Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Hyde and Forsyth try very hard to present an even and unbiased view on teenagers and sex, but unfortunately seem unable to report the facts without coming across very heavy handed.It is clear that these women both feel that teenagers should not be having sex at all, and they perpetuate gender stereotypes in regards to teenagers and sexual activity.They present several different scenarios of girls being pressured into sex, sexually abused, or damaged in some way physically and emotionally due to a sexual encounter, whereas the boys in each scenario escape relatively unscathed.And while the authors clearly do not support abstinence only education, and do encourage teens to talk to an adult to learn about safe sex, they use a book full of scare tactics to encourage teens to avoid all sexual activity.There is not one example, in a book full of possible scenarios, of a loving young couple enjoying safe sex (of any type) without consequence.The authors never impart their own judgment in their own words, but we see scenario after scenario of young women feeling "guilty and ashamed" (page 55) of themselves because of their sexual encounters and the consequences.
While a large portion of the book is a discussion of sex and abstinence and safe sex practices, the other major section of the book is a more factual display of information about reproduction, sexually transmitted diseases, and contraception.Unfortunately, this section is riddled with inaccuracies and limited information.The term STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) is continually used throughout, while the more current term STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) is not once used or explained.The term STI is the term used by leading sexual health organizations, and the term that teenagers will find in many of the materials and websites that this book refers them to.On page 51, the authors use the term PID to explain a symptom of Chlamydia in the middle of a chart of information.However nowhere in the book do they explain that PID stands for Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, nor can the term PID or Pelvic Inflammatory Disease be found in the Glossary or the Index.AIDS is referred to as a "death sentence" on page 43, in a quotation, without further explanation of HIV, AIDS, and how it may or may not lead to death.This same quotation links teen pregnancy to AIDS, again with no further explanation.On page 77 we learn that "a girl is considered a virgin if her hymen has not been stretched or torn by sexual intercourse". While trying to show that virginity is not affected when the hymen is torn in other ways, this is not an entirely accurate sentence as a girl's hymen has nothing to do with whether or not she is a virgin. On page 90 the reader gets the branch name for the Transdermal Patch (Ortho Evra), but on page 89 there is no similar name given for the Vaginal Ring (NuvaRing).And lastly, on page 95, the reader learns that Emergency Contraception is available only by prescription, making it difficult to obtain.In California (and some other states), Emergency Contraception is available at many pharamacies (including Walgreens) without a prescription.
For a book that does so much to discourage teenaged sexual activity (and especially unsafe sexual activity), there's an unfortunate lack of vital information.Early in the book teens are told that they "will not become a parent" and they "will not get a sexually transmitted disease" if they choose abstinence.It is not, however, until many many pages later that the authors explain that abstinence includes abstinence from ALL sexual activity, and that oral sex, anal sex, and certain touching can, in fact, spread some disease and infection.A teenager who skims through this book, or only reads to a certain point to find certain information, could walk away with some dangerous ideas about how to protect his or her sexual health.
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Safe Sex 101: An Overview for Teens (Teen Overviews)
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