The Passion Prescription - book discontinued by Hyperion - review by LucyLemonade

The Passion Prescription is a good workbook for improving issues related to your sex life. As a woman with libido issues, I have read a lot of information about helping your sex life. And a lot of those books involved candles, lingerie, and finding yourself "sexy". Body confidence is a great asset to a good sex life, but it is not the only issue that can effect libido and desire. When you are having real problems with your sex life, you want answers, not fluff.

Laura Berman doesn't leave out the fluff entirely, but her book is more focused on facts and answers. The first chapter is a good overview of the female anatomy and focuses on self discovery. It is the first "week" in the 10 week program. Your first assignments are examining your own body and masturbating once. Each week ends with assignments and a section that you can involve your partner, explaining your assignments. I would have preferred a gender neutral partner section, but the book is focused mostly on penis/vagina intercourse. This section could be helpful as a starter conversation for couples who don't talk openly about sexuality.

There is a section on vibrators, and a little assessment test to find which sex toys are best for you and suggests "kits" of toys you can try. There is a heavy advertising for Berman products, but others are mentioned as well.

My favorite chapter involves looking closely at hormones and desire levels. The information is straight forward and talks about the pros and cons considering different treatments for problems such as low libido.

There is a chapter about confidence, and personally I'm not fond of all the gender stereotyping that involves being "sexy". Such examples are walking around in stilettos and fantasizing about being the "damsel in distress" style of woman. It seems to focus on being uber feminine. I think these examples could have been left out of the chapter and just focus on being sexual in your own skin.

"Sexercise" involves a good starter guide to Kegel and pelvic floor exercises. Included in this section is a focus on yoga positions to help relieve stress and work the hip region.

A "nutrition" chapter seemed slightly out of place for me. I don't really expect recipes for Pork Tenderloin when I'm trying to improve my sex life. If I want diet and nutritional information I would rather get a separate book for that. To me it felt like filler.

The final chapter on Eastern Alternatives was fun, interesting enough after the chapter on nutrition. Berman went more in depth than I had expected from a rather mainstream sort of book. I enjoyed the ending section on herbal remedies since you hear so much conflicting information concerning effectiveness. Of course I would still consult my doctor before taking any of them.

The Passion Prescription is hit and miss when it comes to information. But if you are searching for a good starter workbook, I would recommend giving it a chance. You are guaranteed to learn something, and perhaps expand on that information elsewhere. There is a good resource guide in the back of the book.