Sex American Style Today

Best Sex Writing 2009

OK, I'm going to nitpick about two things here. One is the title: given that we're less than halfway through the year, isn't it just a little bit presumptuous to suggest that the contents of this volume is as good as it's going to get? The other one is, er, the title, which does suggest that you're in for a sticky-fingered, one-handed reading treat, and you're not; hardly anything in here is going to encourage anyone to drop their pants and have a play.

That's not to say that this isn't a worthwhile and thoroughly enjoyable book, just that it probably ought to have been called, say, Best Writing About American Sexuality of 2008 because that would be more accurate. It is, in fact, a riveting collection of pieces about such subjects as internet dating for people with herpes, Christian sex education and the sexual problems faced by military personnel serving in Iraq.

It's rare to find a book that is this thought-provoking and genuinely informative even to a battle-scarred veteran of the sexual behaviour wars like yours truly. Now, what we need is someone to pull together an English equivalent.

Zak Jane Keir