Sexual Intelligence - book discontinued by Bulfinch - review by Jimbo Jones

This is my first review of a book that primarily deals with sex and probably only the second or third one that I have ever read, so be gentle. After I read Sleeping Dreamer’s review of Kim Cattrall’s “Sexual Intelligence”, I was intrigued. I hate to admit it, but my partner forces me to watch “Sex and the City” (I’m male, so I am really not allowed to enjoy it, but secretly, I probably enjoy it almost as much as she does). When I found out one of the ladies had written a book (turns out she has written two) with sex as a central theme, I was intrigued. I mentioned this to my partner and she took it to mean that I would really like to have it and so she got it for me for my birthday. After I finished the book I was on, I jumped right into “Sexual Intelligence”.

For my casual reading, I am an escapist of sorts. Historically, if I was not reading something for school, I generally preferred to read fiction, so this was a switch for me. I found “Sexual Intelligence” to be interesting and easy to read with lots of awesome photographs which is also something I am not used to. Don’t get me wrong, I would not consider this book to be pornographic at all. In fact, if memory serves, the picture of Kim Cattrall on the cover is the most risqué one of her in the entire book. There are other, more revealing, pictures of other people in the book, but they are all, in my opinion, tastefully and artfully done. Many of the pictures are of nature and artwork and represent examples of how representations of the human sexual organs sometimes show up in unexpected places.

As far as the text is concerned, I didn’t like it all that much. Many times I felt like I was reading a research paper of sorts because it would quote this expert or that interviewee and then draw a conclusion based on the statement or state a point and then use one of these devices to prove it. I did enjoy some of the historical perspectives and references that were made about how different societies were sexually influenced in the past and how that might relate to us today, so it wasn’t completely annoying for me. I think this would make a nice coffee table book or bathroom reader for some one that doesn’t have the conservative visitors that I often have in my home. For us though, it will probably find a nice home on the shelf until my partner decides to trade it in at the local used bookstore.

If you are looking for a book to get you hot and bothered either with text or with pictures, look elsewhere. If you want a pretty book with some interesting information about human sexual interaction, then this might be just the book for you.