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For Goodness Sex: Changing the Way We Talk to Teens About Sexuality, Values, and Health
A progressive, effective, and responsible approach to sex education for parents and teens that challenges traditional teaching models and instead embraces 21st century realities by promoting healthy sexuality, values, and body image in young people
Sex education today generally falls into one of two categories: abstinence-only or abstinence-based education—both of which tend to withhold important, factual information and leave young adults ill-equipped to make safe decisions. Al Vernacchio, a high school sexuality educator who holds a Master’s degree in Human Sexuality from the University of Pennsylvania, has created a new category: sex-positive education. In For Goodness Sex, he refutes the “disaster prevention” model of sex ed, offering a progressive and realistic approach: Sexuality is a natural part of life, and healthy sexuality can only develop from a sex-positive, affirming appreciation.
Curious yet fearful of being judged, young people turn to peers, the Internet, and the media, where they receive problematic messages about sex: boys are studs, girls are sluts; real sex should be like porn; hookups are better than relationships. Without a broader understanding to offset these damaging perceptions, teenagers are dangerously unprepared intellectually and emotionally to grow and develop as sexual beings. For Goodness Sex offers the tools and insights adults need to talk young people and help them develop healthy values and safe habits. With real-life examples from the classroom, exercises and quizzes, and a wealth of sample discussions and crucial information, Vernacchio offers a guide to sex education for the twenty-first century.
Sex education today generally falls into one of two categories: abstinence-only or abstinence-based education—both of which tend to withhold important, factual information and leave young adults ill-equipped to make safe decisions. Al Vernacchio, a high school sexuality educator who holds a Master’s degree in Human Sexuality from the University of Pennsylvania, has created a new category: sex-positive education. In For Goodness Sex, he refutes the “disaster prevention” model of sex ed, offering a progressive and realistic approach: Sexuality is a natural part of life, and healthy sexuality can only develop from a sex-positive, affirming appreciation.
Curious yet fearful of being judged, young people turn to peers, the Internet, and the media, where they receive problematic messages about sex: boys are studs, girls are sluts; real sex should be like porn; hookups are better than relationships. Without a broader understanding to offset these damaging perceptions, teenagers are dangerously unprepared intellectually and emotionally to grow and develop as sexual beings. For Goodness Sex offers the tools and insights adults need to talk young people and help them develop healthy values and safe habits. With real-life examples from the classroom, exercises and quizzes, and a wealth of sample discussions and crucial information, Vernacchio offers a guide to sex education for the twenty-first century.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 9, 2014
85 people are currently reading
907 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
May 3, 2015
I saw a TED Talk by Al Vernacchio (Sex Needs a New Metaphor) and was so impressed that when I learned he also wrote a book, I didn't waste any time tracking it down. I've been doing a lot of reading about human sexuality over the last 1-1/2+ years to prepare myself as a parent for what's ahead as my child approaches her teens. And I've been really pleased by the vast majority of the books I've read, as they have been honest, informative, and helpful to me as a parent. This one is no exception, and I had several ah-ha moments as I read. Al addresses some of the very challenging issues teens (and, consequently, their parents) deal with - sexting, porn, gender identity, body image, gender stereotypes and paradigms, what consent looks like, etc. While I've been having "the talk" in an ongoing way with my own pre-teen for awhile now, I hadn't considered how much more the "birds and bees" needed to cover in this day and age - I'm now both inspired and intimidated. Would definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in the human condition, or parents looking for guidance on what and how to talk with their kids about sex and sexuality. Wish I'd had him for sex ed when I was in high school.
April 18, 2017
Very interesting read! This book is written in a pretty conversational style which makes for easy reading. I liked the structure where he introduces topics through exercises he leads his "Sexuality and Society" classes through. Coming from a very conservative orthodox faith background with sex-negative messaging ranging from clothing choices to eternal consequences for acting out of bounds, I read this to provide myself a more sex-positive paradigm to hold conversations with my five children.
I love the author's definitions throughout! And particularly his statement of keeping our eye on "the prize -- young people who know their values, who believe themselves worthy of love, who feel good about their bodies, who see pleasure as a means to build intimacy and connection with another, and who live their lives not fearing making mistakes but using them to reorient themselves toward success." I particularly like his chapter on gender myths and helping youth evaluate gender roles and detect sexism within culture. I also really appreciated his illumination of the well-known baseball metaphor/model and providing a better alternative through the pizza model [in his TED talk]. As a parent, I find that model very useful for sharing my values with my kids and the boundaries I hope they will choose in coming years.
