I've never written a book review (not even in school) but recently a friend of mine let me borrow a book that he thought I might find interesting, so I thought I'd write about it here. Pornology: Noun-1: A Good Girl's Guide to Porn: 2: The Misadventures of the World's First AnthroPORNologist: 3: A Hilarious Exploration of Men, Relationships, and Sex by Ayn Carrillo-Gailey is the story of the author’s journey to learn about pornography after her boyfriend accuses her of being “pornophobic.” Carrillo-Gailey takes this accusation personally and decides to prove him wrong, and with the help of her friends, she comes up with a list of things she wants to know about porn, which she names her “Porn-To-Do List.”
The book is an easy, not overly graphic read that feels like a novel as the reader follows the author through her experiences with different aspects of porn, several ups and downs in her love life, and the unwavering support of her friends. Facts about all sorts of porn-related topics are interspersed throughout this light-hearted story, which makes them easily digestible.
Some things I learned from this book:
You’re obligated to tip if you sit in the front row at a strip club.
In most states, full-nude strip clubs are not allowed to serve alcohol, whereas topless-only strip clubs are allowed. Because of this, eighteen-year-olds can be allowed into full-nude strip clubs, but not in all topless-only strip clubs.
I know less about strip clubs than almost all other aspects of porn discussed in this book (from brothels, to erotic literature, to adult men’s magazines, to sex toys, and more) even though I have little to no experience with most of these things. I’m not exactly sure why this is so.
Even though I haven’t completely made up my mind when it comes to porn, this book seemed rather fair-minded because it is about one woman’s personal experiences with learning about porn. The author started out as a complete porn skeptic, but once she started exploring porn, she began to see many benefits in it. Throughout the book, I kept some of my own skepticisms about porn, but I completely accepted that the author might have done away with all of hers. I did notice, however, that since I read the book, I now want to talk to some people I know about porn. Interesting.
Overall, I think that this is a great starter book for anyone who might be interested in learning more about porn but is a little daunted, or even embarrassed, about starting out. If anyone else has read Pornology, feel free to leave your own (brief) review in comments.
Showing posts with label Book Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book Review. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Review: Dee Dee Myers' Why Women Should Rule the World
I first picked up Dee Dee Myers' Why Woman Should Rule the World after hearing about how she experienced the wage gap in her role as press secretary to President Clinton from 93-94. I also knew that she consulted with The West Wing and that she was the inspiration for the character C.J. Cregg (who I loooove).
Myers discusses how her position in the Clinton Administration was often a conflicted one - she was given increased responsibilities but no authority in her role as deputy press secretary under Stephanopoulos. By positioning Myers under Stephanopoulos, it decreased the importance of the press secretary. So while Myers was de facto press secretary and the press held her to the standard set by prior press secretaries, she was given less resources, less staff members, and was paid less.
Additionally, Myers describes how another deputy assistant to the president was making more money than her, even though she outranked him and had more responsibility as press secretary. When she asked for a pay raise to equal his, she was denied on the basis that he took a pay cut from his prior job to come to the White House and he had a family. If this happened today, Myers could take action under the newly signed Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. But it didn't and she didn't recieve equal pay - more like less pay for more work.
Myers' argument in her book is that the world would be a drastically different place if woman were more actively involved in various sectors of life - foreign policy, health issues, executive jobs, etc. Although the book was written pre-2008 Democratic primaries and Hillary Clinton was still a potential for president, Myers' case for increased female participation are still pertinent. She suggests that in some cases, the institution and "way things are done" needs to be altered and modified to incorporate more women. She cites the work of Princeton University President Shirley Tilghman who made the university a more mother and female-friendly place. Tilghman instituted policies that made tenure a longer process to ease the timing of children, as well as a Back-Up Care program where anyone could call and request help for cheap - babysitter, someone to wait for repairs, etc.
Myers covers lots of ground and deftly argues her case. I'm not quite sold on all of her assetions - I question the claim of decreased violence in the world if women were more actively involved in foreign policy (due to their mothering). She's got research to back it up, but I'm hesitant to jump on board any argument that uses motherhood as such a large reason for why the world wouldn't be violent if women were in charge. Perhaps it's because I'm not a mother, but I don't think it's a fail-safe reason. I'm iffy on this point, but she makes many good ones in her book; and on many, I agree with her. The book is well researched, yet the academic in me wishes her sources were footnoted or generally easier to reference.
Although her title suggests that women should be ruling the world, she's suggesting that women become significantly more involved in making major decisions in the public sphere. I have to admit, Why Woman Should Rule the World is way more catchy than Why Woman Should Be Equally Represented in Politics, Education, and Basically Everything. But Myers' has me sold. Check out her book if you're interested in a quick, engaging read that will make you want to run for public office or generally become more involved in the public sphere.
Myers discusses how her position in the Clinton Administration was often a conflicted one - she was given increased responsibilities but no authority in her role as deputy press secretary under Stephanopoulos. By positioning Myers under Stephanopoulos, it decreased the importance of the press secretary. So while Myers was de facto press secretary and the press held her to the standard set by prior press secretaries, she was given less resources, less staff members, and was paid less.
Additionally, Myers describes how another deputy assistant to the president was making more money than her, even though she outranked him and had more responsibility as press secretary. When she asked for a pay raise to equal his, she was denied on the basis that he took a pay cut from his prior job to come to the White House and he had a family. If this happened today, Myers could take action under the newly signed Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. But it didn't and she didn't recieve equal pay - more like less pay for more work.
Myers' argument in her book is that the world would be a drastically different place if woman were more actively involved in various sectors of life - foreign policy, health issues, executive jobs, etc. Although the book was written pre-2008 Democratic primaries and Hillary Clinton was still a potential for president, Myers' case for increased female participation are still pertinent. She suggests that in some cases, the institution and "way things are done" needs to be altered and modified to incorporate more women. She cites the work of Princeton University President Shirley Tilghman who made the university a more mother and female-friendly place. Tilghman instituted policies that made tenure a longer process to ease the timing of children, as well as a Back-Up Care program where anyone could call and request help for cheap - babysitter, someone to wait for repairs, etc.
Myers covers lots of ground and deftly argues her case. I'm not quite sold on all of her assetions - I question the claim of decreased violence in the world if women were more actively involved in foreign policy (due to their mothering). She's got research to back it up, but I'm hesitant to jump on board any argument that uses motherhood as such a large reason for why the world wouldn't be violent if women were in charge. Perhaps it's because I'm not a mother, but I don't think it's a fail-safe reason. I'm iffy on this point, but she makes many good ones in her book; and on many, I agree with her. The book is well researched, yet the academic in me wishes her sources were footnoted or generally easier to reference.
Although her title suggests that women should be ruling the world, she's suggesting that women become significantly more involved in making major decisions in the public sphere. I have to admit, Why Woman Should Rule the World is way more catchy than Why Woman Should Be Equally Represented in Politics, Education, and Basically Everything. But Myers' has me sold. Check out her book if you're interested in a quick, engaging read that will make you want to run for public office or generally become more involved in the public sphere.
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