Bound to be Free: The SM Experience

by Charles Moser

This work is intended to explain and demystify the world of sadomasochism (SM). It is neither a political statement nor scientific research. It is a discussion of SM, what it means to its practitioners, how it is practised, and the structure of its subculture in contemporary American society. Like all sexual behaviour, SM is more than it seems, encompassing a spectrum of physiological and psychological mechanisms. By its reliance only on observed behaviour, the outsider's view has consistently led to misconceptions and false interpretations of SM behaviour. This book moves beyond the superficial and the misleading, focusing on the actual SM experience by fully integrating the external view of the academic with the internal view of the practitioner.

Genres: BDSM, Sexuality

216 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1996

Reviews

[Vale]

oops. forgot to mark this one as completed lowkey.
but anyway i think it’s super interesting to examine the differences between bdsm culture in the 90s (when this book was published) vs now. also, i think it’s really interesting how they treat sadism as a shoe-in for dominance and masochism as a shoe-in for submission, bc from my experience that is not always the case!

anyway sorry to my family if you find my goodreads page. if it comforts you, this is a lot more academic and, honestly, a lot less sexual than your typical booktok beach read smut book. so just be glad that i’m not reading those

(also, big shoutout to my college’s library for having this!)

[Jessica]

I just couldn't get into this....not very interesting compared to other SM books.

[Aaron]

Good overview of the SM lifestyle with plenty of quotes from SM practitioners. Well-written, and the copious anecdotes could provide good theological fodder for future writing.