when I began reading this book. There is so much more to it beyond sex secrets. Some of the core and most important relationship skills are highlighted and discussed in this book. I love how Veronica explains the importance of communication, boundaries, and so much more...., Of course the sex secrets are just incredibly Juicy! I feel this book should be given to every women, and even men for required reading!

For writing, this book deserves ONE star. It's so bad. I actually looked up Monet on line and read a few of her essays and they were okay, so I suspect she was on a time crunch without a strong editor. For content, I'd rate around 3 stars... that is, if you can set aside that creepy feeling that she doesn't quite understand she was an escort. As an example, while she has a point that women don't always let their intelligence be part of what makes them sexy (as I'm sure many of us have seen our female friends dumb themselves down in front of certain men), Monet misses an opportunity to observe that men have reason to flatter her. What is that cliché -- beautiful women want to be told they're smart and smart women want to be told they're beautiful? ...She also glosses over how men are not going to act the same towards an escort as they are around women they see every day. That being said, this book seems to contain valid male-pleasing advice.

Although the book was well written and somewhat entertaining, it wasn't what I was expecting. Rather than being a manual filled with "techniques" it is more about the psychology of why men pay to see escorts. If you are interested in that, then this book is a very good one. If you are looking for detailed "how-too's" its not.

The book starts well but fails to really deliver on the details. The book feels like a large survey of topics: personal hygiene; sex; love; and orgasms. No single topic is really addressed in great detail and often times there are very literal examples or courses of action one should take in the matters of seduction.

If you have read text dedicated to seduction, sex, orgasms, and relationships or have found yourself in midway through the course of a examined life, I would say that this book comes across as too simple and too literal. You, the reader, will likely feel bored. However, I feel as though this would make a decent primer for girls leaving adolescence with a number of unanswered questions.

While Daniel Maguire is one of the few mirthful scholars of religious thought, his writings have serious import in a world too often darkened by religious crime. Maguire and his sources demonstrate quite vividly that while most of the world's religions have often been involved in horrific and destructive actions, that there was and is a serious and awe inspiring underpining to their formation and purpose. My personal opinion is that there was probably much more fear and trembling than awe and reverence at their core beginnings, but Maquire is more generous in his accessment. Maguire takes us through more than ten of the world's great religious traditions with the help of scholars well versed in their own religious traditions, to demonstrate conclusively that although there is much in religious tradtions to comfort Pro-Life adherents, that there is a line of equally orthodox thought in every religious tradition to support the Pro-Choice view, and that government support of one of these religious views over the other is in conflict with the American ideal of resisting governmental intervention into religious matters. Maguire has an obvious bias toward the Pro-Choice religious position, but he is generous in granting legitimacy to the Pro-Life position as well. However, he unabashedly points out the inconsistancies in the lobbying and advocacy efforts by current avowedly Pro-Life activist's positions on multiple fronts in public policy debates. This is an important book for anyone who takes religious matters seriously. And whether or not one is religious or irreligious, I think that none can deny that religion plays a very big part in both national and international policy debates, and therefor, it behooves us all to take seriously matters of religious thought. Maguire shows us in his first few pages exactly why it is so necessary that we do so. An excellent and thoughtful read and a book which belongs on any thinking person's book shelves. wfh

The author, Maguire, is a lapsed Catholic priest who seeks the distruction of the Gospel in Sacred Choices. His thesis is that Catholicism along with other religious traditions acually endorse the right to contraception and abortion! By twisting historical events and moral theology, he presents his heretical views to advance the culture of death. For those who need convincing just look at the word contraception and its associative meaning. Contra = against or Anti; and Ception = Life or Christ. Put it together contra-ception = Anti-Christ. (This semantic play reveals the meaning behind the practice of contraception). This book's thesis is that the Catholic Church, along with other religious traditions, support contraception, or alternativly the Anti-Christ, or that which is agaist Life.

If religion is about the celebration of Life, how could this ex-priest have the (...) to suggest that religions support anti-life devices and proceedures that end life pre-maturely? The mind boggles . . . there is something darker in this author than what can be gleened from the cover of his book!

