Fucking Law: The Search For Her Sexual Ethics

by Victoria Brooks

Fucking Law is an urgent call for everyone, not just academics and researchers, to find inventive ways to question the ethics of sexuality. Since a sex life is full of so many diverse moments of joy and suffering, for each and everybody, the book attempts to bridge a gap between philosophical and non-philosophical questioning. Central to the book is the reality that everyone can challenge the ethics and laws of sexuality and ask questions, even where they seem frightening, or worse, even when we are told not to - by institutions and lovers alike. Non-philosophical and accessible, Fucking Law is risky, explicit and provocative as it bridges the gap between academic and every-day questioning of sexual encounters.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Philosophy, Sexuality

144 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2019

Reviews

[Alex Sarll]

The title is true in all senses, though in a sense doesn't go far enough because this is not just about fucking, law and fucking the law, it's also about the philosophy of sex, and philosophy as sex, and sex as philosophy. Partaking equally of poetry, porn and post-structuralism, I'm not sure I necessarily followed all of it, but then I'm also not sure it's a book to be followed so much as inhaled, gazed at, or rolled around in. It also serves as one in the eye (or somewhere, at any rate) for all those recent think-pieces about whether the age of offence has prevented the publication of transgressive books. Really, no – they're just happening a little more towards the margins, just as they used to back in the day outside those brief periods of celebrity notoriety. Seriously, the notion of finding Heidegger a turn-on is far wilder and more disturbing than anything Ellis or Houllebecq ever came up with. And yet after all the dicks, disappointments and Deleuze, it ends up in the entirely wholesome suggestion that what would help most is more kindness.

(Netgalley ARC)

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book falls within the category of “Philosophy of sex” but many readers will probably say it uses sex as a form of philosophy. She takes you on a journey from the University Ethics Committee (which seems to be biased towards her work because she’s a woman) and all the way to ‘Plage Naturiste’ of southern France where she carries out her research. It’s brave, provocative, liberating and passionate. It’ll make you blush and smile but most importantly, it’ll make you think. She generously shares her personal encounters with bodies and sexual explosions in just 166 pages but your body and mind will crave for more. It de-stigmatizes fetishes and especially female sexuality which almost always comes with judgment. Although she describes herself as a whore, most readers will realize she’s a brave activist for female sexual liberation. Although the vulgar language may be off-putting for some readers like myself, it’s quite necessary for her agenda - f*cking law. Towards the end, the reader will find that it boils down to kindness or as the author says “kindness is the greatest thing a body can do for another body.”.

[Em (Diversify Your Shelf) · Rating 2 out of 5]

* I received this book on Net Galley*

TW: rape, detailed sex, sexual assault, gas-lighting, abusive relationships.

This book is a lot to handle. I knew that going in but I had deemed it the sort of work I should read as someone who is trying to better understand how we can progress through the #metoo movement and how I could be supportive of situations that are very different than my own.

This review will be a short one because, frankly, I'm a but lost for words. I knew the detailed sex would likely make me feel uncomfortable but that is not the most discomfiting thing in this work. The overarching theme of the author trying to negotiate her own beliefs of sex while having a truly abusive relationship with a man who was married was a lot to handle. It was interesting but so, so horrifying.

Brooks brought up points I agreed with and points I emphatically did not-- this is one of the reasons I requested this book as I knew that no matter how I felt about it in the end I knew I'd be exposed to new ideas and concepts. I was correct but now after reading it I'm not sure quite how to feel.

The author has an interesting view about judgement and how it effects her academic and personal lives. I do not judge her for her sexual research but it does fill me with immense worry having finished the book and not seeing any indication that she is in a healthier mindset than she was during her research. She seems spectacularly unwell-- not because she decided to investigate ethics and not because of her partners but because of her toxic relationship with her 'philosopher' (who could have ended up on her PhD panel) that she seems to not have healed from.

The book ends with her discussing kindness and I absolutely agree that kindness is important. However, I found it hugely disturbing when she muses that "perhaps a better question, rather than 'will you be safe,' is 'will you be kind?" (pg 110). This is in reference to the questions posed by her ethics committee in order to do her research. While, again, kindness is important and people doing social experiments should not be abusive, this is such a problematic thing to wonder about. It's all well and good to be kind but of course a committee will have to ensure her safety and its alarming that she seems to think that her kindness is more important than her safety.

This was a book that was quite different than my usual pick and while I am not quite sure how I feel about it, it is important to realise how under-represented women tend to be in sexual studies and most other studies as well. I am glad I read this, even though I take issues with parts of it, but I would HEAVILY CAUTION anyone with any sexual/mental/physical trauma to be very careful. Someone got somewhat triggered just by me discussing some parts of the book that were not even (to me) the most upsetting bits and I would hate for people to have their trauma exacerbated.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fucking Ethics and Fucking Judgments. First, I will tell you that if the word "fucking" disturbs you, this book isn't for you (but you may have suspected that from the title). If the various "raunchy" and "vulgar" words for human genitalia disturb you, this book isn't for you.

