Girl Sex 101
With diagrams, health tips, and social analysis, this book more than succeeds in its goal of promoting body-positive attitudes in all women.
Girl Sex 101—jauntily written by queer author and sex-workshop presenter Allison Moon, and illustrated with bold colors by KD Diamond, known for over a decade for her sexual cartoons—perfectly fills a large gap in the market of sex manuals. It is an educational tome for female-identified individuals and their woman lovers. Although this funny, smart text emphasizes girl-on-girl relationships, anyone who calls herself a woman can find something exciting and informative among these pages.
Besides drawing on her own experience, Moon wisely includes the perspectives of other current queer sexperts such as Julia Serano and Sophia St. James. The “101” in the title has multiple clever meanings; not only is it a beginner’s course on the subject of womanly sexuality, but it also acts like a highway designation in keeping with the book’s theme of self-discovery as a journey.
For any successful trip, one needs a car, and this vehicular theme shows up in the witty names of chapters like “Working the Clutch: Hand Sex” and “Tune Up: Safer Sex and STIs.” Interwoven between the sections is a delightfully erotic story of a lesbian couple on a road trip. The author rightfully assumes that not everyone is an experienced driver, however, and makes sure to cover the key concepts about anatomy and consent before getting into the nitty-gritty of sexual acts and relationships.
This book admirably and vitally places much emphasis on consent, even going so far as to offer examples of actual words to use when speaking to a potential partner. It makes consent seem cool and important in a culture that seems to penetrate first and ask questions later. Also worthy of note is the book’s matter-of-fact treatment of the clitoris and orgasms, which goes a long way toward demystifying two things about which facts are often concealed.
Diamond’s diverse illustrations are the perfect complement to Moon’s manual showing male- and female-identified people alike of various sizes, races, and abilities. With a helpful appendix of resources at the back, this book more than succeeds in its goal of being body-positive toward all women.
Reviewed by
Jill Allen
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