This book provides much needed information and is a great contribution in refuting the falsehoods spread by the so-called "Christian" Right. It is a good companion to a wonderful new book titled Real Prophecy Unveiled, by Joseph J. Adamson. Thank God for books like these, because they shed light in a world made dark by "religious" bigotry, hypocrisy, and aggression. They give me faith that the humble and meek shall inherit the earth after all.

... Dan McGuire, drawing on a lifetime of study and research, in conjunction with scholars from other religions, finds that Christianity and other faith traditions have many strands of thought expressed over the centuries. The common thread is a passion for the givenness of our human life, and the sacred dimension of making critical decisions affecting reproduction. McGuire and the other writers survey the less well-known attitudes in the historic faiths and suggest that that univocal opposition to planned pregnancy is in sore need of review. He offers cogent, yet powerful reasons for doing more research. The book will be welcomed by all who want more open discussion, including Catholics for Free Choice who want freer dialogue in their religious communities about options for men and women regarding their fertility. ...

Controversial issues in religion are not new, but creative, inclusive, honest ways of dealing with them are. Catholic ethicist Daniel C. Maguire, President of the Religious Consultation on Population, Reproductive Health and Ethics, convened an international, interreligious team of scholars to look at birth control and abortion from a variety of faith-based starting points.
They concluded that in every case, even the most recalcitrant, there is evidence of competing views within each tradition. This volume is a highly readable summary of the findings. It is suitable for college classes, congregational study group and public policy discussions. Do your religious professional a favor and give this book as a gift.
The backdrop for this discussion is the complicated web of population and development issues that has been fanned by religious fervor. Policy makers who leave aside religious views do so at their peril. Worse, when they accept as true the word of those who purport to speak for a faith tradition without examining the practice and beliefs of the majority of its adherents, they miss a great deal and do a grave disservice.
Catholicism is a good example. While it would seem to be the airtight case against both contraceptives and birth control based on the Vatican's pronouncements, Dr. Maguire et al find that the tradition is far more nuanced. Theologians like Professor Christine Gudorf give good Catholic reasons to limit births. They see the teaching in a state of development not fixed, as the Vatican would have it. They take women's well being as a central ethical need, thus approve of abortion as a woman's right to choose.
Islam would seem to be another case where it would be hard to find women-friendly ethics. But Muslim Professor Riffat Hassan offers a feminist challenge to her faith. Indeed many Muslims consider first trimester abortion to be licit; many forms of birth control have long been a part of Islamic culture. Who knew? As these views come to the fore it will be harder and harder to pin anti-choice positions on religions.
Likewise, Chinese religions see these matters in quite open terms. The move toward universal harmony requires some limits on population. This worldview is very practical in claiming the need to put the common good before the desires of individuals. This is admittedly a position many in the West find problematic, but one that has its deep roots in an ancient and venerable culture.
There is no suggestion in this volume that one will agree with all of the positions expressed, nor even find them morally tolerable. Sex selection abortion, for example, is one difficult issue. But what Dr. Maguire, with his scholarly guides, does so brilliantly is make the data accessible, lift the shroud of stereotype, and let the reader decide for her/himself. This methodological point, as opposed to rigid positions as all there is, distinguishes this marvelous volume as one that will launch discussions in a useful direction.

Having read AH's Kama Sutra, which is excellent, I had high hopes of this guide. I was disappointed to find that it was practically an advertisement for her other books, especially the Kama and massage books. And I'm mystified how any "Great Sex" book can leave out a discussion of the G-spot. I did learn a couple of techniques that will become priceless, but as an anatomist, I have to warn you that the "three handed massage" should be performed with water based lubricant, and the "Jen Mo" point should be avoided. In my opinion, this guide should be free with the purchase of one of her books so that the reader can get a feel for her other publications.

What a disappointment! This was just another positons book or should I say thinly veiled pornography. Not a helpful how to.

Most offensive was the page turning flicker action. No better than a line drawing peep show.

