The Sensuous Woman

by "J", Terry Garrity

Not too long ago only "bad" girls had a  good time in bed. "Good" girls endured—and wondered what they were missing.

Then along came "J" and suddenly  everything was different. She opened the eyes—and minds—of millions of American women with her explicit step-by-step account of her pursuit of the ultimate in sexual pleasure.

Now here's the book that has set off fireworks in bedrooms across  America, the book that will teach every woman how to free her body, train her senses, and tap her own hidden erotic resources.

The book designed to make you the woman every man yearns to make love to—the woman you yearn to be.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sexuality, Self Help, Relationships, Psychology, Reference

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Pseudonym under which Terry Garrity wrote The Sensuous Woman and Total Loving.

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another book read as a teen; if I looked at it today it would probably seem like a parody of itself (not that I wasn't laughing at it when I was 13). My parents had to clean out five years worth of questionable books and publications from the back of my closet, along with my second string of stuffed animals and dolls, after I moved 450 miles away. Springing to mind now is a lovely memory from those teen years. My wide reading habits (true crime, sexuality, psychology, occult, horror, medicine, religions, along with other less "inappropriate" publications) apparently raised some eyebrows at my local library branch. One of the librarians felt the need to call my mom; the concerned staffer asked my mother whether she knew what kind of books I was checking out. My mom said no, and that she didn't want to. After I found out about that, I would sometimes simply walk out of the building with the books I wanted, without performing the required transaction, and would return them at night via the after hours book drop. Good thing I wasn't a "troubled" youth, I'm sure that if I were ever suspected of anything heinous this misguided lady would have jumped up with a juicy, cherry picked list of my interest infractions. I love you, Mom.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes you read a book simply to enjoy it, and that's what I'm basing this rating on. From start to finish this book kept me both entertained and fascinated with the evolution of female sexuality in today's age. Clearly outdated for many in areas of technique and belief systems, 'The Sensuous Woman' is a lighthearted combination of laughable literature littered with bits of gold. While it reflects the ideals of a society that I hope all women will one day be liberated from, it has served me as a glimpse into the past through which I am ever grateful to be here in the present. Definitely a gem I will be passing along to any of my sisters desiring a little perspective or a good pick-me-up.

[Ali · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hilariously sexist and heterosexist, but nevertheless quite endearing. I would give a scathing review to a book with the same content written today, but it is 40 years old. A very easy read. I was particularly amused by the section on orgy etiquette (bring your own man, just in case; wear a dress that won't crease because there won't be enough hangers; be prepared to politely resist lesbians).

[S.W. Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK...so it's rather dated and still somewhat sexist despite being written by a "liberated" woman. Obviously, it was written before HIV/AIDS and no mention is made of genital warts or herpes. I was also more than a little shocked that only boys under 10 years of age were considered totally off limits. Does that mean boys over age 10 are OK to pursue? Maybe she just meant the way most men "act" rather than a chronological thing! I can hardly imagine the "ram"ifications of getting caught reading or owning this book in 1969. I doubt the lady's bookclub openly discussed this tome. Can you imagine June Cleaver looking up from it's pages to ask her husband, "Ward, weren't you a little hard on the Beaver last night?" Or imagine Burt handing a dusty copy to Mary Poppins and saying, "Gee Mare...I think I've discovered where you found all that magic."

[Maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I, along with every other woman, teen-age girl, and more than a few men, read this in the 70s. I was 21 or 22. There was some good advice, some very interesting information, and some tips that (as I recall) were rather "out there". Etiquette for attending an orgy? Not something I ever had occasion to wonder about.

I had the good fortune to have been born into a family that was pretty open about discussing sex, so nothing in the book was terribly shocking to me. I'd think "J" might have provided some welcome information for those unfortunate girls who grew up never being told anything (and there were and still are quite a few of them)

Not a book to base one's life on, certainly; but one that offered those who needed it some honest answers to those questions they couldn't ask. And, to those who thought they knew it all, some interesting new possibilities to consider.

