Everything You Know About Sex is Wrong: The Disinformation Guide to the Extremes of Human Sexuality

by Russ Kick, Audacia Ray (Contributor), Violet Blue (Contributor)

Orgasms, sexual inventions, spirituality, hightech porn, genderblending, hustling, masturbation, politics, airplane sex, disabilities, sex magick, biblical erotica, advertising, first times, sex in space, asexuality, group sex . . . are you ready for Disinformation's look at the world of sex?

Master anthologizer Russ Kick has immersed himself in the many and varied worlds of sex writing, producing a definitive collection exposing reality that's way, way stranger than XXX fiction. Profiled in The New York Times as an "information archaeologist," Russ digs where others would not think to look for delicious details on the present, past, and future of sex, including:


The firstever look at the FBI's porn collection (the Obscene Reference File), complete with reproduced documentsFAA reports about people having sex on commercial flights--the socalled "milehigh club"
A look at brilliant, kinky, and scarce sexzines, such as Frighten the Horses, Taste of Latex, Future Sex, and Pucker Up, as well as Sexology, published by Hugo Gernsback, the father of science fiction
The forgotten sex books of Charles Atlas ("Hey, quit kicking sand in our faces, you bully!")
This massive, oversized anthology features a panoply of sexperts, everyone from prostitutes to professors, legends to newcomers, sexual revolutionaries to sexologists and beyond, providing a varied and unexpected look at sex, challenging our notions of what is possible and in turn exciting, enervating, frightening, and freaking us out.

Genres: Sexuality, Nonfiction, Reference, Essays, Anthologies, Psychology, Science

360 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2005

About the author

Editor of the website The Memory Hole which publishes and archives hidden US government documents, including scientific studies and reports, civil rights-related reports, intelligence and covert action reports.

He was also editor-at-large for The Disinformation Company, where he had published several books including The Book of Lists and 50 Things You're Not Supposed to Know.

Reviews

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reviewed this back in the porn days of yore. The essays are totally absorbing (and often hilarious), but what I appreciated most was the inclusion and non-freakification of an impressive array of sexuality-related interests, performances, jobs, beliefs, etc. One of the few books I reviewed that was worth keeping (unlike, say, the horrid "Tickle His Pickle," the reading of which was like leaving my eyes to soak overnight in idiot marinade).

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

found this in a 5 dollar bargain bin. Full of article length pieces i'll read and then think "man, i've gotta xerox this and send it to so-and-so."
Lots of frank first hand accounts of sexual experiences: nuns, strippers, middle age and elderly women, and many statistics you won't find in Time magazine.
My favorite articles:
One on sexuality during and after pregnancy and one about male genital mutilation and how circumcision effects sexual performance for both the male and female partners.
Some articles aren't for the squemish, but all are interesting for the open minded.

[Christopher Sutch · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have it on good authority that sex is not supposed to be boring. So why is this book so, SO boring? There were a few articles that were of interest, mostly the historical and ethnographic pieces. But do I care that Preston Peet was so strung out on H that he allowed a rich guy to give him a blowjob for more drug money? Not really; in fact, I think he was kind of a bonehead, and, for all the reflection he gave to the event (nil), I'm puzzled why it was included in the section on "Sex Work." It's just a narrative, not very exceptional or compelling. Do I care that one of the contributors gets off on cutting herself (and having her lover cut her)? Well, kind of; that's a way of mimetically reproducing the power that patriarchy has over her body image, and it's sad that she's sexualized it. It doesn't give her power against patriarchy; it makes its hold on her more compelling. Hopefully the Disinformation Guide to Religious Belief (_Everything You Know about God Is Wrong_). Is better written, compiled, and more than half-thought out.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An uneven but fun anthology of writing about sex. I enjoyed articles by my cinematic/literary idols and Facebook friends Tristan Taormino, Bill Brent, Susie Bright, Joani Blank, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Carol Queen, Lori Selke, Audacia Ray, Violet Blue, Greta Christina, Cecilia Tan, Simon Sheppard, Patrick Califia and Annalee Newitz. The one which pushed my envelope the most was the weirdly sweet "Profile of a Zoophile: Bill Brent Interviews Clive Grace." Skip around, have some fun, read your friends (or mine), laugh and learn.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a few blatant exceptions, the articles in this book are fascinating, thought provoking, informative, and entertaining . The book would stand up to both browsing and cover to cover reading. I was a bit miffed in the lack of dialogue regarding celibacy and the shallow glib article about necrophilia which seemed to be included only so that the book could boast it had covered such an extreme idea. Yet for the most part I was intrigued, and annoyingly talkative, about this book for days.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

The essays on sex and pregnancy/motherhood are pretty enlightening; should be read by all expecting mamas.

[Michi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all essay collections, this book is a mixed bag: Some of the pieces were insightful and informative, some fascinating, some (if you will excuse my French) fucking hot, others were a bit gross, shocking (I've had free access to the internet since I was 12, I didn't even know there were so many things about sexuality that could still shock me...) or a bit boring and others I skipped entirely because they either seemed irrelevant to me or I was worried they'd be bad for my mental health. All in all, I'm very glad I read this book. It was refreshing in its honesty, especially after spending too much time in places where any talk about kink is inevitably going to be preceded by half a page of arguments why being kinky doesn't make you a horrible person. None of the essays in this book do that. If they talk about kink, they just assume it as a morally neutral fact and go straight into what it is they want to talk about, which I felt was very freeing.

[Jared Housh · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a book that purports to be an edgy look at the fringes of everyone's favorite topic I found it to be pretty tepid. It's a collection of articles about the more esoteric forms of sex (fisting, bestiality, fetishes, etc). If you want to be shocked you're probably better off reading Nin. On the other hand, this isn't a bad book. It actually seems fairly balanced (the necrophilia article is, thankfully, pretty down on the subject, while the anal fisting article is fairly upbeat). In the end, I think the biggest thing I've taken away from this, thus far, is that people, as always, are pretty much doing whatever floats their boat. I do applaud the book for not being overly judgemental.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like to think that I knew a lot about sex, but not according to this book.

[Scampi · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST. BOOK. EVAH!

[Noah Bogart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every essay is a goldmine of interesting ideas and viewpoints. I can't recommend this one enough for anyone who enjoys sex.

[Eli · Rating 5 out of 5]

An obscene (pun intended) amount of information on sex, human sexuality, psychology, biology, and all else lies between the covers of this book. Open-minded, sex-positive people ought to find this book the most valuable in their collection.

[Kitty Stryker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent assortment of essays on a wide variety of topics.

[Callie Mae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've had enjoyed this more if one of my exes would return it but hell.

[Kimberly]

ooo, this books' got everything. For real, you think that sex book you're reading has it all? As opposed to every other ad, movie, book, picture, and anything else you ever wanted to help you out but never quite did the job...this book will blow your mind

[Krissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay - but mostly excerpts from other works so nothing too original or groundbreaking, unless you wouldn't be exposed to these things otherwise. Surely includes some essays from the fringes of "acceptable" sexuality.

[Buck Wilde · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of weird articles that I'm sure Vice would love. Mostly interesting, partially alarming, some just flat out freaky. Still, I should pick this up again, it's been about a decade since I read it and I'm sure I'd only appreciate it more.