To be more user-friendly, I wish there was a summary of talking/conversation points at the end of each chapter. I am now going back through the book to compile my own.
I love the author's definitions throughout! And particularly his statement of keeping our eye on "the prize -- young people who know their values, who believe themselves worthy of love, who feel good about their bodies, who see pleasure as a means to build intimacy and connection with another, and who live their lives not fearing making mistakes but using them to reorient themselves toward success." I particularly like his chapter on gender myths and helping youth evaluate gender roles and detect sexism within culture. I also really appreciated his illumination of the well-known baseball metaphor/model and providing a better alternative through the pizza model [in his TED talk]. As a parent, I find that model very useful for sharing my values with my kids and the boundaries I hope they will choose in coming years.
To be more user-friendly, I wish there was a summary of talking/conversation points at the end of each chapter. I am now going back through the book to compile my own.
January 20, 2016
I've never so much agreed with a book's guidance and advice as I did with this incredible resource for parents. Vernacchio conveys respect and candor in this guide, and his openness is refreshing, and so damn necessary. I think this is helpful reading for parents of children of all ages, and perhaps it deserves a re-read every once in a while as a reminder of how to keep communication lines open with our teens. I've never felt so validated in my parenting perspective as I did when reading this book.
March 12, 2016
This book had a lot of straightforward information. I liked that it emphasized values and self-image, and urged parents to take an active role in helping their kids navigate adolescence. The addition of an LGBTQ perspective was also pretty helpful. Some of my patrons will be happy to know we have this!
November 1, 2019
I liked this author’s approach. Wish I’d had it when I was a teenager. I would have learned so much. More than anything I’m glad I talked to my kids more openly than my parents talked to me. Still could do better but I’m glad I was uncomfortable enough to try.
October 6, 2014
For Goodness Sex: Changing the Way We Talk to Teens about Sexuality, Values, and Health by Al Vernacchio invites parents, students, educators and everyone, really, into Vernacchio’s Sexuality and Society class in a private Quaker school near Philadelphia, PA. In Mr. V’s classroom, students are safe to sort out all of the negative and exploitive messages they’ve received about human sexuality and begin to build an accurate and positive image of themselves, which will in turn allow them to form healthy relationships and make responsible life choices. Vernacchio emphasizes sexuality as a force for good.
The book is divided into eight chapters that include subjects such as healthy sex, creating a family philosophy, becoming your authentic self, gender myths, and the effect of social media and technology on teen relationships. In Chapter 1, Vernacchio explains, “We are whole people with bodies, brains, emotions and spirits. All of those things are part of our sexuality.” Each chapter ends with real teen questions from the “Question Box” Mr. V. keeps in the back of his classroom and Vernacchio’s example of how he would answer them.
Perhaps his most important message is the one that he shared in his March 2012 TED talk which as of October 2014 has been viewed more than 1.2 million times. Vernacchio says we need to abandon our “baseball metaphor” for sex and adopt a more mutual, enjoyable metaphor like pizza. If you’re having any doubts about whether or not you will like this book, watch Vernacchio’s TED talk. If it speaks to you, there’s a good chance his book will, too.
Overall, as a former high school teacher, former sex crimes prosecutor and current child forensic interviewer and adjunct professor of criminal sciences, I can’t say enough good things about Vernacchio’s message and how crucial it is for our society. The only place where I found content that concerned me was in one little section in Chapter 7 where he discusses the hymen. In Vernacchio’s defense, most physicians and nurses who do not specialize in sexual assault are still woefully undereducated when it comes to the female anatomy, and more likely to base their examinations and findings on hymenal myths than on the real facts about the hymen. I can only hope that this book sells out quickly and a new edition is released soon with updated and accurate medical information on what is perhaps the most misunderstood little membrane in the history of humanity.
In a world that still talks about sex as running around the bases and sliding into home, Vernacchio steps up to the plate and hits a grand slam, driving home the intellectual, emotional and spiritual aspects of sexuality in the process.
The book is divided into eight chapters that include subjects such as healthy sex, creating a family philosophy, becoming your authentic self, gender myths, and the effect of social media and technology on teen relationships. In Chapter 1, Vernacchio explains, “We are whole people with bodies, brains, emotions and spirits. All of those things are part of our sexuality.” Each chapter ends with real teen questions from the “Question Box” Mr. V. keeps in the back of his classroom and Vernacchio’s example of how he would answer them.