[Midge Pingleton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an ass backwards sort of sex column in the length of an entire book from the early 70's. Read it in a car.

[Carolyn Heinze]

Oh c'mon...this just sounds too delicious NOT to read.

[Kara Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is hilarious to read now but also makes me somewhat sad that this was taken seriously in the 60s/70s. Some empowering insights but mostly super misogynistic

[Jeff Cliff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to know how to rate this since it was definitely not a book that would ever be useful to me, personally - as a man, it is not directed at me whatsoever. Read after All Men Are Not Alike - that book seemed like a challenge for men to step up, and be a better partner, this book seems to challenge women to do the same with detailed, explicit directions on how to do just this. And good instructions: the only part that I can't confirm is solid advice is the part on orgies, and only because I've never had that experience to know one way or another (but it seems like good advice).

The women who saying 'oh it's ridiculous and outdated'...yeah those women are the ones who probably need to actually (re)read this book. Young women in particular could do way worse than to read this book as a guide. It's remarkable how ...fitting the advice is given how little data the author had to put together to come up with it. Somehow most this stuff is timeless. After all, our animal nature hasn't really changed since the book was written; and if you're going to RETVRN TO MONKEY you might as well do it properly, both as a man and as a woman.

Maybe it just *sounds* like good advice, and really isn't - but I seriously doubt it. Some stuff (exercize 1) may or may not work ...there's probably something similar that should do the same job. The author clearly understands men and seems to understand women. If I were writing a Lady's Illustrated Primer some of this stuff would definitely make the cut, right next to The Prince.

One thing that it does not seem to delve on is what to do with the broken men who are not up to the standard of a reasonable woman. That's clearly not the woman's concern, but it is interesting that there seems to be some men who, from the vantage point of this book are just hopeless impossibles. It may be worth reading, if you suspect you are one of these men, to just see what you're doing wrong with an eye to fixing yourself. But that's probably 3 pages out of 192 - the meat of this book is for women.

Yeah covid/HIV changes the equation a little but honestly? HIV is not a death sentence it used to be in the 80's and with the exception of the orgy stuff...HIV is orthogonal to most of the stuff in the book. Get tested as frequently as your situation requires and have protected sex if you're worried / having sex with someone new. There's stuff on the horizon (antibiotic resistance) but since I'm the only one talking about it in all these reviews, you can kind of see how much of a stretch it would be to criticize this book, written long before it was an issue, based on it.

[Amara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is hilarious. I feel like it belongs on a shelf, but I don't know which. This was my second read through of this book.

Please do yourself a favor and follow up with Sensuous Dirty Old Man when you're done. You won't regret it.

Or you could be lame and read The Sensuous Man. But you don't wanna be lame, right?

The only way to be totally cool is to read all three.


I really don't think you should go into these books expecting actual "self-help". These should be read as comedies. Or just an observation of someone's life. Very much in the same category as
The Rules.

[Marissa Savala · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found a tattered old copy of this book from 1969, and the intrigue of what women of nearly 45 years ago were learning got the better of me. I’m sure this was quite a scandal back then, and there were points that I found very bold and risqué. Overall I think it is a great piece of female empowerment and rather feminist for its time.

[Becky · Rating 1 out of 5]

i'm sure this book isn't in the "humor" genre but I found myself laughing all through it. It's so outdated & outrageous. really.

[Jolie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so charming. I love how it's basically caught in time, written before promiscuous attitudes and behaviors were commonplace. This book is old fashion and brutally blunt; it's not for the faint of heart. She mentions losing pounds to remain sensuous, and getting a job or volunteering in the field you would want to meet a man in. I know a lot of "modern" women would be angry or horrified at these tidbits of advice, but I think they're fascinating and endearing. A lot of the advice in this book is actually valid and applicable for today (although a lot is also outlandish and outdated as well). The writer was so funny too. I was left chuckling to myself a lot.

