As the title would suggest, this book is indeed about sex. Not only sex, but how sex continues to inspire and support the patriarchal society. I've read my share of feminist books but this one certainly has to be the most "aim-to-shock" of the lot. It does not play around, it does not stifle in the least. Like many radical feminist works, it seeks to inspire hatred towards the way we (women) are treated by men. This was the book that famously put across that all men are rapists, while I don't agree with this sentiment, what she had to say about the subject was certainly interesting.
The first part of the book explores some works of fiction and uses them to illustrate how being female creates a state of inferiority within the works and in the context of wider human society. The latter part of the book takes this argument and shoves it in your face over and over again so that reading through the last chapter I was continually wincing at the mentions of sad-masochism, child abuse, rape and more. She does have a way with language and she puts her point across incredibly strongly but I definitely wouldn't recommend reading this as quickly as I did. You've got to love radical feminists though, they certainly try to drill this stuff into you.
What the book didn't explore that other books like Cunt by Inga Muscio did is that sex can be enjoyed and is by many people, that it is not always in a patriarchal context and can be healthy and invigorating for many women. I continue to think so that this woman does have the gift of the gab, her sentences are long and draw you through to the very end, there is no sentence in the book that is put across lightly although there are moments of humour.
I'd recommend it to you, as long as you're not one of those people who finds yourself seething at the mere mention of feminism. Though this women and other feminists do take it to the extreme, it's a pretty interesting read.
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