The Ethical Slut - book discontinued by Greenery Press - review by lolife

This book (The Ethical Slut|The Ethical Slut - Educational and informative books) is a must read for anyone who feels that the lifestyle of “free-love” is for them and anyone who is considering if it may be the right thing for them to try.

Written by Donnie Easton and Catherine Liszt, this book lets you know that the fact that you do not want to be involved in a monogamous relationship does not make you defective.  In fact, this book is completely celebratory toward the action of pursuing many sexual/intimate/non-sexual relationships at one time.

The positive aspects of this book are that it is laid out with unabashed, unembarrassed clarity and precision.  The authors are unapologetic about how they live their lives, and reading this book gave me the confidence and knowledge to pursue the path of “Ethical Sluthood” as my own path.

The anecdotes from the authors themselves and their friends/lovers allow you to see that this lifestyle can work and has worked successfully for many people for many years and will continue to do so.

The book begins by defining what an ethical slut is and is not, and how society makes the lifestyle of an ethical slut beyond difficult.  The sections of advice delve into more of the emotional side of slut-hood such as how to deal with jealousy and the appropriate way to set boundaries.

A point that I enjoyed was the continued emphasis on communication and that it is especially important for ethical – the keyword being ethical – sluts to be communicative with their partners as there are many more pitfalls in dealing with more people in varying stages of intimacy.

On the whole this is an amazing book that felt like someone had finally turned the lights on in my brain and acknowledged what I have been doing and attempting to do well for years.

The Ethical Slut is still one of the premier texts on ethical non-monogamy. Though my circumstances have changed, I still believe that with the right people ethical non-monogamy/polyamory can be a successful and fulfilling relationship. In re-reading the book, it re-established my original intentions when beginning on my path. That I want to experience love in all its forms and mutations and that just because I love someone in one way does not mean that I cannot love someone else just as much in a different way. Case in point: my male best friend and my boyfriend.

This one of the books that you can turn too when you are wondering how others in your situation dealt with their feelings and emotions and possibly take some advice from their course of action. It is a positive feeling to know that you are not alone in this journey.

Again, it is an amazing book that I will continue to refer to through my journey through polyamory.