Perhaps his most important message is the one that he shared in his March 2012 TED talk which as of October 2014 has been viewed more than 1.2 million times. Vernacchio says we need to abandon our “baseball metaphor” for sex and adopt a more mutual, enjoyable metaphor like pizza. If you’re having any doubts about whether or not you will like this book, watch Vernacchio’s TED talk. If it speaks to you, there’s a good chance his book will, too.
Overall, as a former high school teacher, former sex crimes prosecutor and current child forensic interviewer and adjunct professor of criminal sciences, I can’t say enough good things about Vernacchio’s message and how crucial it is for our society. The only place where I found content that concerned me was in one little section in Chapter 7 where he discusses the hymen. In Vernacchio’s defense, most physicians and nurses who do not specialize in sexual assault are still woefully undereducated when it comes to the female anatomy, and more likely to base their examinations and findings on hymenal myths than on the real facts about the hymen. I can only hope that this book sells out quickly and a new edition is released soon with updated and accurate medical information on what is perhaps the most misunderstood little membrane in the history of humanity.
In a world that still talks about sex as running around the bases and sliding into home, Vernacchio steps up to the plate and hits a grand slam, driving home the intellectual, emotional and spiritual aspects of sexuality in the process.
May 4, 2016
Excellent book for advice on how to talk to teens about sex. Lots of good information that is relevant to the times. The author is a sex educator and the book gives you a good overview of the details of his high school course on sex education. Highly recommended. This is a great guide for parents. My 12 year old son enjoyed it too, and my 14 year old daughter is reading it now. Most of what he advocates in the book I believe we already as parents put into practice, and the book would be great for a conversation starter with your kids.
March 2, 2018
This is OWL only better. I loved how the author uses the questions asked in an average class, and answers them! How refreshing, and instructional. Loved it!
November 14, 2018
I loved the author's approach and appreciated the candid conversations and specific examples he included. It's a book I'd like to come back to when my kids are older, but took plenty away from it at this stage of life. I wish I had been in a class similar to his as a kid and am glad he wrote a book to reach a wider audience.
August 17, 2022
Fantastic objective discussions on sexuality, how to evaluate our body, communication within relationships and ourselves. The author clearly is gifted at talking with teenagers and has great depth of experience. I like his real-life examples of questions from teenagers and how he answered them. Would recommend for all parents of teens.
December 10, 2024
Easily the best parenting book on sex. Inclusive of all gender types and sexual preferences, the author does a magnificent job of breaking down stereotypes and replacing problematic analogies new ideas (eg “baseball bases” to “pizza toppings”).
October 6, 2014
I had no idea that there was such a thing as a MA in Human Sexuality Education! Or high schools that offered a year long course in sexuality! This book is not a teacher's manual for Mr V's course, but it definitely makes me want to teach a class like this. The recommended exercises are excellent, and he offers lots of suggestions to parents in talking to their children as well.
Key features of the course: Pretty much the whole first half of the course is about defining your own values and learning how to live according to them, plus learning about gender and sexual orientation. Learning to be comfortable with your body. Different kinds of relationships (friends with benefits, just friends, hookups, etc). The difference between porn sex and real life sex.
I can't see this could being taught at any school that I've taught at in the past. The curriculum at my current school talks a little about healthy relationships but not enough, then jumps into very basic mechanics of baby-making. Acknowledging masturbation as perfectly harmless or even beneficial, telling students that homosexuality is as valid a lifestyle as heterosexuality, telling students that they are the ones who get to decide what they do with their bodies. All of these things cause administrators to freak out. It doesn't matter if the parents of the students in your class sign a waiver or something. Administrators would still be afraid that one of the students in the course would tell things to students outside the course and the same repercussions would occur. I wish it wasn't that way but it is. Hopefully more districts will be brave enough to tell parents that if what we are teaching is supported by the American Pediatric Association (http://brightfutures.aap.org/pdfs/Gui...) then that is what we are going to teach, and if they don't like it then too damn bad. They can feel free to have supplemental conversations of their own.
Key features of the course: Pretty much the whole first half of the course is about defining your own values and learning how to live according to them, plus learning about gender and sexual orientation. Learning to be comfortable with your body. Different kinds of relationships (friends with benefits, just friends, hookups, etc). The difference between porn sex and real life sex.
