Book Review: Teen Guide to Sex and Relationships

Teen Guide is a very relevant book! From the moment I read the introduction, I knew that the authors would not shy away from discussing certain topics in an open manner that was easy to understand. People who say teens should not be having sex do not have the right view on the subject – teens and young people should be equipped with facts and information to make good choices when it comes to their hearts and bodies, which is exactly what this book strives to do with its honest and helpful tone.

I really liked the balance between the two authors’ voices. You get the slightly more “conservative” views from Matt Posner, while you get the more “liberal” views from Jess C Scott. The gender / sexual orientation section was very LGBTQ-friendly – another thing I liked a lot since bisexuality or bicuriosity is something I have struggled with since I entered my early teens.

As a teen reader, I feel this book is important for several reasons. While some parents may feel uncomfortable with some of the questions (there are questions on abortion, anal sex, rape, sexting, pornography), the fact is that these are things we already know or hear about all the time. If you do a web search for “pornography,” all sorts of strange things pop up – so it’s no use pretending that teens should not be told anything about porn because they’re “not supposed to be viewing it.”

I don’t know if the authors divided the book into e-x-a-c-t-l-y 36 questions for each section (the “sex” section and the later half “relationships” section), but this ensured that the content was well-balanced and thorough in both areas. I thought they would skim through the first half because of some “eww” subjects, though I’m glad the authors did not. The second “relationships” section is perhaps even more important than the first half, as it gets the reader to really think through some big points when it comes to dating (such as money, dating somebody who’s of a different religious background, long distance relationships, and breaking up).

A thumbs up to the Teen Guide authors for keeping it real :):)