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The Book That Taught the World to Orgasm and Then Disappeared: Shere Hite and the Hite Report
Come and meet Shere Hite—the feminist hero whose notorious work revolutionized how we think about sex, marriage, and the female orgasm...
Despite being one of the leading thinkers of the second wave feminist movement, today Shere Hite is little known, little written about, and, unsurprisingly, little read. Her groundbreaking book, The Hite Report, was the first feminist exploration of the link between sex and male power. It sold millions of copies when first published in 1976 and revolutionized the way people thought about marriage and the female orgasm. How, then, did it, and Hite, disappear from public consciousness?
Using original research material and sharp cultural analysis, Rosa Campbell explores Hite’s complicated life and literary legacy. Campbell expands on Hite’s ideas about sex — namely, that sex is sexist — and tracks Hite through her fraught childhood, her struggles working in the porn industry, and her eventual cancellation by the far-right Evangelical movement. All the while, Campbell holds Hite and The Hite Report to account for their own failings and absence of intersectionality.
In a post-Dobbs, post-MeToo world, this book’s examination of shifting ideological movements is essential to understanding both the current feminist movement, as well as how conservative, reactionary, counter-mobilization efforts can silence even the most successful of women. Contains 8 black and white vintage photos.
Despite being one of the leading thinkers of the second wave feminist movement, today Shere Hite is little known, little written about, and, unsurprisingly, little read. Her groundbreaking book, The Hite Report, was the first feminist exploration of the link between sex and male power. It sold millions of copies when first published in 1976 and revolutionized the way people thought about marriage and the female orgasm. How, then, did it, and Hite, disappear from public consciousness?
Using original research material and sharp cultural analysis, Rosa Campbell explores Hite’s complicated life and literary legacy. Campbell expands on Hite’s ideas about sex — namely, that sex is sexist — and tracks Hite through her fraught childhood, her struggles working in the porn industry, and her eventual cancellation by the far-right Evangelical movement. All the while, Campbell holds Hite and The Hite Report to account for their own failings and absence of intersectionality.
In a post-Dobbs, post-MeToo world, this book’s examination of shifting ideological movements is essential to understanding both the current feminist movement, as well as how conservative, reactionary, counter-mobilization efforts can silence even the most successful of women. Contains 8 black and white vintage photos.
216 pages, Hardcover
Published April 14, 2026
About the author
Rosa Campbell
1 bookRosa Campbell is a historian of global feminism and writer based in London. She is a Leverhulme Postdoctoral Fellow at King’s College, London and holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge. She has written for Literary Hub, The White Review, The Independent, Public Books, and Meanjin, among others.
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April 19, 2026Extended excerpt, courtesy of the author and LitHub:
https://lithub.com/were-all-wrong-abo...
Excerpt:
"In the papers of Shere Hite there are hundreds of letters from male readers, these spill and bulge from the 300 boxes that make up this archive. This correspondence has only been read by Shere and by me. This pile of letters complicates the story that is usually told about men and feminism. The story usually goes that the vast majority of men were not touched by the women’s liberation movement of the 1970s at all, they responded with hostility or stunned silence. ....
“I finished The Hite Report two minutes ago. I saw myself described on its pages so many times by your uncommunicative respondents that…I hope you got some input from a few hairy beasts (adult males to you, you libber!).” Shere slashed through his angry missive with green pen annotating “NO! No!” But then he added a P.S. “All kidding to the side, please accept my deep and awed congratulations.” She decorated this with stars, hearts and ticks.
The Hite Report was sexy and its author was beautiful. This made its feminism a little more palatable. Men’s female partners thrust the book into their hands, and the women’s movement demanded that they take notice. "
Heh, Just published. Pretty sure I read this when it was new, TBR, if/when the library gets a copy.
https://lithub.com/were-all-wrong-abo...
Excerpt:
"In the papers of Shere Hite there are hundreds of letters from male readers, these spill and bulge from the 300 boxes that make up this archive. This correspondence has only been read by Shere and by me. This pile of letters complicates the story that is usually told about men and feminism. The story usually goes that the vast majority of men were not touched by the women’s liberation movement of the 1970s at all, they responded with hostility or stunned silence. ....
“I finished The Hite Report two minutes ago. I saw myself described on its pages so many times by your uncommunicative respondents that…I hope you got some input from a few hairy beasts (adult males to you, you libber!).” Shere slashed through his angry missive with green pen annotating “NO! No!” But then he added a P.S. “All kidding to the side, please accept my deep and awed congratulations.” She decorated this with stars, hearts and ticks.
