Ethical Slut - erotic book by Celestial Arts - review by firekitten

The overall concept of the book is interesting--to be an "ethical slut", openly poly, etc. It isn't a new concept anymore, but at the time of the original printing it was relatively groundbreaking. This has been toted as a bible, a must read, and as invaluable. However, beyond the very basic agreement that the word slut should be reclaimed, I am not seeing eye to eye with this book.

The author's voice is at times very snobby and elitest when referring to the poly lifestyle versus those who choose to lead monogamous lives. A book such as this has the opportunity to educate those who are both familiar and unfamiliar with the challenges and benefits to leading a poly lifestyle. In my opinion, however,the author has failed miserably in capturing the potential audience of readers who are not already experienced. The voice she uses in absolutely unaccepting, and at times scathing.

There are some sections here and there that are useful, but it seems to me for the most part that this book is written more for those who are already deep in the trenches of the poly lifestyle rather than those who are just dipping their toes in or who are looking for a basic education. Ultimately I gave my copy to my sister and she has enjoyed it. For what it is worth, the book does come highly recommended which is why I initially purchased it. I was looking for some material on how to navigate a poly relationship and several people pointed me in this direction. However, I preferred a less biased voice, probably because I am very inexperienced in this area, and lean heavily in the monogamous direction. This book made me feel like the author believed those who choose to remain monogamous are uneducated and naive.