Thy Neighbor's Wife

Rating:
Summary: Interesting but dated overview of American sex.
Review: Depending on your outlook, author Gay Talese's rambling social history of sex in America is either X-rated titillation or scholarly and objective reporting of a serious subject that affects virtually everyone. The author takes the reader through a maze of people and events from the triumphs and tribulations of Hugh Hefner to pornography and the courts, from free-love religious sects of the 19th century to 20th century California communes. The reader also visits massage parlors and organized mate swapping clubs. The premise is that everybody behaves sexually, regardless. Pretending otherwise is a myth perpetuated by the oppressive cycle of American Puritanism handed down by a variety of parental, religious, and legal authorities. We should just accept our sexuality and be honest with each other, and especially with ourselves. Although the author refrains from preaching a "if it feels good, do it" sermon, complete sexual freedom is the rather trite theme. This viewpoint is somewhat dated and reflects the so-called sexual revolution of the '60s and early '70s. The book was published in 1980 before the AIDs threat was a common concern. Some hot button issues as abortion and homosexuality are ignored. Nevertheless, it is an interesting book on a controversial subject. ;-)

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Non-Fiction!
Review: Gay Talese does a brilliant job of narrating the evolution of sexuality during the 20th century. By thoroughly including all the movers and shakers in the development of censorship legislation, sex shops, massage parlors, communes and sexual revolutionists in enthralling detail, Talese manages to create a riveting tale of human sexuality. By infiltrating the sexual revolution of the 60's and 70's, Talese offers first-hand accounts. He artfully balances his keen observations as a slightly removed journalist with indulgent, self-purposeful experimentation, then masterfully conveys his findings to his audience. Like "Honor Thy Father", Talese invests a great deal of time and risk in researching his material and the result is a page-turner. While he tends to mention numerous names of people who shaped 20th century sexuality, the result is not overwhelming but instead may inspire you to keep a list of names as you read through the book with the intention of researching these people yourself. Indeed, this masterpiece flows with gripping narrative style, introducing characters that seemingly have no relationship to one another, until you read further and find that their influence is intricately commingled. This book will fascinate you with its exploration and understanding of American sexual identity. A must read!

Rating:
Summary: Polyamory, pornography, and the 1970s sex industry
Review: Gay Talese spent the 1970s studying the Sexual Revolution in the USA. He was no detached scientific observer in a white lab coat like Masters and Johnson. He threw himself into his work with enthusiasm. He lived the life he studied and the results of his work are in this book. But this is not just one man's report from the sexual frontier. As a disciplined reporter, he conducted countless interviews, but as a participant he was able to obtain trusting relationships. This is not Sociology; he reports on the people making money from the Sexual Revolution and their customers. It is primarily a book about men using women's sexuality to make money from other men.

This is not an exhaustive history but rather a look at selective people and their impact on the times. John and Barbara Williamson's Sandstone Retreat, a sexually open community in the hills near Los Angeles, is one group that Talese focuses on. Through interviews with many of the participants he explores the effects polyamory (openly maintaining multiple sexual relationships) has on the couples who belong to this group.

A large portion of the book examines the publishing pioneers who, after World War II, risked fines and jail to sell erotic books and magazines in the US. The Post Office laws against sending sexual materials through the mail was the core legal restraint in the US and Anthony Comstock was the chief enforcer of this law. Some of Comstock's more famous exploits are recounted. Talese also reports on the Supreme Court, its decisions, the Presidential Commission on Obscenity and Pornography, and the Nixon White House's response to the loosening sexual climate. Hugh Hefner, one of the most famous people in sexual publishing, is also studied in some detail.

Feminism was another revolution developing in the 1970s, but Talese only gives it passing mention. The only feminist mentioned is Betty Dodson, whose drawings of female genitalia and visits to Sandstone are discussed.

Talese also looks into the history of sexual expression and repression in the US. John Humphrey Noyes and the Oneida Community is looked at as a precursor to the open sexuality of the 70s. The community was built on Noyes' concepts of Perfectionism which included communal sharing that extended to sexual relationships.

These are just the major themes. A 20 page alphabetic Index ends the book with entries from Abortion to Emile Zola. I found the history of sexually explicit publishing most interesting. The depth of the personal interviews related to the Sandstone community was excellent. So much has changed in the past 25 years in terms of sexual expression and the sex industry. This book is a wonderful study of this period and the people involved.

Rating:
Summary: "...I know it when I see it..."
Review: Talese's history of the sexual revolution in America reads like a Jackie Collins novel or plays like a Robert Altman movie where all of a sudden, the characters stories have crossed paths and their lives after were irrevocably changed. You will read the page turning account of how Hugh Hefner came to create Playboy Magazine--a story which indeed has been often told, but not like this--interspersed with various obscenity cases of Screw Magazine publisher/editor Goldstein, the coming of the age of Larry Flynt and Bob Guccione, and the story of our gal Betty...Talese outdid E! entertainment by two decades. It is a great rendering from one of our most talented writers.

Rating:
Summary: An Extraordinary Book
Review: This is a vital book, a work of witty and searching defiance in the face of American puritanism. Why on earth is it out of print?!