Not a book I could recommend to any patient.

I was very disappointed with this book. The pictures are coy to the point almost of obscurity which kind of loses the plot. Also, it's notable for what it left out - sure, there's a few positions but other than that it's a waste of time and money.

I have read all of Anne Hooper's books and find that this is indeed the greatest. It is a handy book to put in front of your bed. Refer to the pages on sex positions and try it. Master one position per week and you will impress your sexual prowess with your sexual prowess. Your sex partner will never want to sleep without you again...guaranteed! This is a little investment to make for a lifetime of sexual joy.

Some of Hooper's books I don't really like that much. It just seems that all of them are the same, or have the same ideas. But this one is a little better. First of all, its not oversized. Actually, its only about 3 inches by 3 inches, which is great to just stick on your bedside table or stick it in a drawer. Most of her books are huge, and they cant even fit on a bookshelf. This book goes from the start of a nice evening, to the good stuff in the bedroom. She covers everything from courtship to massages, to all kinds of fun positions. This is one book I am giving a good rating by Hooper. Get this and if you want, keep it in your car or purse. Its a good buy.

I have been on the Billings Ovulation Method for a few years now and beleive me, if you don't cheat it is 99.99% effective. The downfall to this method is that you are not suppose to know exactly how to use it without instruction. There are ways to contact these instructers that can guide you through the process for a fee. Check with your local womens center or life center, they can help. I was able to go through my training course right here in my home for thirty dollars, and you don't have to be Catholic to use it. Good luck to you.

PS.. I did get pregnant during the time of practicing this method but it is because we chose to cheat on my most fertile day. An Anniversary and a few drinks will impair judgement like that so be careful...lol

The ovulation book was great. The book was a good price, it was packed full of information and came with a chart and pleanty of stickers to get you and your spouse started on the wonderful journey of natural family planning.

I was hoping that the book went into better detail. It did not help me. However, it was informative and an easy read.

You can read this book in 30 minutes and understand it. After ordering this book I was recommended "Taking Charge of your Fertility" by a friend. Taking Charge is more complete but uses this information, however. By the time my amazon.com shipment arrived with the second book, I was already pregnant from the first time trying The Ovulation Method (we had tried to get pregnant approximately a year before getting this book). So read it. You can also use it to avoid getting pregnant. It works!

This slim book promotes the Ovulation Method, profiling its advantages and utility. But it is not an instruction book. I'm only giving it three starts because although it's well-written I'm not sure who the intended audience is, or what group might find it useful.

For someone looking to learn a mucus-only method, I would look to "The Billings Method:Controlling Fertility Without Drugs or Devices" by Evelyn Billings. For someone just interested in any kind of fertility charting, not specifically a mucus-only method, I highly recommend Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler as the definitive book in this category.

I thought this book went overboard. Emphasis on the nitty-gritty. Reduces to clinical -- what is so much more. Biased. Posturing her own perceptions. Covington assumes she has authority on what is now natural, good and right .. touting her credentials.

She misses the forest for the trees.

Left me cold. Not for anyone alive & well -- or a trace of romance in their soul... But if you are easily manipulated .. go for it.

The author's writing style combined with expertise create an easy to read guide on a most challenging topic. It's focus on the hope for healthy recovery with very practical tools, aid the reader to map a secure path to success. Telling the truth about the way it may be for recovering persons, shatters the prison walls of isolation, which is a key first step. Choices and a gentle, respectful approach to individual paths and pace invite the reader to trust and take action. For the professional, this tool neatly weaves together key areas of dysfunction/disease to serve those still hurting and misdirected and keeps it simple. A sound reference index is included for in-depth support. It is a MUST resource for the individual and professional who encounters addictions, sexual problems and denial.

Extremely disappointing and even frustrating at times since this book emphasizes on addictions and recovery - from addictions.

When I purchased this book I thought that recovery meant turning things around - no matter what the cause might have been. This book mentions over and again addictions which makes it all the more difficult to relate if you have never gone down that road.

