Coming to terms with sexuality is one of the most individualized explorations. From those recovering from trauma to those seeking pleasure unapologetically, the experience can be on a wide spectrum. While there is a whole host of books covering sex from a scientific and technical standpoint, there are also a few reads that navigate this experience through narrative. In these memoirs and essay collections, personal stories give readers a peek underneath the sheets at the roads traveled to achieve a positive sex life.
Unsexed by Marina DelVecchio
In this memoir, Marina DelVecchio shares her two lived experiences with two very different mothers. Her birth mother, a violent prostitute, and her adoptive mother, a cold, inaccessible virgin, splitting her understanding of sex into two diametrically opposed camps. Her upbringing led to difficulties in relationships until she decided to take matters into her own hands, confronting the different narratives all women face while examining the many shared experiences.
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Three Women by Lisa Taddeo
In a stunning, bestselling nonfiction book about the lives of three women, Lisa Taddeo spent nearly a decade researching her subjects and inviting us into their lives in dazzling, full-color portraits. One woman, is in a passionless marriage and engages in an affair. Another, alleges she had a sexual relationship with her married high school teacher and we follow the court battle that ensues. And the final, has an engaging marriage where her husband enjoys watching her have sex with other men and women. In intimate detail, Taddeo gives a peek behind the curtain and under the sheets of three American women.
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The Body Is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
Perhaps before the confounding difficulties around sex can even be addressed, the more important relationship to heal is the one we have with our own bodies. In a system that swings from objectification to shame, Sonya Renee Taylor confronts the oppressive belief structures that keep people from loving themselves.
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Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady by Florence King
Perhaps an oldie, but a goodie, this book explores culture, familial expectation and coming to terms with your true self in the face of expectations. As the title would imply, it was expected of Florence that she be the good Southern Belle her grandmother was, but her sexuality (among other things) took her in a different direction. Exploring her bisexuality in college and living in a home of quirky, eccentric characters, this memoir takes readers back to the 1950’s for a view on how things once were that delivers a poignant and entertaining punch.
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Slutever: Dispatches from a Sexually Autonomous Woman in a Post-Shame World by by Karley Sciortino
Slutever is a modern take on the shifting tides of female sexuality. It takes a deep dive into hookups, BDSM, bisexuality, sex parties and beyond. Sharing her take on the ever-evolving term “slut”, Karley Sciortino turns the slur upside down, celebrating the positives of a robust, shameless sex life that would have had people clutching their pearls at one point in time.
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Camgirl by Isa Mazzei
When Isa was in college, she was just like every other broke student, working retail trying to make ends meet. Her reputation had earned the title “slut” but instead of shrinking under the insult, she decided to embrace her salacious ways and dove into sex work, live streaming. As her following grew, she entered the world of BDSM, porn conventions and beyond. She shares her experiences and encounters while weighing in on digital culture and sexuality.
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The Heartbreak Years by Minda Honey
In this coming-of-age novel, Minda discusses the trials and tribulations of looking for love as the digital world started to take flight. With online dating driving hookups, meet-cutes and some close calls, she weaves a story along with a cross-country roadtrip that spins a tale of love, heartbreak, consent, sexuality, race and class.
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Pageboy by Elliot Page
In this celebrity memoir, Elliot Page shares his journey to discovering himself while living in the spotlight of his own career. Daring to quietly ask a woman if he could kiss her in his first ever queer bar, he tiptoed into the life he desired while fighting all the pressure to show up as the starlet he’d become over night. With intimate stories and a human take, this memoir goes beyond the trans experience and dives into the heart of what it means to live as your authentic self.
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Naked at Our Age: Talking Out Loud About Senior Sex by Joan Price
Often when discussing sex, the conversation is around young adults finding their way to intimacy. However, it can’t be ignored that sex doesn’t stop as we age. In this book, Joan Price collects stories from seniors of all varieties. Single, married, gay, straight, stories of the best and worst of sex as people age are told in a way that leads readers to believe the best is yet to come.
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Love, InshAllah: The Secret Love Lives of American Muslim Women by Nura Maznavi (Editor), Ayesha Mattu (Editor)
In this collection of essays, the romantic lives of 25 Muslim American women are explored in all their complexities. From defying familial expectations to arranged marriage, from sex to dating, this book peels back the layers of stereotypes to unveil the reality of finding love and being intimate while Muslim.
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