I can't see this could being taught at any school that I've taught at in the past. The curriculum at my current school talks a little about healthy relationships but not enough, then jumps into very basic mechanics of baby-making. Acknowledging masturbation as perfectly harmless or even beneficial, telling students that homosexuality is as valid a lifestyle as heterosexuality, telling students that they are the ones who get to decide what they do with their bodies. All of these things cause administrators to freak out. It doesn't matter if the parents of the students in your class sign a waiver or something. Administrators would still be afraid that one of the students in the course would tell things to students outside the course and the same repercussions would occur. I wish it wasn't that way but it is. Hopefully more districts will be brave enough to tell parents that if what we are teaching is supported by the American Pediatric Association (http://brightfutures.aap.org/pdfs/Gui...) then that is what we are going to teach, and if they don't like it then too damn bad. They can feel free to have supplemental conversations of their own.
September 13, 2016
I'm starting a series of teen talks at my library and wanted to get some ideas on broaching the subject of sex in a more down to earth kind of way. Vernacchio being a teacher definitely made the difference in this book. He seems to have the right rapport with teens that allows him to be frank and informative. There was a lot of information in here for parents, which doesn't apply to me, but some of the things he writes talking to parents is good to reiterate back to them. Vernacchio definitely knows how to talk to teens about all aspects of them being sexual beings and this book is going to be a big help with my future talks.
July 9, 2018
I would recommend this book to every single parent. Absolutely loved it. I not only learned how to be a safe person for my kids, but I also learned a lot for myself. I wish I had been given a comprehensive sexual education like this. The focus isn’t just “sex,” but on each individual discovering their own sexuality. It’s about consent, body positivity, letting go of shame, discovering your values, self love, and loving others, and being educated. Love, love, love this book.
December 19, 2017
I can't recommend this book enough. This isn't a book about teaching your child about sex - it's a book about helping your teen in figuring out who they are and what their values are and how to approach relationships from that perspective. Mr. Vernacchio stresses communication in a way that even made me reevaluate how I communicate. Well done!
February 8, 2015
Such a great book! You should read this book if:
1) You're a teacher
2) You're a parent
3) You may ever have the occasion to talk to a young person about sex and society
4) You had less than stellar sex education
So really, everybody should read this book.
1) You're a teacher
2) You're a parent
3) You may ever have the occasion to talk to a young person about sex and society
4) You had less than stellar sex education
So really, everybody should read this book.
January 22, 2016
This book is a great resource for parents looking to instill positive attitudes about sexuality in their children. Also a resource for people who work with kids. Easy to read and provides practical ideas and information.
February 24, 2017
Great review of teen sexuality and common questions that come up. I knew a lot of this from my days as a health educator but it was a good refresher. Watch the author's TED talk.
June 25, 2017
Another important sex book for parents of teens!!! This guy is amazing!!!
March 4, 2018
A really positive way of framing sexuality with the lenses of values, pleasure and well-being.
April 14, 2025
Holy wow I loved this. I wish my sexual education as a teen had been like this man's class.
I feel a good surge of confidence in talking to my boys about sexuality--something I have done, but this gives some more ideas.
Highly recommend for anyone--not just parents! It's also made me think about how I view my own sexuality.
I feel a good surge of confidence in talking to my boys about sexuality--something I have done, but this gives some more ideas.
Highly recommend for anyone--not just parents! It's also made me think about how I view my own sexuality.
June 16, 2024
Literally every parent should read this.
October 29, 2018
This has some great great ideas with how to talk to teens about sex. How do you know if you're ready? You should be able to look a potential partner in the eyes and discuss the when and where, as well as the contraception (if you're too embarrassed to buy condoms them you're not ready), and what happens if a pregnancy or STD/still occurs. I loved this very real test. I need to read this again to get more of the ideas to stick so they're in my head when the topics come up in the future.
September 22, 2020
Fall 2020, second time through: it's even better than I remembered.
************************************************
Every educator and parent, regardless of the age of the children they teach or have, should read this book.
The values clarification work that Vernacchio guides his readers through is one of the most empowering processes I've seen around sexuality, and it is valid whether you are married and 50 or experimenting and 15. He includes working definitions of things like gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, sex, and much more and then encourages readers to reach their own working definitions based on their values. He offers powerful analogies (pizza model vs. baseball model) to help us reframe sex in a way that considers relationships, not just acts. He also brings a perspective than can include religious values, which seems to be sorely lacking in any sex-positive literature (except for those strange Christian books with titles like "God Wants You to Have a Fulfilling Sex Life").