But if you're still reading this review, then I assume you're at least ok with these words. In which case, allow me to tell you how sublime and thought provoking this book is. Part memoir and part academic philosophical treatise, this book truly takes a hard and intriguing look at the philosophical ethics of human sexuality.

This isn't a light read. It isn't a beach read (unless maybe you're at a nudist/ swinger beach?). It is likely a read that will make you horny without actually being erotica. It is a read that will make you think. And maybe, just maybe, it is a read that will open you to the author's own brand of sexual ethics, even though it is one she does not explicitly recommend - quite the opposite - herself.

[Riasaakshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, read it in one sitting. It is, to be fair, not going to sit well with everyone. The philosophy is presented at undergraduate+ level, and weaving it through part ethnography and part heavy reflective practice is difficult. But the combination moved me. I found Brooks's writting immersive and that immersion made the philosophy more tangible to me, as well as her experience more real, more relatable. I like that she leaves us to our own conclusions and does not preach or dictate, merely errects a large signpost and points 'that way'...
... it was refreshing, to read a book written by someone who treated me like a peer. All too often books dumb down, over explain; take a too pop-academic, MOR stance. Its also refreshing to know I am going to come back to this book several times and learn more because of that stance.

I think her work is important and would recommend anyone interested in sexual ethics, philosophy and femminism to read it.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sex is still so taboo in our society, especially when it comes to women and their sexuality. Often women are shamed for not being chaste and vanilla. Brooks opens up a big discussion that needs to be had, from a philosophical POV with real-world experiences mixed in. This book is a must-read for those interested in destigmatizing sexuality especially in relationship to the feminine.

[Rosanna1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

My



Friday introduction yo this author. I loved the writing style. Great sexy characters. Steamy sexy romance book. Relatable characters. Welll written.

[Molly Roach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 96 of 2021: Fucking Law: The Search for her Sexual Ethics by Victoria Brooks

- This was so interesting, but like most theory, I’m gonna need like 2 more read through before I really grasp everything being discussed. On preliminary reading, I felt that Brooks was challenging the idea of right vs wrong or normal ha abnormal when it comes to sex, arousal, sexuality, etc. It seems to me that her main argument is that while there are two sets of ‘ethics’ when sexuality is concerned: that of the collective body and that of the individual body, ultimately they merge into one when we think about the collectives influence on the individual.
She also argues for more interactive research in the field of sexual ethics and uses a feminist perspective to critique of the patriarchal nature of ‘the authority’ (ie. ethic boards, universities, etc) and their active gatekeeping of who is allowed to due this particular research (read: men) and who is not (read: women and non-binary folks).
With all this on just the first read, I can’t wait to dive into this again.
On a lighter note, I loved the use of memoir Brooks introduced in compliment to the theory - it made this quite a bit more enjoyable to read.
4.5/5⭐️

[Cristie Underwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, as it was part memoir and part fiction. It is thought provoking and erotic at the same time. An enjoyable read.

[Ruz El · Rating 3 out of 5]

read for SexLit book club. As the title says, this is an essay (thesis?) in regards to "Ethical Sex" in our era of #MeToo and what not. It's pursued through the authors experience at "The Cap', a swinging beach club for the sex positive. I mostly enjoyed this, the diary type entries and what not are fun and it poses some interested ideas. That said, I know zero about philosophy and it felt like the majority of this was over my head/outside my experience. I'm not sure I got the overall point of this one, but it was an interesting journey.

[CR · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a little harder to review than I thought it was going to be. It deals with sex and the issues that surround it. This one went deep into the ethics and philosophy of sexuality. I will say that you could really tell that the author did a lot of extensive research on this title. In the end this book was a lot to handle and unload. And if its your cup of tea I would totally check it out!

Trigger Warnings: rape, detailed sex, sexual assault, abusive relationships.

[Stephanie Livingston-Bujold · Rating 1 out of 5]

Confusing disjointed and pretentious.
The way I felt when reading this is the same way I feel when watching foreign independent films- frustrated by reading the peices together subtitles, angered wondering why she just threw a live cod into a busy metropolitan street, and just plain pissed that now I will never understand just why was that frog smoking a cigarette???

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was very disappointed in this and I had been looking forward to it, what could have been a very powerful book just felt lifeless and very dry and uninteresting

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

[Crystal · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking forward to reading this book and delving into the ethics of sexuality, but I couldn't get into this book. The writing was dry and it wasn't an enjoyable read, and with far too many books on my to-read list I didn't force myself to finish.