Losing It: Sex Education for the 21st Century

Description

'It's the kind of book that makes you wonder, 'why wasn't this written before?' It could change lives' EVENING STANDARD 'Turns everything you've been taught about sex on its head' RUBY RARE An urgent, myth-busting book that dismantles sex misinformation and reimagines sexual freedom for today. Clueless about everything from her own anatomy to relationships, Sophia Smith Galer's sex education classes left her with more questions than answers. But what she didn't know was that this lack of knowledge was about to turn her life upside down - as it does to countless people in the UK every year. Thanks to inadequate sex education, many of us are finishing school knowing more about STDs and condoms than the bigger sexual picture - our own physicality, pleasure and consent. And the effects can last a lifetime. In Losing It, Smith Galer shares the eye-opening stories of ordinary people affected by sex misinformation and finds that many of us are unable to access the world of sexual freedom that we've been promised. She draws on her own experiences - and the expertise of a new generation of sex educators - to uncover a world that subscribes to a wide catalogue of sex myths. This book tackles: * The Virginity Myth: Does having sex for the first time alter us biologically? * The Sexlessness Myth: Who is abstaining and why? * The Virility Myth: Why do men feel so much pressure to have sex? * The Consent Myth: Is there more to it than just saying no? Losing It challenges the status quo and empowers people from all backgrounds and any age to rewrite the story of their sex lives.

Sophia is a reporter, writer and documentary maker with the BBC World Service, specialising in religion and digital culture. She is the first BBC journalist to be on TikTok and has accrued over 200,000 followers across social media. She was named as a 'Voice of Change' in the TikTok 100 best of 2020 and sits as an inaugural member of the TikTok Creator Council. She was also selected as a One to Watch by the Edinburgh Television Festival in 2020 and has a Webby in Social Media for Arts and Culture. This will be her first book.

'I can't tell you how much I needed a book like this growing up' KATE LISTER, TELEGRAPH, FOUR STARS 'It's the kind of book that makes you wonder, 'why wasn't this written before?' It could change lives' EVENING STANDARD 'More of us are having open conversations about consent and pleasure. Losing It is a valuable part of that conversation' THE TIMES 'Urgent, myth-busting' REFINERY 29 'Optimistic ... Smith Galer is at her best when writing about the global picture, and she includes some fascinating interviews with women from across the world' NEW STATESMAN 'Many books claim to be myth-busting, but this terrific debut truly is ... Essential reading for anyone whose sex education and formative sexual experiences were distinctly lacking. Most of us, in other words.' THE BOOKSELLER 'EDITOR'S CHOICE' 'A stunning debut ... Not only a call to arms, but a forceful affirmation of what we owe to one another - good sex and healthy relationships' FERN RIDELL 'Compassionate, vibrant, deftly argued ... Smith Galer's rigorously researched book is an urgently needed, unputdownable joy - and a triumph' ELINOR CLEGHORN 'Turns everything you've been taught about sex on its head' RUBY RARE 'Compelling, informative, compassionate: Sophia has done an incredible job tackling the myths and stories our society tell around sex - I wish I'd had this book to read a decade ago!' YASSMIN ABDEL-MAGIED 'Sophia Smith Galer is one of the UK's most impressive young journalists, and here's further proof of her talents... A compelling book, full of persuasive, punchy prose' GREG JENNER 'A daring and eloquently written book ... With statistics to smash our warped view of topics such as virginity and consent, this is a must read' PATSY STEVENSON 'With compassion, intelligence, and engrossing storytelling ... It is essential and empowering reading' DAVID ROBSON