THE WORLD’S BEST SEX WRITING 2005

No, it’s not that kind of sex writing—which is probably for the best.

The second annual volume in this series is actually a serious compilation of nonfiction pieces originally published in American and British print and online publications. Their tone ranges from abstract to extremely personal, illuminating to embarrassing. The engagingly quirky mishmash of topics begins with “The Big Oooooohh!,” by Jonathan Margolis, who concludes that “the golden age of the orgasm may yet arrive,” followed by Katha Pollitt’s appreciative obituary of the fearless, infuriatingly contradictory feminist shocktrooper and anti-porn advocate Andrea Dworkin. About half the pieces seem worthy of inclusion—a great average for a magazine or website, but somewhat low for a “best of” book. Among the serious articles is David France’s standout “The Invention of Patient Zero,” which plots in sharp detail the chain of misinformation that led to the AIDS “superbug” panic. There isn’t much that’s off-limits, as evidenced by Sarah Klein’s pedestrian but still fascinating piece on designer vaginal surgery, “Does This Make My Labia Look Fat?” The more controversial entries here are a pair of first-person defenses of the writer’s particular kink: Sebastian Horsely explains his preference for sleeping with prostitutes, in “The Brothel Keeper,” while Polly Peachum’s “Violence in the Garden” attempts to make people understand how she can live in a completely subservient slave-master relationship and still call herself a feminist. It’s not the subject matter that sinks these two, but rather the self-congratulatory tone and limited talent of the writers. Not many big names here, which may explain why the editor bothered with Dave Barry’s throwaway column, “Sex, Guys, and Fruitflies”; fellow bestseller Augusten Burroughs shows to better advantage with the gutter poetry of “Last Rites,” which concludes the book.

Nothing eye-opening, but a worthy effort.