An admirable and vigorous but flawed philosophical argument.
This third installment of a philosophical treatise asserts the theory that humankind can only advance by radically altering its approach to sexual behavior.
“I wish I could provide a concise overview of the problem that we face,” writes Whickwithy in this work’s early pages. “It took me a lifetime and four books to understand and convey” the issue “clearly enough.” As in his two previous volumes, the author addresses the belief that the “horrible traits of mankind” stem from its “forced blindness regarding sex.” Whickwithy identifies a brutishness in the human species that “need not exist” and can be overcome by attaining “sentient sexual intercourse.” The author goes on to underline that “a lot of men” are “lousy at sex,” indulging in base “rutting” that leads only to violent frustration. Whickwithy places the onus on men to learn how to sexually satisfy their lovers and thus become more sentient and in turn more human. The author ruminates on how, over the ages, humans have “perverted the concept of love” and aims to redress the issue by outlining how sex should be approached. In this latest offering, Whickwithy delivers the same argument found in the author’s previous works. Peculiar sexual advice offered in Sentience (2017), such as “Don’t twerk until the lady sings,” is repeated on a number of occasions in this volume. Disappointingly, Whickwithy’s proposal has not evolved, as it continues to perceive heterosexuality as the default mode of sexual orientation. The author goes so far as to imply that gay sexuality has become “popular” because men cannot satisfy women: “Some folks want to physically satisfy their partner and enjoy that loving engagement and heterosexual sex doesn’t offer them that option.” The author’s writing style is energetically assertive: “Women don’t see any point in speculation and men are scared shitless that their ‘secret’ will be discovered. There is an answer, dammit. Get on with it!” As in the previous installments, the author does not draw on specific scientific evidence to support the book’s argument, which renders it mere conjecture. Whickwithy’s hopes of rectifying the ills of humankind are sincere and quite commendable. But the author’s approach is sometimes repetitious and shortsighted.
An admirable and vigorous but flawed philosophical argument.Pub Date: April 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73482-210-6
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A frank and funny but uneven essay collection about neurodiversity.
An experimental, illustrated essay collection that questions neurotypical definitions of what is normal.
From a young age, writer and comedian Myers has been different. In addition to coping with obsessive compulsive disorder and panic attacks, she struggled to read basic social cues. During a round of seven minutes in heaven—a game in which two players spend seven minutes in a closet and are expected to kiss—Myers misread the romantic advances of her best friend and longtime crush, Marley. In Paris, she accidentally invited a sex worker to join her friends for “board games and beer,” thinking he was simply a random stranger who happened to be hitting on her. In community college, a stranger’s request for a pen spiraled her into a panic attack but resulted in a tentative friendship. When the author moved to Australia, she began taking notes on her colleagues in an effort to know them better. As the author says to her co-worker, Tabitha, “there are unspoken social contracts within a workplace that—by some miracle—everyone else already understands, and I don’t….When things Go Without Saying, they Never Get Said, and sometimes people need you to Say Those Things So They Understand What The Hell Is Going On.” At its best, Myers’ prose is vulnerable and humorous, capturing characterization in small but consequential life moments, and her illustrations beautifully complement the text. Unfortunately, the author’s tendency toward unnecessary capitalization and experimental forms is often unsuccessful, breaking the book’s otherwise steady rhythm.
A frank and funny but uneven essay collection about neurodiversity.Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9780063381308
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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