The Clitourist - book discontinued by Universe Publishing - review by Kat Shanahan

You know, I'm all for writers who strive to educate while still being entertaining. I've never felt that sex education has to be all business. Sex is fun - so why shouldn't learning about it be just as much fun?

Unfortunately, Karen Salmansohn, in "The Clitourist," takes her idea of entertainment way too far. There is a line between "entertaining" and "just plain idiotic," and in my opinion, this book falls squarely into the latter category.

Is there really any need to sprinkle juvenile "pet names" for the vulva/vagina through the entire book? I mean..."fur burger?" "Beaver?" I'm sorry, am I reading a supposedly 'empowering' book, or the graffiti on the wall of the boys' locker room? "The Clitourist" touts itself as "a witty, empowering guide to the hottest spot on earth...and a woman's body." If this is the author's idea of empowerment, then I certainly hope that this is the first and only book she'll ever write. And as for "witty"...well, all I can say is that she and I obviously differ greatly in our idea of "wit."

More than anything, this book worries me. It worries me that women with teenage daughters may buy it, thinking that it's a good beginner's guide for their daughters to read. It worries me because even adult women who are unfamiliar with their own anatomies may buy it and think that it's okay to be coy about what should be a perfectly normal part of the female anatomy.

Speaking of coy: the author, in one of the most eye-rolling sections of the book, compares an orgasm to shoe shopping. No, I am not kidding. I swear, it took an hour for my eyes to return to their normal positions. I mean, shoe shopping? Really?!

This book...it's just utterly, completely useless. There's not a single subset of women that I think would benefit from this book. Women and girls who are looking for information about female anatomy will learn nothing; women who are already well-versed on the subject will be neither empowered NOR entertained; and even male readers will learn nothing that they haven't already been spouting since they were twelve or so.

In short, this book is worthless. I spent half an hour reading it, and frankly, I'd like to get that time back.