I wouldn't recommend it unless you are a recovering alcoholic or are considering taking part in a 12 step programs.

For all others, check out ''Sex Smart - How your childhood shaped your sexuality and what to do about it'', you might find it more enlightning.

Stephanie Covington writes with candor and sensitivity as she addresses how women's sexuality is shaped by a male-based society; how dysfunctional families influence a woman's sexuality; what the sexual revolution did for and to women; how women are affected by alcohol, drugs, and AIDS; what the connection is between sexuality and spirituality; and how sexual addiction and sexual abuse recovery groups address sexual issues. Awakening Your Sexuality is thoughtful, considerate, responsible, highly recommended reading which also provides personalized exercises and positive, step-by-step guidance for women needing to deal with issues of guilt, shame, addiction, destructive body image and behavior patterns, and begin the liberating journey of sexual recovery and growth.

Luker's structure for understanding the debate on sex in America (it's in the subtitle) is extremely limited. It's overwhelmingly (altho not exclusively) white, heterocentric (that is pretty much exclusively) and suburban/small town. If I thought she understood there was a problem with not discussing the treatment of homosexuality when discussing sex education in America (because she mostly ignores it), it might bother me less, but she's so focused on understanding the different gender roles, she's locked into the conservatives duality. As usual, as a sociologist, her lack of historical perspective undermines her argument. Worse, her assertion about the "original" definition of "hierarchy" is just wrong, and in bending over backwards to avoid words like "patriarchy" and "oppression", she signs off on previous generations' enforcement of cultural norms at the expense of minorities and other groups with little power.

If I thought I could trust the rest of the work, these might be issues I could work around. But there are instances of circular argument; she quotes conservative activists repeatedly without acknowledging bias without doing the same for liberals; she repeatedly misrepresents "sexual liberals" and persists in misunderstanding what her interviewees were telling her.

Her background and credentials suggests she's doing this to "prove" that she's being "fair" to the conservatives. In practice, I kept thinking that she'd be a conservative herself, except for the niggling little problem that she'd have to give up her position unless she could also magically become a man (because doing it through surgery would surely be unacceptable to the conservatives!).

I wish I knew of a better book on the topic.

I was pleasantly surprised by the generally fair presentation by Dr. Luker in "When Sex Goes to School". Given that she is a feminist sociologist at UC Berkeley, I had expected a very biased treatment of those holding traditional views of sexuality. However, she demonstrated a real understanding of the issues, particularly in how conservatives are not "anti-sex" (the typical liberal claim) but in actuality value sex very highly as something sacred. The whole battle stems from the two sides holding fundamentally different views of sexuality: something "natural" vs. something sacred.

The one thing that annoyed me about the book was Dr. Luker's stereotypes about conservative women. She portrays them all as less interested in education & career and believers in patriarchy. We may be traditional in certain areas, but that doesn't mean we're traditional in *everything*. We may be bright & ambitious, feel that men & women are equal (although not identical), and still hold that the proper place for sex is between a husband & wife.

Kristin Luker has chosen a curious method to produce a strange amalgam of a book: she talks to local extremists so she can use sex education as a prism for understanding sex in America.

While the political battles over sex education might deserve a book unto themselves, and while sex education certainly can't be divorced from our culture's shifting notions about sexuality, Luker's method leaves one wondering how much one has actually learned about either from reading the book.

As Luker acknowledges in passing, her method of choosing subjects to interview leaves out the entire sensible center, if such there be, on debates about sex education. And as she makes clear, passionate extremists on both sides of the fights generally have difficulty articulating their reasons clearly, and they generally don't understand each other very well. Luker provides on her interviewees' behalfs the articulation they can't provide for themselves. Curious research method, don't you think?

Luker offers that the warring camps fall into the "sacralists" versus the "secularists." I suspect readers will differ on how adequate they find these grossly simplified generalizations. I find some value, in sort of a quick-sketch-on-the-back-of-a-napkin sense, in drawing the contrasts as Luker draws them.

