Rating: 
Summary: Don't make this book your Bible
Review: I found this book to be a very disturbing example of Catholic writing on sexuality. I DID give this book two stars because I think that West does an excellent job of discussing the sanctity of marriage, and why sex is best experienced in that context. The question and answer format he uses is very effective and easy to read.That said, I found his style to be arrogant and condescending. He writes from a place of "having all the answers," but can he truly speak for everyone? For one thing, he breezes past the issue of the informed conscience. It's a little-known Catholic teaching, but the Catechism explains that you have no higher guide than your own informed conscience. In other words, if you read up on the Church teachings and reflect and pray, and then honestly believe other than what the Church teaches, you are obligated to follow your own conscience. West dismisses this by implying that if you truly DO inform your conscience, you will OF COURSE agree with the Church on every issue. It isn't that simple. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in the issue of birth control. Many devout Catholics are using artificial birth control because they HAVE taken the time to research the Church's teachings, and they DO truly feel that Humanae Vitae was wrong. And are they to be criticized for that? As Thomas More says in the Robert Bolt play A Man for All Seasons, "I have no window to look into another man's conscience." I just wish that West had the same confidence in his fellow Catholics and their prayerful discernment. West also cites the story of Onan out of context ... he should trust his readers enough to give them the whole story, not simply the parts that support his own thesis. I also couldn't help feeling that West is missing the forest for the trees. Some of his distinctions are positively Pharisaic. For example, he claims that, if a man is being tested for fertility problems, it's wrong to masturbate in order to get a sperm sample; according to West, the only moral way to obtain a sample is to have married intercourse with a perforated condom, which will allow some sperm to pass (thus keeping it from being contracepted intercourse) while retaining some for the sample. May God forgive me if I"m wrong, but I imagine Christ shaking his head sorrowfully at such pettifogging distinctions. West is very open about sharing his own (apparently promiscuous) past with his readers. He makes it clear that his former sexual actions, which he now deeply regrets, are a large part of his views today. Readers of his book who are NOT coming from a place of sexual regret may feel differently. In fact, for those readers who were scarred by the old guilt-based system of Catholic moral teaching ("you'll go to hell if you don't follow all the rules"), this book will feel like the same old bad news ... not good news at all. I wish the Church's teachings had been discussed with more sensitivity and a less dogmatic tone. Yes, there IS a need for a good book about Catholic sexual morality ... but this isn't it. By all means, read this book if you wish -- but think and pray, too. Above all, inform your own conscience.
Rating: 
Summary: Chris West Book
Review: I found this book to be an excellent resource for understanding human sexuality in the context of the church. I think this book should not be limited to married couples. It helps many young people understand their evolving sexuality and the questions they have about it. Chris West is personal and reveals a lot about his own sexual development. Essentially, he talked about his regrets when he was younger and how he himself was confused about the feelings inside of him. Young people will be able to relate to him because they are going through this right now.
Rating:
Summary: Want to learn what Catholic sexuality is really about?
Review: I grew up among devout Catholics, and thought I knew what the Church really taught on morality, specifically sexuality. I had read many teen books on dating (by the way, I myself am Catholic and agreed with what I was taught). This book changed my thinking. West, using the writings of Pope, shed new light on this touchy subject, and made me see how beautiful our bodies are, and how much of a sacred and awesome thing sex can be, when done in the right context. In the midst of a university where I am always being accused of "suppressing my sexuality" and "letting the Church dictate what I do with my body", West has turned the tables and has made me want to tell everyone that they need to free up their own sexuality, which has been enslaved by the views of the secular world. Read this book, whether you're a young adult, engaged or have been married for 30 years, and I guarantee it will change your thinking.
Rating:
Summary: Regaining Lost Virginity
Review: I have searched and searched for several decades for a true meaning of human sexuality. I found secular teachers disappointing in their promises of physical pleasures and Christian writers just as disappointing when addressing the soul. No one seemed to present sexuality and marriage in a more cosmic sense of what is really taking place. Christopher West does an outstanding job of introducing us to the Pope's explosive thinking on the total human person - body, soul and spirit. How awesome we really are! And how critically wonderful our sexuality is. West does a fine job of showing how we can understand our nuptial life in marriage in the context of Baptism and the Eucharist. Of considering the nuptial embrace to be meant to occur in the light with eyes wide open, both spouses celebrating and reaffirming their vows over and over. After absorbing West's work, I encourage you to delve into John Paul's "The Theology of the Body" and "Love and Responsibility". I do like West stepping forward and away from the euphimisims that plague most Catholic texts on human sexuality. The Cathechism refers to "acts proper and exclusive to marriage". West actually goes further and addresses parts of the genitalia and to oral and anal sex. He meets us where we are, i.e., in the midst of a culture that shows no reserve about sex and relationships. And helps one to sort it all out. I do have one reservation about his book though. I sense that he is presenting the Pope's teaching and his own views at the same time. But where does the Pope leave off and West continue? This is why I am also reading the Pope's on words as well. My wife and I have recently been reunited in our marriage of 32 years after an eight year separation. We have been so impressed with the Pope's teaching as presented by West that we agreed to continue our marriage using this book as the basis for our sexual life. One last note. Some may resist the Pope's, indeed the Church's, teaching on sex and marriage. Some may say that they must understand before they accept this teaching. Interestingly, wisdom does not work that way. Rather, I have learned to allow wisdom to embrace me and through this obedience I then understand its practicality and effectiveness. West's book is wisdom presented very well!