The Hite Report was sexy and its author was beautiful. This made its feminism a little more palatable. Men’s female partners thrust the book into their hands, and the women’s movement demanded that they take notice. "
Heh, Just published. Pretty sure I read this when it was new, TBR, if/when the library gets a copy.
April 26, 2026
There was a time when there two books critical to anyone's library: Fear of Flying and The Hite Report. It is truly strange to see how few people remember Shere Hite's work, and the furor it caused for advancing the revolutionary notion that shared intimacy might make for better relationships between men and women. This book concisely recaptures the work, the backlash it inspired, and the prickly personality of its author. It must be noted that similar ground is covered just as effectively in a documentary from a couple years back called The Disappearance of Shere Hite. Both are worth the time.
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June 1, 2026The Book That Taught The World To Orgasm And Then Disappeared by Rosa Campbell
Is needed!
I have a special interest in sexuality and feminism, so when I saw this book at Pulp Bookstore and did not know anything about this topic it set off alarm bells.
As a friend noted, if anyone would have known about The Hite Report it would have been me! And with sound reasoning. I know Master and Johnson’s, Kinsey Report, I even know most of the people or organizations quoted in this book- like Phyllis Schlafly and NOW. But not this Report, not Shere Hite, and not only have I not read any of her many books on human sexuality but I had not ever heard of them, or heard mention of them in my extensive reading of the subject.
But it seems The Hite Report is one of the top selling books of all time in America. And in the 60/70s was translated into numerous languages. Making her not only rich and famous but a target for all those anti-feminism and those unable to make women cum! Which is largely why Hite and her work were forgotten from the zeitgeist.
The shocking thing is Hite, surveyed women - American women from various classes, socio-economic backgrounds, geography, race, and other demographics to ask them about their sex lives. Not what men thought about women’s sex lives. As such she found that most women faked orgasms, and more importantly did not orgasm from penetrative sex alone.
It was ground breaking, and from the fan mail she received saved numerous marriages & helped many women cum to terms with their body and relationships.
This book is for anyone interested in sexology, mid 20th century history, the woman’s moment & how the actions of 50 years ago still have consequences till today.
Is needed!
I have a special interest in sexuality and feminism, so when I saw this book at Pulp Bookstore and did not know anything about this topic it set off alarm bells.
As a friend noted, if anyone would have known about The Hite Report it would have been me! And with sound reasoning. I know Master and Johnson’s, Kinsey Report, I even know most of the people or organizations quoted in this book- like Phyllis Schlafly and NOW. But not this Report, not Shere Hite, and not only have I not read any of her many books on human sexuality but I had not ever heard of them, or heard mention of them in my extensive reading of the subject.
But it seems The Hite Report is one of the top selling books of all time in America. And in the 60/70s was translated into numerous languages. Making her not only rich and famous but a target for all those anti-feminism and those unable to make women cum! Which is largely why Hite and her work were forgotten from the zeitgeist.
The shocking thing is Hite, surveyed women - American women from various classes, socio-economic backgrounds, geography, race, and other demographics to ask them about their sex lives. Not what men thought about women’s sex lives. As such she found that most women faked orgasms, and more importantly did not orgasm from penetrative sex alone.
It was ground breaking, and from the fan mail she received saved numerous marriages & helped many women cum to terms with their body and relationships.
This book is for anyone interested in sexology, mid 20th century history, the woman’s moment & how the actions of 50 years ago still have consequences till today.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
I think this book was such an interesting read. It wasn't a not something I knew about and seeing how people read this book and how Shere Hite was treated over the years is astounding. It was fascinating to see what happened as time went on and how things changed.
May 25, 2026
Interesting book about one of the early surveys about sex that went out to married women, its initial reception, and its eventual metaphorical burial by society at large because there was no way men could be not paying attention sexually to their wives!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Essential feminist history that I didn't know, told in an accessible way. For lovers of history and feminism. Fascinating read!
Thank you to NetGalley and Melville for the ARC.
Thank you to NetGalley and Melville for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Books like this are the reason I love reading about unfamiliar people and their work. Campbell does a great job of showing us who Shere Hite is and her work in a nuanced way. It was interesting to see how Hite's last installment of the Hite Report was received as well as the tactics far right evangelicals used against her.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews