Sex and the Soul: Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance, and Religion on America's College Campuses

Based on dozens of face-to-face interviews, Sex and the Soul explores the sexual and spiritual lives of today's college students. Donna Freitas crisscrossed the country, visiting a range of America's colleges and universities--from public to private, Catholic to evangelical--to find out what students had to say about these highly personal subjects. Their stories will not only engage readers, but, in many cases, move them with the painful struggles these candid young women and men face. Indeed, the book uncovers aspects of college life that may unsettle some readers, especially parents. Many campuses, for instance, are dominated by the pervasiveness of hook-up culture. Moreover, many students see little connection between sex and religion, even as they seek one between sex and spirituality. Indeed, these observations hold true even at Catholic schools. Only at evangelical colleges is religion an important factor when deciding whether or not to engage in sex. But Freitas's research also reveals that, even at secular schools, students are not comfortable with a culture of casual sex, and that they do want spirituality, at least, if not also religion, to speak about what they should do and who they should try to be--not just what they should avoid doing.

Sex and the Soul will offer readers the chance to hear college students speaking honestly about extremely sensitive topics, in a book that will be of great interest to students, parents, clergy, teachers, and anyone who wants to know what's happening on today's college campuses.

Named one of the Best Religion Books of 2008 by Publishers Weekly

"Fascinating, disturbing...engaging...persuasive.... Freitas's work chronicles a poignant spiritual loss that students themselves articulate and mourn."

--Publishers Weekly

"Candid, disturbing, yet ultimately hopeful....Throughout this beautifully written book, Freitas presents students' feelings and experiences in an unflinching yet compassionate way. You care about these young people and their struggles. This book is a great service to students, parents, and those at colleges and universities who want to prepare young adults not just for the workplace but for healthy and fulfilling lives."

--Christian Science Monitor

Many young people grow up with a very simple notion of religion and sex: they don't mix. Sex outside of marriage is wrong, and that's all there is to it. But young people are surrounded by pressure to have sex, and once they go away to college, that pressure can become unbearable. College is

also a place where many students question the faith they inherited from their families. Is there a relationship between sexual exploration and spiritual exploration? Can romantic relationships and sexual promiscuity shift, split, or even shatter religious identity? Is the much-hyped "hook up

culture" during college a reality-or do students just take it on "faith," without investigating whether activities behind closed doors support this perception?

Donna Freitas sought answers to these and many other questions from students themselves across the United States. She conducted a survey of over 2500 students at a variety of American colleges and universities-Catholic, Christian, public, and private secular-as well as over 130 in-depth interviews.

Her findings will surprise you. Yes, students are having sex and questioning their faith. But they're not happy about it. In fact, many are troubled by the hook-up culture on campus, but feel powerless to do anything about it. Behind closed doors, they're not talking about having sex, but about how

they wish they could stop. They also, however, feel let down by their churches. They want a faith that is relevant to their sex lives, but one that offers solutions that account for their real experiences and difficult questions, not simply more prohibitions.

Steering the conversation away from bromides and jeremiads, Freitas both tells the stories of college students and lets them speak for themselves, offering us a window into what's really happening on campus today. This book will be invaluable to high school and college students, parents, teachers,

administrators, religious leaders, scholars, and anyone interested in what college students have to say about the state of college sexual morality, romance, and religion.

Donna Freitas is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Gender at St. Michael's College in Vermont. She received her Ph.D. from Catholic University. In addition to writing books, Donna regularly contributes to a number of magazines, newspapers, and webzines, including Beliefnet, The Wall

Street Journal, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, Christian Century, and School Library Journal.