What's more, I think that most sex-positive literature today is mostly reactionary against the repressive ideas and policing of sexuality that limited the range of natural human expression in the past, and by that I mean that it is positive only in the structuralist/by contrast way. The emphasis is on making sure that everyone feels okay with any sexual activity they engage in to diminish any sense of shame or guilt. That can be helpful and essential, but not indiscriminately. To me, Vernacchio is more subtle and therefore more infinitely more helpful to teens, who are figuring out what it means to love, desire, have a body, and use that body on their own or with another person for the purposes of love and desire. The "okayness" with any sexual activity comes from acting in alignment with your own internal and community-constructed values, not from the activity itself. Valuing sex usually entails more discernment than popular culture would have us believe.
The Q&A sections at the end of each chapter are brilliant. Young people have an innate curiosity about bodies and sex. We need to be ready - ready to be inclusive, honest, and open. This book helps with exactly that.
************************************************
Every educator and parent, regardless of the age of the children they teach or have, should read this book.
The values clarification work that Vernacchio guides his readers through is one of the most empowering processes I've seen around sexuality, and it is valid whether you are married and 50 or experimenting and 15. He includes working definitions of things like gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, sex, and much more and then encourages readers to reach their own working definitions based on their values. He offers powerful analogies (pizza model vs. baseball model) to help us reframe sex in a way that considers relationships, not just acts. He also brings a perspective than can include religious values, which seems to be sorely lacking in any sex-positive literature (except for those strange Christian books with titles like "God Wants You to Have a Fulfilling Sex Life").
What's more, I think that most sex-positive literature today is mostly reactionary against the repressive ideas and policing of sexuality that limited the range of natural human expression in the past, and by that I mean that it is positive only in the structuralist/by contrast way. The emphasis is on making sure that everyone feels okay with any sexual activity they engage in to diminish any sense of shame or guilt. That can be helpful and essential, but not indiscriminately. To me, Vernacchio is more subtle and therefore more infinitely more helpful to teens, who are figuring out what it means to love, desire, have a body, and use that body on their own or with another person for the purposes of love and desire. The "okayness" with any sexual activity comes from acting in alignment with your own internal and community-constructed values, not from the activity itself. Valuing sex usually entails more discernment than popular culture would have us believe.
The Q&A sections at the end of each chapter are brilliant. Young people have an innate curiosity about bodies and sex. We need to be ready - ready to be inclusive, honest, and open. This book helps with exactly that.
September 18, 2014
Review posted on my blog, BB Reads.
Before I read this book, I had no idea who Al Vernacchio was or that he had a blog of the same name of this book. I was a complete virgin (aren't I punny?!) to his style of thinking. My kids are not teenagers either: the oldest just started kindergarten. But this book, especially if you grew up in American public schools with its fear-mongering, abstinence-only education, is revelatory to adults of all ages, parents and childfree alike.
The focus of this book is sex education for teenagers, but what Mr. V talks to us about encompasses so much more than The Talk. It's how to create a culture of honesty in your home; how to confront our own personal skeletons about our own sex education; and how to demonstrate your personal values to your teenager in a safe and loving way. This book is appropriate for families who wish to save sex for marriage as well as those families who want their kids to have sex in their own house for considerations of safety.
Interspersed in real advice on how to create your values and culture of your home are examples from the Human Sexuality classes that Mr. Vernacchio teaches at a private Quaker school in Pennsylvania. Questions from real teens and how adult role models can address these questions appropriately without the typical flustered lecture so many unprepared parents resort to.
So, if you are a mentor to a child from ages three on up, make this a reference book and banish the dreaded red-faced sex talk from your life.
Before I read this book, I had no idea who Al Vernacchio was or that he had a blog of the same name of this book. I was a complete virgin (aren't I punny?!) to his style of thinking. My kids are not teenagers either: the oldest just started kindergarten. But this book, especially if you grew up in American public schools with its fear-mongering, abstinence-only education, is revelatory to adults of all ages, parents and childfree alike.
The focus of this book is sex education for teenagers, but what Mr. V talks to us about encompasses so much more than The Talk. It's how to create a culture of honesty in your home; how to confront our own personal skeletons about our own sex education; and how to demonstrate your personal values to your teenager in a safe and loving way. This book is appropriate for families who wish to save sex for marriage as well as those families who want their kids to have sex in their own house for considerations of safety.
