You would expect to see middle-aged housewives heeding the advice of Dr. Phil or scouring the shelves of a bookstore for a quick guide to spice up their sex lives. But, more often then not, the advice Dr. Phil or any book will give is boring, lame and unusable. The Guide to Getting It On! is not that stereotypical book.
As the title blatantly suggests, the book is about sex. To be more specific, it's a fun, light-hearted, liberal look at the ins and outs of "the deed."
The book covers the topic thoroughly without being cumbersome and tackles subjects with honesty. If you're seeking tips on the best way to get your fist inside your lover and Kevin Smith's flick Chasing Amy didn't provide enough details, this book will help you.
Fret not! The book isn't only on the nasty; there are two important chapters at the beginning. These are chapters many probably skip over - they're the ones on what's inside boys and what's inside girls. Sure, after eight grade sex-ed, you think you know it all. The thing is, people don't use correct terminology, especially when talking about female parts. Girls have multiple parts. You sure wouldn't call every part on a person's face their nose, now would you? That would inaccurate. This book will remind you of that.
That being said, The Guide to Getting It On! doesn't use awkward technical terms to bring you back to a seventh grade level. The book reads like your friend is telling you about dirty stuff. It'll make you laugh. If the text isn't enough to make you laugh, the occasional game will. For instance, one page will have five drawings of flaccid penises, on the opposing page is the five penises erect. The challenge is to match them.
One thing that will help you relate to this book is the fact that it has tips not just from the writer, but from people just like you. At the end (and occasionally in the middle) of chapters, there are quotes from previous readers-women describing what their partner's do that works.
Special insight can be found in these how-to chapters, where the author gives several different ways to do everything from touching and massaging to buying sex toys. After dishing out all the suggestions he came up with in his own research, the author then opens the floor up to previous readers for their comments.
While the majority of the book focuses on the best ways to reach the big O, space has also been dedicated to other topics. There is a large portion on the emotional aspects of having sex - emotions that result from the deed, and emotions that may inhibit it.
For the history buffs, there is a well-rounded history of sex for you to catch up on. For instance, there is info on when people started performing certain deeds and when particular toys were invented. There is also an interesting history for women, including things like when the tampon was invented and whether PMS is real.
The Guide even includes a chapter on a toy most every girl had, Barbie. Women reading this chapter will laugh and exclaim "me too!" No, the book doesn't focus on the fact that Barbie has unrealistic dimensions. They care more about the fact that Barbie never wore any clothes and she was always rubbing up against Ken. Not to mention the confusion we girls endured when they could never take off Ken's underwear.
The best part of this chapter is in the "Reader's Comments" section: "My friend had a Ken and we used to make them have sex by making their little plastic bodies rub against each other when they were lying in Barbie's little nylon bed," says a 22-year-old female. "We were about 10 and were disappointed that Ken's underwear was glued on."
Reach the reporter at chelsea.ide@asu.edu.
