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Been There, Done That: A Rousing History of Sex
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About This Book
A rollicking, myth-busting history of sex that moves from historical attempts at birth control to Hildegard von Bingen's treatise on the female orgasm, demystifying plenty of urban legends along the way. Roman physicians told female patients they should sneeze out as much semen as possible after intercourse to avoid pregnancy. Historical treatments for erectile dysfunction included goat testicle transplants. In this kaleidoscopic compendium of centuries-old erotica, science writer Rachel Feltman shows how much sex has changed—and how much it hasn't. With unstoppable curiosity, she debunks myths, breaks down stigma, and uses the long, outlandish history of sex to dissect present-day practices and taboos. Feltman's mischievous humor dismantles fear and brings scientific literacy to a subject surrounded by misinformation, and indeed, as it gravitates toward the strange, Been There, Done That delivers some sorely needed sex ed. Explorations into age-old questions and bizarre trivia around birth control, aphrodisiacs, STIs, courtship rituals, and more establish that, when it comes to carnal pleasures and procreation, there's never been a normal, and sex isn't something to be scared of.
Reviews
"It shines, instead, as an irreverent invitation to be enchanted by one's body, rather than ashamed; to be present in desire, rather than dislocated from it; to cast off the veil of insecurity and embrace one's whole self."
"A playful, myth-busting survey of human sexuality and the history of reproductive science ..."
"The chapter on human reproduction is especially well detailed, taking the standard 'sperm-meets-egg' story and complicating it almost to the point of absurdity, and Feltman's exploration of animal biology and reproductive habits is similarly eye-opening."
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