Doing It Right

Doing It Right: Making Smart, Safe, and Satisfying Choices About Sex by Brownen Pardes (Simon Pulse) ISBN: 978-1-4169-1823-3

Plot Summary

Doing It Right is based upon questions that teens have asked sex educator Brownen Pardes.  The book very frankly discusses a number of issues regarding sex including a definition of sex, a brief description of anatomy in plain language, protection, sexual orientation, masturbation, rape, and resources for many of these issues.  Most chapters have a question and answer section, in which Pardes answers some frequently asked quesitons such as "Can I have sex during my period?" "What's a urinary tract infection?" or "If a guy doesn't have an orgasm for a long time, does the semen build up inside him? Could something bad happen?"  

Critical Evaluation

Pardes is very frank and nonjudgmental.  The approach will likely be very refreshing to many worried teens.  Some parents may be relieved to know that Pardes notes that the only sure fire way to avoid pregnancy and STDs is abstinence, though parents should be aware that Pardes discusses far more than mere abstinence.  As she warns teens who think that their decision to be abstinent means that they needn't know about safe sex: "if you don't end up sticking to the decision to be abstinent, and you have sex without planning to, you might not know how to do it safely" (Pardes, 2007, p. 3).  And so Pardes explains important information about avoiding STDs and unwanted pregancy, but also how to avoid injury during anal sex, and how to masturbate without injuring yourself or getting an infection (boy's ought not use vacuum cleaners; girls should wash anything they insert in their vagina).  Importantly, she also talks about myths around rape: such as victim blaming, and how to avoid being slipped a date rape drug.

Reader’s Annotation

If you think you might be ready for sex, or you want to be ready one day, this may be the book for you -- especially if you are too embarrassed to talk to a parent or someone else about it.  The only way to be safe is to be knowledgeable.

Information about the author

From the author's official website:

After years of teaching sex education in middle schools, high schools, and colleges, Bronwen Pardes has heard it all and blushes at nothing. Doing It Right offers down-to-earth, tell-it-like-it-is answers to the questions teens have been asking her for years. It’s one of New York Public Library’s “Books for the Teen Age” and an American Library Association Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, and it’s on the Voices of Youth Advocates Non-Fiction Honor List.

Pardes holds a bachelor’s degree from Vassar College and a master’s degree in human sexuality from New York University. She has served as an expert for the websites TeenHealthFX.com and sexetc.com, which answer teens’ questions about sex.  She currently teaches human sexuality courses at Brooklyn College and LaGuardia Community College in New York. (Pardes, 2013).

Genre

Sexual Education

Curriculum Ties

The book would be a great supplement to sex education especially since sex education often raises more questions than it answers.  This book is unafraid to answer questions and may very literally be a life saver. 

Booktalking Ideas

1. Talk about how frank the author is.

2. Share some of her answers to frequently asked questions (even if the kids don't check the book out, they may learn something about sexual safety).

Reading Level/Interest Age

9th grade and up.

Challenge Issues

Sex: the whole book is about it in a very frank way.

I would openly greet any patron who presented a challenge to the work, giving them ample time to detail their complaint.  I would listen attentively.  To respond to these challenges I would have some reviews of the work on hand.   I would be prepared to explain that as a public institution libraries "cannot limit access on the basis of age or other characteristics" (ALA, 1999).  I would have copies of the library's collection policy on hand.  I would be prepared to politely discuss that parents can control what their children are exposed to by coming to the library with them and examining books they check out.  If the Teen Advisory Group had written reviews of the work I'd have them handy.  While it may be of little comfort to certain parents, I would also be prepared to discuss my staunch support of intellectual freedom and abhorrence of censorship.  As a last resort, I would be sure to keep copies or a reconsideration form on hand.

Why did you include this book in the titles you selected?

I included this book because we'd has some discussions on the forum about the depictions of sex in novels aimed at teens.  A few classmates were unhappy with the idea that sex might be described in detail in a novel or that teens might turn to novels to learn about sex.  I thought it would be good to have a handle on what some good nonfiction books about sex aimed at teens might be -- precisely because most of the novels we discussed did not speak particularly frankly about sex or would do so in a heteronormative way or feature characters immediately punished for having sex (by pregnancy or death). 

References

American Library Association. (1999). Strategies and tips for dealing with challenges to library materials. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/challengeslibrarymaterials/copingwithchallenges/strategiestips 

Pardes, B. (2007). Doing it right. New York: Simon Pulse.

Pardes, B. (2013). About me. Retrieved from http://bronwenpardes.com/?page_id=14