Good Sex: Transforming America Through the New Gender and Sexual Revolution

Roach (Happily Ever After), a gender and cultural studies professor at the University of Alabama, delivers a thorough “manisexto” on changing sexual norms. Roach argues that young adults have a more equitable understanding of sex than previous generations and points out where there’s room for improvement. She posits that “good sex” accounts for the needs of one’s partners and might resemble the release of “spiritual ecstasy.” Sidebars quote students from Roach’s Sexuality and Society course, relating their perspectives on consent, as well as anecdotes about navigating hookup culture and the “orgasm gap,” or the privileging of the man’s orgasm over the woman’s in heterosexual couplings. Roach emphasizes equity throughout and discusses the need to appreciate bodies that are not “fit, abled, youthful, and light-skinned” and to rewrite gender scripts to be more accepting of emotional expression in men and desire for sex in women. The student quotes capture a panoramic view of how Generation Z thinks about sex, with Roach’s analysis expertly distilling the social forces driving their anecdotes and opinions. The result is a perceptive volume on the contemporary culture of sex. (Oct.)