Most sex guides aim at fairly
definite subsections of the population: straight men, straight women, women who
want to masturbate, gay men who want to know how to give good oral sex, men who
suffer from premature ejaculation, couples who have stopped having sex, and so
on.  The Good Vibrations Guide to Sex
is unusual because it aims to be helpful to everyone: men, women, straight,
gay, lesbian, young, old, fat, thin, healthy, ill, disabled, traditional, and
radical.  The illustrations (29 of them)
are drawings are explicit although I would not call them pornographic.  Their captions give some indication of the
variety of forms of sexuality discussed in the book:

·       
masturbating with fingers

·       
fellatio

·       
various styles of vibrators

·       
sharing a wand vibrator

·       
anal intercourse, missionary position

·       
intercourse without penetration

·       
various styles of dildos

·       
sharing a double-dildo

·       
two strap harness

·       
bondage

·       
how to put on a condom

The Good Vibrations Guide to Sex is a large format
book with 338 pages.  The 20 chapters
include discussions of sexual self-image, sex over a lifetime, communication,
lubrication, creative touching, various sex toys, fantasies, books, magazines,
videos, the Internet, and safer sex. 
The text includes many quotations from regular people reporting their
experience or opinions about sex.  The
advice of the book is based on the assumption that any act between consenting
adults that gives pleasure can be worth exploring. 

One of the most attractive features of the book is
its use of humor.  In a box giving a
list of reasons to masturbate, they say "It’s a way to sound animated on
the phone while the parents are telling you about the latest goings-on in ‘the
old neighborhood,’" and "It’s less embarrassing if you call out the
wrong name."  Many of the stories
from readers tell of funny incidents involving sex, and the writers write in an
energetic and occasionally suggestive style. 
All this makes the book fun and easy to read.  Nevertheless, it is probably not for the sexually conservative.

The strengths of The Good Vibrations Guide to Sex
lie especially in its coverage of the products available through the Good
Vibrations website.  These include
dildos, vibrators, harnesses, butt plugs, erotica, and S/M toys.  It even includes some history of the sex
industry and of the design of sex toys. It is liberal and non-judgmental, and
it is more informal and fun than most other sex guides. 

One weakness of the book is that it does not give
much detail about how to perform specific sexual activities, although it
contains brief descriptions of a great variety of activities.  It also pays very little attention to sexual
dysfunctions and the psychological problems that can interfere with a person’s
sexual life. 

The Good Vibrations Guide to Sex is best
suited for those who are ready to experiment with sex and want to get clear and
sensible information about options and how to go about getting the satisfaction
they want.  

 

Link: Good Vibrations Online Store

 

© 2004 Christian Perring. All rights reserved.

 

Christian Perring, Ph.D., is Academic Chair of
the Arts & Humanities Division and Chair of the Philosophy Department at
Dowling College, Long Island. He is also editor of Metapsychology Online
Review.  His main research is on philosophical issues in medicine,
psychiatry and psychology.

Categories: SelfHelp, Sexuality