Rating:
Summary: It changed my life
Review: I missed the opportunity to hear Christopher West speak, but thanks to a friend, was able to listen to his tapes. AMAZING! It literally changed my entire perspective on life. This is about more than sex and marriage - it's about life and the meaning of it. West's discussion of Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body, brought me out of the slump I had been in spiritually, and I've been riding high since hearing those tapes. Now I've read the book, and while hearing West explain these thoughts is more powerful than reading the book, the book helps me see things more concretely. I can't stop talking about West's ministry and the ideas he presents. I've ordered multiple copies of the book for my family and friends and can't wait to give it away. Even those who aren't Catholic can't help but see the truth about this subject as presented by West. Our society is in trouble, and it stems from misconceptions about the purpose and meaning of sex and marriage. There is hope, however, and it comes from understanding the true purpose of our bodies. Learn all you can about our pope's teaching on the body and help change the world!
Rating: 
Summary: Oversimplifications
Review: I think this book, and several of the reviews about it, are terrific at oversimplifying issues of sexuality. Moral theology is far more complex than West presents it in this book. It's also highly debatable as to whether God left "explicit norms" as to how to deal with many of the sexual issues covered in this book, as one reviewer claims. I'd also question his (and West's) blanket generalizations that couples using NFP report higher sexual satisfaction than other couples. One of the biggest drawbacks of NFP is that it means the couple can't have intercourse at the time in the month when women are most sexually responsive, the time when her hormonal balance makes her most likely to desire sex and to have a pleasurable experience with her husband. This is a very basic challenge to NFP that is not acknowledged in West's book.
I'm sure many would respond to this by saying that women should just "offer it up." Many Catholic women, though, see it as just one example of ways in which the female experience of sexuality -- which is very different from that of men -- is traditionally left out of the discussion. Until the Catholic Church as a whole starts truly acknowledging the lived experiences of both genders, men AND women, there will be a serious credibility gap in their teachings about sex.
Rating:
Summary: This book stands out
Review: I'm unimpressed with most Catholic sex books -- they're either too sappy and prudishly vague, or too clinical, or try to be too cute in their orientation toward teens, or are just plain heterodox. This one is different. It's frank, without being prurient. It's clear. It's written for grown-ups. And best of all, from its sound practical advice to its soaring theological reflection, it's thoroughly Catholic. Archbishop Chaput said it best: "Do the Church -- and yourself -- a favor: Read and reread this book. Encourage everyone you know to do the same."
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Summary: The Definitive Book for Catholic Marriage Preparation
Review: In today's world, people are looking for all sorts of explanations for why marriages fail and what are the essential ingredients for a successful marriage. If one wanted to look for the true roots of marital dissatisfaction one might go no farther than the prevailing contraceptive mentality that results in seeking to satisfy one's needs at the expense of the other. Christopher West's book gives us some major insights into successful marriages from a Christian perspective. Very succinctly, his book informs us that the well-kept secret to a satisfying marriage is remembering that we are called in marriage to love as God loves and that the body is the revelation of God. As a result marriage is to be modeled after how God loves, especially in the love of Christ who gave up his body for us. As Christ loved, so we too are called to love -totally, freely, and fruitfully. While his book is especially helpful for engaged couples, it can help re-orient many Catholics to the Church's fundamental teachings on marriage. Christopher West has written a simple, but elegantly written book that contains deep and penetrating theological insights into marriage. When you're finished reading his work, you will want to order copies for couples preparing for marriage, those seeking a deeper understanding of the sacrament and those looking for an explanation of why there is so much dissatisfaction in their own marriages. My recommendation is that you use West's book as an introduction to his more weightier work on Pope John Paul's Theology of the Body. In his series of talks, he will provide you with an understanding not only of marriage and sexuality as the Holy Father has taught, but what it means in terms of our very existence, our redemption and our expectation to live the nuptial relationship with Christ, our spouse, forever as members of the Church. His tapes entitled "Naked Without Shame" are available from the Gift Foundation.
Rating:
Summary: Pedantic and patronizing
Review: One of the biggest problems with the way in which Catholic morality is traditionally presented is its tone: it is presented as if to children, ignoring the fact that adult Catholics have intellects that may of us actually do wish to use. This book is one such example -- it's hugely patronizing and horribly one-sided. For a much more balanced and intelligent discussion of Catholic moral teaching, try In Pursuit of Love: Catholic Morality and Human Sexuality by Genovesi. It -- unlike The Good News about Sex and Marriage -- presents a variety of different theological responses to the Catholic sexual teaching, and examines each one in light of fundamentals of Catholic moral theology. Genovesi -- unlike Christopher West -- respects his readers enough to present a variety of different moral viewpoints, reflecting the fact that life (even in the Catholic church) is often more gray than it is black and white. It's a harder read than The Good News ..., but it's worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Great for Marriage Prep Courses
Review: Take the subtitle of this book seriously -- "Answers to your honest questions..." Christopher West has done a great job of surveying the questions that believing Christians have about sexual morality and the meaning of marriage. I highly recommend it for engaged couples or for those conducting marriage prep courses. Christopher doesn't beat you over the head with teachings, he just carefully explains why Christians believe what they do, and why that is so amazingly important. If you approach the book with "honest questions," you will be really blessed by the insights you will gain about the nature of the human person, the nature of marriage, and God's role in that relationship. Much of the book follows a "Question and Answer" format. There will surely be some temptation to just look up your particular question. While it is helpful when used this way, I recommend actually reading it through. The book is carefully structured to provide a firm foundation for its answers, which will enable you to more fully understand the implications of your own responses to these questions. Read it straight through, you'll be very glad you did.
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