CHANGING BODIES, CHANGING LIVES: A Book for Teens on Sex and Relationships

Written by several of the creators of Our Bodies, Ourselves, this book for teenagers, male and female, will benefit from the reputation of its predecessor. Covering the usual topics of a general sex advice book for teens--from puberty changes and parental attitudes toward pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease--it's not the unique and ground-breaking contribution that the women's book was, but it is written in the same direct, one-to-one manner and it takes the same you're-okay-it's-okay approach. It is genuinely non-judgmental, but it does have a message or two. The first is to listen to your inner voices, do what feels right to you, and don't feel guilty about doing what feels right or refusing to do what doesn't. The other, introduced at various stages and addressed to both boys and girls, is to use birth control. There's an up-to-date insertion on toxic shock syndrome and tampons, but alas no corresponding caution about sponges, which are mentioned as an alternative. Overall, the advice is sensible and sympathetic, and backed up with first-person statements on how-it-was-for-me from hundreds of collaborating teenagers. Considering the association with Our Bodies, Ourselves and the lookalike format, it's the sex guide that young teenagers are most likely to choose.