Wanderlust: How I Learned to Rethink Love and Unlearn Lust

Anderson, creative director for a graphics studio, expounds on the dangers of sex addiction in these piquant essays railing against pornography and the objectification of women. Raised in an ultrareligious family, the author first discovered porn as a teenager and gradually became addicted to it, telling himself it satisfied a “natural urge.” He eventually came to believe his dependence on pornography affected both his heart and soul: “God looks at the sinful heart; any heart desiring that which belongs to another is guilty.... The way I began to see women said a lot about what was forming in my heart.” The self-castigating and heartfelt essays lay bare his own thoughts and experiences, and his theories of dating, mating, and relating are common threads throughout. He judges himself harshly (“Anyone with an addiction is a liar.... You’re either lying to yourself or to a loved one”), yet empathizes with others seeking relief from their own addictions. While Anderson comes from a Christian-influenced perspective, his strategies—including reaching out to a loved one for help (in Anderson’s case, his wife)—are universal and can be applied to addictions of all kinds. Readers who can appreciate a tough-love approach to dealing with tough issues will want to take a look. (Self-published)