The Guide to Getting it On

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The Guide to Getting it On is a sex guide by Paul Joannides, A/Prof Jamie Ciesluk, illustrated by Daerick Gross. According to the publishers it is required reading in sexual education classes at more than 30 colleges and universities, is translated into 14 languages, and has won 5 awards.

The guide is written from a liberal perspective on human sexuality. The 51 chapters cover topics from basic anatomy of the male and female body to individual chapters detailing techniques and wider discussion of subjects such as masturbation, oral sex, anal sex, sex toys and kinky sex.

Issues such as sex for the disabled, homosexuality, religious objections to sex, explaining sex to children, and anxieties about the sexual act from both a male and female perspective are also sensitively addressed.

The book is illustrated throughout with realistic drawings which sometimes accompany the text, or in other cases provide a comic element which is in keeping with the light-hearted approach of the work.

Many interesting facts are contained in the nearly 800 pages which include statistics on the average size of the penis (smaller than we have been led to believe) to the fact that a quarter of victims of domestic abuse are male. Politically, the content could be described as taking a left-wing, libertarian approach to sex and sexuality but does not pander to political correctness or conservatives on the political left such as radical feminists. In fact, some of the analysis challenges assumptions and prejudice about men and male sexuality from feminist quarters, as well as criticizing the conservative right.

The book is referenced throughout with interesting quotes from people who the author has interviewed during his research and in some cases contains responses to previous editions of the guide which people have sent to the author. These responses are from both males and females covering the whole span of ages from 18–80. An informative glossary of sexual terms is listed at the back of the book.

[edit] Examples

• The observation that anyone who thinks that women are the more placid, submissive sex have obviously never met a group of women lawyers.^{[citation needed]}

• "...a man who is straight and masculine-appearing might experience sex in a way that we would typically expect of a woman—sensitive, monogamous and intimacy seeking, while a very feminine-appearing straight woman might enjoy sex with numerous men, value it for the rush of sensation that it offers and avoid long-term relationships." (p. 373)

• Observation regarding AIDS that if it is a plague sent by God to rid the world of homosexuals, then why does God let thousands of church-going, conservative, Christians die every year from heart disease and cancer?^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Editions

• The Guide To Getting It On!: A New And Mostly Wonderful Book About Sex For Adults For All Ages (2nd edition, September 1, 1998) ISBN 1-885535-00-7
• The Guide to Getting It On! (The Universe's Coolest and Most Informative Book About Sex) (3rd edition, February 2000) ISBN 1-885535-10-4
• Guide to Getting It On!: Includes Dating, Kissing, Love, Sex, Romance, Marriage, Oral Sex, Fellatio, Cunnillingus, Intercourse, Orgasms, Masturbation, Cybersex, the Prostate (4th edition, May 1, 2004) ISBN 1-885535-67-8

[edit] External links

• Official Guide to Getting It On Website