The Sex Effect
Baring Our Complicated Relationship with Sex
by Ross Benes
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Pub Date Apr 01 2017 | Archive Date Apr 06 2017
SOURCEBOOKS (non-fiction) | Sourcebooks
Description
For fans of Mary Roach and Freakonomics, comes The Sex Effect: Baring Our Complicated Relationship with Sex (ISBN: 9781492647423; APRIL 2017; $26.99 U.S.; Hardcover; Social Sciences) by journalist Ross Benes. With a foreword by New York Times bestselling author A.J. Jacobs, The Sex Effect delves into the complicated relationship between religion, politics and money, and our sexuality.
Drawing on history, psychology, sociology, economics, anthropology, neuroscience, epidemiology, theology and political science, Benes combines innovative research and analysis with captivating anecdotes to reveal just how much sex shapes our lives.
Each chapter is devoted to a particular topic, including:
• How political leaders conditioned Westerners to accept monogamy as the norm
• Breaking down the predictable phenomena of politicians’ sex scandals
• A look at how erotica shapes our technology and everyday lives
• Examining the hidden relationships between governments, markets and birthrates
• The influence of accidental inventions on sex and commerce
• How the Catholic Church incentivizes the priesthood for devout gay men
• An investigation into the economic prowess of LGBT neighborhoods
• How the wombs of Middle Eastern Muslim women demonstrate an occasional necessity for religious pluralism
The Sex Effect is a gripping exploration of the ways sex influences our society, and how the world around us affects our sex lives.
Ross Benes is a reporter at Digiday who previously worked for Esquire and Deadspin, where he wrote about sex, sports, statistics, and pop culture. His work has also appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York magazine, Rolling Stone, Adweek, Quartz, Mental Floss, Business Insider, Salon, and Slate. A native of Brainard, Nebraska, he now lives in Brooklyn. Visit www.rossbenes.com for more information.
Advance Praise
"A witty discussion of the indirect role sex plays across political, economic, religious, and cultural landscapes...a probing, multifacted commentary on the social science of sex and society...a book marinated in provocative assertions that are certain to instigate debate and productive discussion." - Kirkus Reviews
“A fascinating odyssey through the hidden ways that humanity’s endless struggle with sex influences the entirely unsexual aspects of our daily lives.”—Ogi Ogas, co-author of A Billion Wicked Thoughts: What the World’s Largest Experiment Reveals About Human Desire
“The Sex Effect is an entertaining and well-researched exploration of the unintended consequences of our sexual misapprehensions and mythologies. Benes reminds us at every turn how persistent and pervasive is the parallax between what’s true about human sexuality, and what we insist on believing about it.”—Rachel Maines, author of The Technology of Orgasm
“Conversational, approachable, and credible, Benes delivery story after story that will surprise you and challenge your assumptions.”—Patchen Barss, author of The Erotic Engine
“A thought-provoking read.”—Daniel Halperin, co-author of Tinderbox, former senior HIV prevention advisor at USAID, former faculty member of Harvard School of Public Health
“Benes has combined history, epidemiology, anthropology, neuroscience and whatever it takes to produce a well-written, engaging, clever, highly informative book. The Sex Effect is a welcome respite from the usual partisan bickering and moralizing that this subject usually evokes.”—Edward C. Green, former Director of the Harvard AIDS Prevention Project
“In this fascinating work, buttressed with massive research from impeccable sources, Benes shows how sex and the perception of sex affect so many aspects of cultures from why we eat corn flakes to the economic influence of gay communities and more.”—Richard Kimbrough, author of History Mysteries
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781492647423 |
| PRICE | $29.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 320 |
Featured Reviews
Kate B, Reviewer
I really wasn't sure what I would make of this; the description seemed to promise a journalistic spin on several quite 'sensational' topics surrounding human sexuality, so I came to the book expecting quite a light read and maybe some food for thought.
The book delivered so much more than I anticipated. It's far more detailed than expected, with copious footnotes and interesting asides. It's also very well researched, covering elements from so many disciplines such as sociology, economics, history, pschology...the list goes on. However, the writing is really fresh and clear and, above all, entertaining. I'll admit that I flew through it, being thoroughly fascinated by topics such as how the US military inadvertantly created gay neighbourhoods, why condoms weren't the answer to the AIDS epidemic and how pornography drives technological innovation. Some of it is controversial - I'm not sure I agree with all of it - but it is persuasively argued and well supported. In places, I thought it read like Ben Goldacre's excellent books on popular science and the pharmaceutical industry; this is high praise indeed from me as I love his writing!
The only thing that spoilt my enjoyment a little was the fact that the ARC's footnotes weren't formatted correctly, which made some of it really hard to follow (there's tonnes of really interesting stuff in the footnotes, so you definitely want them working in your copy!) However, once that's fixed on the final electronic version and the print copies, this will be an absolutely fabulous book and an interesting read for anyone who is interested in human sexuality.
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