This is a collection of books centering issues of sex, gender, and sexuality. There will be some overlap with the faith, gender, and sexuality list. This list will be periodically updated so keep checking back regularly!
Note: All book links are to Amazon for ease of reference, but I highly recommend purchasing from your local bookstores if that is an accessible option for you.
90s Bitch: Media, Culture, and the Failed Promise of Gender Equality by Allison Yarrow
An excellent and detailed analysis of the representation of gender in the ’90s–a formative decade for many millennials (and tangentially for Gen Z’s). A little more of a heavy read, and maybe not as helpful for those unfamiliar with many of the references, but still well-worth checking it out! Fair warning: you may find several of your favourite ’90s sitcoms and rom-coms ruined by this one!
Beyond Shame: Creating A Healthy Sex Life on Your Own Terms by Matthias Roberts
An excellent book for those who have deconstructed sexual ethics given to them by purity culture, and who wish to rebuild a sexual ethics based on their chosen values. Definitely recommend giving this one a read!
A Boob’s Life: How America’s Obsession Shaped Me – and You by Leslie Lehr
An excellent book that is part memoir, part cultural study, and well-worth the read to bring mindfulness to something so automatic that it can be easy to overlook how much mythology has built up around the female breast.
The Circumcision Decision: An Unbiased Guide for Parents by Susan Terkel and Lorna Greenberg
An excellent summary of a contentious issue published in the early 2010s. The authors look at scientific literature, and provide some much-needed historical context. Definitely worth the read for any prospective parents trying to decide whether to circumcise their assigned-male-at-birth children or not.
Come As You Are: Revised and Updated: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life by Emily Nagoski, Ph.D.
An excellent book, centered on the sexuality of women, that bears some extremely important information and the latest scientific understandings in a highly accessible way. I highly recommend this one!
Down, Girl: The Logic of Misogyny by Kate Mann
An excellent book borne out of questions that arose for many following the 2016 Presidential election in the United States of Amercia. A heavier read than some, but well worth it for the understanding into some very thorny issues it will provide.
Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women by Kate Mann
A sequel of sorts to Down, Girl by the same author, this book covers more of the practical realities born out of the logic of misogyny in the future covered in the previous book. Again, a heavier read but well-worth it!
Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger by Rebecca Traister
An excellent analysis of the history of revolutionary movements, and the key role women played in them, and the ways in which anger can be channeled constructively going forward. A heavier read than some but well-worth it!
Good Christian Sex: Why Chastity Isn’t the Only Option – and Other Things The Bible Says About Sex by Bromleigh McCleneghan
An excellent book deconstructing many assumptions about what Christian sexual ethics have to be. The author provides anecdotes from her own life interspersed with theology and history in an accessible fashion. I highly recommend this one for lay Christians who want something more practical and relatable.
The Penis Book: A Doctor’s Complete Guide to the Penis from Size to Function and Everything in Between by Dr. Aaron Spitz
An excellent book from American urologist, Dr. Spitz, that aims to provide a comprehensive guide in a comprehensible, and even playful, fashion. Definitely give this one a read! Only caution is that there are certain sections (like the chapters regarding circumcision) that may be influenced by his American context.
The Myth of Sex Addiction by David J. Ley
An excellent book covering so-called “sex addiction” and why it’s not an addiction at all. This clarification may seem unimportant until one realizes the implications ranging from individual self-perception to collective policy-making. Definitely give this one a read!
Shameless: A Case for Not Feeling Bad About Feeling Good by Nadia Bolz-Weber
A masterful deconstruction of purity culture and more mainstream Christian sexual ethics delivered in the accessible and brutally honest fashion for which the author is known! Definitely give this one a read if you are a Christian who is looking for a broader sexual ethic.
The Vagina Bible: The vulva and the vagina–separating the myth from the medicine by Dr. Jen Gunter
An excellent book from Canadian OB/GYN, Dr. Gunter aims to provide a comprehensive guide in a comprehensible, no-nonsense fashion. Definitely give this one a read!
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