But I'm not entirely enthusiastic about Luker's belief that she's found a good prism for viewing sex in America. Local extremists all worked up about school curricula may not be the most representative sample on the broader issue of sex in our society.

This was an engaging book to read and it was also well researched. I had Kristen Luker as a professor and true to form, she is fair in her research and portrays both sides of an issue so that each makes sense to the reader. She is a very talented sociologist and unlike some sociologists, she's also manages to write an interesting book. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the debate over sex education.

This is a horrible book that uses 245 pages to describe the definition of oxymoron.

I was in the methodist clergy 1971 - 1989 and never knew that this was one of the great conflicts of the twentieth century. Planned Parenthood was firmly in place and I had no idea of the storms that
had been involved. The great names: Niebuhr, Oxnam, Fosdick, Peale
transformed the social, political and religious environment. In 1916, it was utter ignorance about sex and reproduction. By 1965, everything was available. Sacred Work is about Protestant and Jewish clergy, from pastoral concerns, fighting as great a fight as was civil rights or anti-war. Warfare is begining again; it behoves us to know our history.

A book reviewer's job is to provide an informed opinion as to whether the writer accomplished their craft and has written to the best of their ability a good book. A review shouldn't be a platform for the reviewer's political or religious point of view. A review should be about the book. Reviewers should be able to back up their opinions by explaining the strengths and weaknesses of the book by taking examples from the text of the said book. The key word here of course is opinion, to what one reviewer might trumpet accolades, another might pan relentlessly. The reader must remember, it is easier to critique than create and that everyone has an opinion. Sacred Work focuses on subjects that cause great controversy and as a reviewer I dreaded writing this review, not because it is a poorly written book, on the contrary, Davis has written an incredible informative tome on the history of Planned Parenthood and the organization's involvement with the clergy. The conundrum is that as a fair and unbiased book reviewer I cannot allow my personal beliefs about Pro-Life or Pro-Choice seep into this review.
With that said let us begin.
For my entire life so far, from birth to this exact moment I have enjoyed being a heterosexual male and I haven't any plans in the near or distant future that I can foresee that would invoke me into changing genders. For a decade I have been a husband and partner to a wonderful woman. I am the father of three beautiful and magnificent daughters. I was raised by a strong and independent mother and I am proud to admit that my mother-in-law and I are friends. I think it is safe to say that I am respectful to women and sensitive to their rights, but until I read Tom Davis book I never fully understood the trials and tribulations women through out history, including the present day endured to maintain their reproductive rights and autonomy and how much the clergy was involved.
What exactly is the nature of `sacred work' and how does it involve Planned Parenthood and the clergy? Davis writes, "In the biblical view, sacred work is love and in practical social realities, sacred work is justice...nowhere was injustice more clearly present then in the twentieth-century battle over contraception...if women were able to determine their reproductive life, then the control over their lives by male dominated political institutions would be threatened...and since spiritual realities cannot be separated from social and political life, the pursuit of the sacred work of justice takes clergy into the public arena. The realm of justice is a realm of hard, sometimes tragic choices. As Planned Parenthood and the clergy each tried to stand with women making those hard choices a bond was formed."
The popular misconception about the clergy and Planned Parenthood in the media is that they are bitter enemies. Davis blows apart this myth. He writes, "In the spring of 1997 the Planned Parenthood affiliate in Washington D.C. opened a clinic in a nearby church. Soon after indicating how incongruous the situation seemed to be, the Washington Post ran an article under the headline "Unlikely Alliance for Planned Parenthood." The Washington Post may have thought it was merely reflecting the popular understanding that the work of Planned Parenthood is opposed by all religious institutions...an alliance between churches and synagogues, temples and Planned Parenthood has existed for over seventy years...below public radar, mainline Protestant and Jewish Clergy in their alliance with Planned Parenthood, have played a major role in achieving respectability for birth control in a nation whose religious convictions always involve social and moral issues and never more than when the subject at hand involves women's sexuality." Davis goes on and explains how Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood in 1913 searched for information about contraception in