cover image Sex Appeal: Six Ethical Principles for the 21st Century

Sex Appeal: Six Ethical Principles for the 21st Century

Paul R. Abramson. Oxford University Press, USA, $19.95 (140pp) ISBN 978-0-19-539389-7

UCLA psychology professor and sex authority Abramson (Romance in the Ivory Tower) offers six tenets for a healthy attitude towards sexuality in this well-written but unsurprising treatise. Though the book clocks in at a slim 160 pages, it feels much longer, as Abramson covers well-trod territory regarding sexual harassment, preventing childhood sexual abuse, the perils of sexually-transmitted diseases, and causes for marital happiness and discord. It also doesn't help that his six principles-do no harm, celebrate sex, be careful, know yourself, speak up and speak out, and throw no stones-can, admittedly, be boiled down to three: know thyself, respect others, and enjoy the ride. Abramson's arguments for honesty in relationships and the value of self-knowledge are unassailable, and backed up with occasionally absorbing anecdotes (for instance, a brief look at masculinity in the Sambia tribe of New Guinea), but anyone interested enough to purchase this classroom lecture in book form probably won't learn anything new.