Interspersed in real advice on how to create your values and culture of your home are examples from the Human Sexuality classes that Mr. Vernacchio teaches at a private Quaker school in Pennsylvania. Questions from real teens and how adult role models can address these questions appropriately without the typical flustered lecture so many unprepared parents resort to.
So, if you are a mentor to a child from ages three on up, make this a reference book and banish the dreaded red-faced sex talk from your life.
June 18, 2016
All these positive reviews are extremely well deserved and there isn't much for me to add. I found this book by accident -- no idea the author has a TED talk and a blog. I was at the library looking for something up to date that would help me to continue to talk with my two sons not really so much about sex but about intimate relationships of all kinds. The author's continuing experience teaching at a Friends school means that he is up to date about how kids are currently trying to make sense in a world where easy access to on-line pornography, pervasive social media and polished depictions of sex and relationships in movies and TV make things especially complicated. I especially appreciated the discussion of how he tries to help his students to determine their own values about relationships and intimacy which can -- but don't always -- include sex. He has several very practical ideas about how to initiate conversations with kids as well as how to describe and share your own values and, ultimately, how you can help them to make their own decisions. I cannot recommend this book more strongly!
November 24, 2017
I love this book, I love Al's approach to teaching kids. The only reason I don't give it five stars is that I don't think the book is that accessible for those who aren't high-level intellectual geeks who think about sex ed all the time (like me! This book was written for me!). It offers people deep thoughts to think about, which is important. It challenges gender norms, and societal priorities about perfect bodies and perfect relationships, but it takes time to get through each section and Al fails to guide people through it -- I wanted more breaks, more questions, possibly ways to use the material and apply it to my relationships with young people. It's readable and the tone of the writing is easy, but the ideas are complex and one can take a sentence about gender, or the importance of talking openly, or how to be comfortable with one's body and read it over and over again to really see how one can apply to one's own life/family. I wanted more help with that.
Also, I don't agree completely with Al's views on social media. I'm a little more forgiving when it comes to text connection vs face-to-face. That's OK though. Different opinions are good.
Also, I don't agree completely with Al's views on social media. I'm a little more forgiving when it comes to text connection vs face-to-face. That's OK though. Different opinions are good.
February 10, 2018
This book did a lot for me.
Now that I have read this book, I have a better understanding of sexual agency, informed consent, and the sexism that exists within sex education in this country. I also didn't know that there was a difference between gender and sexuality--one can be trans and not gay or trans and gay--before reading this book.
However, I will say that although Vernacchio spoke a lot about "healthy sexuality" and what blocks us from developing it, he did not really explain what it means.
Nonetheless, I wish I had read this book in high school. I think it would have saved me a lot of pain. I recommend this to teens (and some young adults) as well as parents and future parents.
Now that I have read this book, I have a better understanding of sexual agency, informed consent, and the sexism that exists within sex education in this country. I also didn't know that there was a difference between gender and sexuality--one can be trans and not gay or trans and gay--before reading this book.
However, I will say that although Vernacchio spoke a lot about "healthy sexuality" and what blocks us from developing it, he did not really explain what it means.
Nonetheless, I wish I had read this book in high school. I think it would have saved me a lot of pain. I recommend this to teens (and some young adults) as well as parents and future parents.
January 31, 2017
What a great book! This man is clearly a gifted teacher and his school and students are very lucky to have him! And I feel grateful that he put his wisdom into this book.
This is a sex-positive, shame free and very real look at teens and sexuality and how to help your teens know what they need to know, interspersed with stories from the author's own life and his time in the classroom teaching sexuality to high schoolers. His sense of humor literally had me laughing out loud at several points.
This book is directed to parents, and I am grateful to read it as a parent, but also plan to have my pre-teen read it himself. A companion volume directed to the teens would be a welcome next project!
This is a sex-positive, shame free and very real look at teens and sexuality and how to help your teens know what they need to know, interspersed with stories from the author's own life and his time in the classroom teaching sexuality to high schoolers. His sense of humor literally had me laughing out loud at several points.
This book is directed to parents, and I am grateful to read it as a parent, but also plan to have my pre-teen read it himself. A companion volume directed to the teens would be a welcome next project!
October 9, 2014
Both of my kids took the author's Sex and Society class when there were in high school and thought Al Vernacchio was an awesome teacher. By reading his first book, I feel like I took the class, too. The book is clear, engaging, and offered points of view that were new to me. It also answered questions - both ones I knew I had and ones I never even considered. Whether or not you have teens, it's a worthwhile read, and it makes for some great dinner conversation!
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