the United States. Davis writes, ..."Sanger herself worked as a maternity nurse...delivering babies of immigrant women...she saw the horrific consequences of decades of the suppression of sexual information... women having frequent illegal abortions, women overwhelmed by poverty and too many children, women dying because they had no knowledge of how to prevent one pregnancy after another...hoping to find some birth control information...Sanger went on a six-month search in some of the finest American libraries, including the Library of Congress. She could find virtually nothing. She marveled at how completely this information was suppressed. In effect, there was no practical knowledge of birth control available in America." Sanger then went to Europe and learned about different types of contraception. When she returned home she published a magazine called The Woman Rebel and shared her finds with American women and traveled around the country giving speeches, she was immediately a target of the law and she knew she needed the aid of the clergy. Davis writes ... "One of her Cleveland appearances was at the First Unitarian Church, an early sign of the religious support to come from that denomination." Sanger said, "When I am confronted with arguments against Birth Control, arguments that are as a rule presented by learned theologians or indefatigable statistician, the dim far off chorus of suffering and pain begins to resound anew in my ears. How academic, how anemically intellectual and how remote from throbbing, bleeding humanity all these prejudiced arguments sound, when one has been brought face to face with the reality of suffering!"
Davis writes, "To their credit, a number of clergy joined Sanger in her urgency for the freedom to choose contraception. From the 1930s on, clergy support for Planned Parenthood grew steadily. In city after city, affiliates found that some clergy were more than willing to speak out publicly in defense of clinics. By the 1960s it was precisely the religious and moral authority of these supportive clergy that changed public opinion about birth control."
Davis continues with the history of the clergy's involvement with Planned Parenthood and discusses how the Roman Catholic Church made sure hospital funds were taken away when women were informed of different contraceptive techniques, let alone that contraception or even abortion was an option. The Vatican wanted to enforce a gag order that other clergy fought. Davis writes, "This issue remains alive as it was in 1952-53. The controversies that currently embroil Planned Parenthood and the women's movement involve government attempts to impose "gag rules" both internationally and domestically. These rules state that no government funding can go to clinics that inform a pregnant woman that abortion is one of her choices. That is forbidden speech. Those clergy who oppose gag rules invoke the right of freedom of speech."
Davis has not just written a history or compendium of the clergy's relationship with Planned Parenthood for the last seventy years. Sacred Work is an epic on hope and human nature. It shows that the fall-out from an agrarian nation that rapidly mutated into an industrialized consumer based disposable culture still has checks and balances in place made up of those that seek social justice for the weak and unprotected from an antiquated value system and hierarchy of a male dominated society that enforces an ambiguous moral code of guilt that demeans and subjugates women. Davis's writing has enhanced and has brought a post-postmodern quality to Margaret Sanger's discourse. He has defined and set a standard for those that wish to do sacred work in the twenty-first century and beyond.

This is effectively the manifesto of Gay Men Fighting AIDS, a London-based group consisting of gay men, umm, fighting HIV/Aids in the gay community.

You'll notice that the word 'gay' appears a lot in the first paragraph, well that's like the book. So, although much of the material in the book is relevant to any one interested in men who have sex with men, whether they identify as gay, bisexual, straight (yep!) or have no sexual idenity as such, Edward King really isn't interested in anything other than the gay identified ones.

So, one section quotes extensively from a paper in "Risks Worth Taking", the report of a 1991 conference. The paper talks about how the Terrence Higgins Trust (the leading UK HIV organisation) came about and King praises it as an example of a community based group. Just about the only bits he doesn't quote are the lines along the lines of 'because virtually all the THT's founders were white gay men, we didn't do enough for bisexuals or black/Asian men'.

Curiously the beloved GMFA has made exactly the same mistake.

Sections of the book are excellent -- especially the one on the risks of oral sex -- but overall it's a Curate's Egg as parts of it stink.

I found this book to very informative and insightful. However I thought that some of the dialougue was hokey. This tells you pretty much everything you probably already know, but there are a few extras that I didnt know and it helps. There are alot of different siuations covered from intimacy, different types of contraceptives to loosing your lover to AIDS.