cover image Shameless: How I Ditched the Diet, Got Naked, Found True Pleasure... and Somehow Got Home in Time to Cook Dinner

Shameless: How I Ditched the Diet, Got Naked, Found True Pleasure... and Somehow Got Home in Time to Cook Dinner

Pamela Madsen, Rodale, $24.99 (272p) ISBN 978-1-6052-9175-8

Like countless women her age, at 43 Madsen was juggling many roles (wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend), but despite a rich personal life and career as a nationally known advocate about fertility issues, she felt unfulfilled. Those feelings came to a head at a summer spa-day: as four companions, two of whom were having affairs, dished on their sexual escapades, Madsen felt left out in a way she hadn't before. The author, who'd been with her husband since age 15 (they married at 20), writes, "but an unnamed desire was there—rumbling, insistent, impolite, and, scariest of all, bubbling toward the surface." A chat with a gay friend who used erotic massage to fulfill his sensual needs—while staying faithful to his husband—was the turning point. As she explores and celebrates her sexuality, the author faces her body-image issues, and by year's end, she's restless again: she wants to tell her husband what she's been up to. New Year's Day brings a frank talk with Gavin, who joins her for a session with the "Tantric Tiger," but declines other adventures. Although not what she'd hoped, Madsen writes, "There is security in our love." In this daring, funny book, the author accepts herself and sets out to help others find fulfillment. (Jan.)