[Hayden · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was a secondhand find. Some of this is pretty standard knowledge but there are a few small things I had not really thought about before. Even though this is obviously geared towards cishet women, the book is still fairly progressive for its time so I appreciated it as a quick read. It might be a good gift for someone coming-of-age, or someone who is just looking to grow their confidence a bit. Yay "J!"

[Valentina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es el tipo de libro para mujer con crisis de la mediana edad o recién divorciada que jamás en la vida se ha masturbado (o jamás ha tenido un orgasmo).

Estoy segurisima que Khloe Kardashian leyó este libro y se obsesiono con el revenge body, porque al final el mensaje es "se tu mejor versión para que él se muera por ti".

[Cornelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never read this before. I like vintage books from the 60s/70s era and was glad to finally read this. Some of the information pertains more to that era but a lot of it is still practical for today and it's a very interesting well-written book. I enjoyed it.

[Sarah Rigg · Rating 3 out of 5]

My notes from my journal in 1993 say a friend loaned this to me and I read it in one sitting.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy, light, quick read. Just entertaining

[carissa c]

found this deep in the stacks at chamblin's and bought it out of curiosity. SUCH A TRIP. had me laughing & finished it in one sitting. i don't believe the 60s were real

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for a laugh.

[Jelena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was absolutely hillarious and I love that this book exists.

[Josephine Velo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible ending where he basically claims men aren’t capable of love and will never think of a woman during the day/at work…. Villainous propaganda

[Radiolab]

Radiolab asked listeners for their sex ed recommendations.

Blanca, a Radiolab listener, says, "My best friend's aunt gave it to me when I was 14,and the thing I remember most was the author saying that she wasn't really pretty and she had heavy thighs, but none of that really matters if you feel sexy,and she got any man(or woman) she ever wanted and had great sex! She also had a step by step how to, on blowjobs,that really took all of the anxiety and awkwardness out of my first experience!"

[Laura Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 stars for entertainment value... So many great passages to read at parties.

[Reads-A-Lot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now I am become sensuouswoman, wrecker of homes

[sqwggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

very funny, 10/10.

[Labyrinth Rossiter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this book as a preteen, teen. Found it in my mother's bedroom drawer hidden. At the time did not jive with her, "Sex is not all it's cracked up to be for women," advice, but as an adult looking back, I'm a little sad. My husband and I watched the TV show Masters of Sex, which provided another glimpse into maybe what my Mama had to go through... This book presents itself as advice for WOMEN, but it's really a handbook in how to please a man. I'd have to get myself another copy, but the part about using the male anatomy as an ice cream cone stands out in my mind to this day, but I don't remember anything about quid pro quo. As one reviewer pointed out, in today's market, it's a "parody" of a self help book for women. It's also of interest to a historian and should definitely be read within its social and historical context. Possibly worth a few ironic laughs.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I stole this from my mother to read when I was a kid and grew up re-reading it often through out my teen years. Re-reading it now it's blatantly misogynistic and frankly sounds like it was written by a man (I noped out after the passage where J says you'll enjoy anal if you just relax and stop worry about being purity raped). It's not fair to judge a book like this so many decades after it was written, but it's not of value to anyone now except as a study in the historical progression of how women's sexuality is viewed and controlled.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, I read and enjoyed this book approximately soon after it first came out in paperback, several times in fact. And the companion volume, too (which as I recall had a lot of stuff about grapes and clitorises). In 2013 it's dated material, possibly a bit naive to a "modern adult", but I also think it opened a lot of eyes and incited a lot of healthy exploration among a huge number of people at the time it burst upon the best-seller scene...

[Rosa · Rating 2 out of 5]

HA! How very. Strange, sometimes funny, sometimes very sexist, sometimes empowering (but only sexually), very amateurishly written, with very debatable advice. Well, now I can cross another Bibliotherapy book off my to-read list. I can’t wait to reread what those wits have to say about this now-sadly-tame book.