Guide to Getting it On!
4th Edition
By Paul Joannides
Waldport, OR, Goofy Foot Press, 2004, 782 pp. $19.95
Now available in the 6th edition, as of January, 2009
Click on cover to buy from Amazon for $16.47
Guide to Getting it On!
4th Edition
By Paul Joannides
Waldport, OR, Goofy Foot Press, 2004, 782 pp. $19.95
Now available in the 6th edition, as of January, 2009
Click on cover to buy from Amazon for $16.47
Reviewed by David S. Hall, PhD
I need to apologize to the folks at Goofy Foot Press for not posting a review this book earlier. I received a free copy of the first edition and have recommended it, given it as a gift and used it for reference since day one. Along the way it grew from about one inch thick to about two inches, added much new material and funny new drawings, and improved in many ways, although the original was hard to beat. It has now been translated into at least 13 languages. It has undoubtedly made a lot of people happy and more aware of how wonderful sex can be. And, of course, it does not even try to define sex, the book just describes some of the many variations of behavior and response we humans are capable of ... or attempt. There are many other good reviews on Amazon.com, click on the cover above.
The book includes 58 chapters with titles like "Brief History of Sex", "Men's Underwear - The Fruit in your Loom", "Sunsets, Orgasms & Hand Grenades", "Techno Breasts & Weenie Angst" and "Dyslexia of the Penis". If this does not give you an idea of the sense of humor needed in sex education, you just haven't tried to teach sex often. This edition includes many personal comments from surveys taken on their web site [www.BoinkCentral.com] and from readers' letters. Much of the increase in size is a result of many new illustrations by Dærick Gröss, Sr. (there are no photos), and many comments from readers and surveys.
The book is as technically accurate as they can make it, and contains lots of useful information on health, protection and birth control, but all is done with informal and well focused humor and a high level of emphasis on personal responsibility. It is a fun read, hard to put down, and you can start with any subject you are interested in and find the information you need at the moment. A full index is provided, along with a very comprehensive glossary.
I have highly recommended earlier editions, and this new one is even better. Buy it, read it, give it to your friends of any age as a gift, as I am doing this gift giving season.