Synopses & Reviews
"
The Sex Diaries Project is a razor-sharp analysis of how we mate and relate. Cohen is a modern-day Kinsey, offering us a fascinating peek behind bedroom doors that are usually closed. Treat yourself to a good read, a good night, and good partnerships."
—Nancy Redd, New York Times bestselling author of Body Drama and Diet Drama
Arianne Cohen spent four years collecting 1,500 sex diaries from people all over North America. In The Sex Diaries Project, she takes us on a tantalizing tour through the sometimes shocking, always entertaining real diaries of forty diverse women and men, creating a compelling portrait of sex and sexuality in America today that will forever change the way you look at relationships.
Have you ever had a nagging sense that there's more to sex than you've experienced? There is. Whether straight or gay, younger or older, single, married, or other, each sex diarist tells a story that will transform your perspective on your friends, colleagues, neighbors, and fellow commuters. Ranging from scandalous to hilarious, moving to rowdy, the writers speak frankly of their desires and share their sexual and romantic fantasies and realities.
Each of the sex diaries is fascinating and thought-provoking. From the Madly-in-Love 17-Year-Old Who Might Be Pregnant to the Cheating Father of Three and the Grandma Who Is Perfectly Happy Alone, these tales of loving, longing, and leaving will amaze you. You'll meet the Sexy Stay-at-HomeMom, the Single Virgin Obsessed with Sex, and the Marketing Guy Hosting His Hot Long-Distance Boyfriend for the Weekend.
Yet there is more to these personal stories than sex. Editor Arianne Cohen acts as a trusted and informed narrator as she guides you through the intricate labyrinth of the sex diarists' private lives. In her brilliant and incisive commentary, Cohen explores major themes such as how Americans relate to one another sexually (monogamy is less common than you think, for example) and shows how and why the definition of what a relationship is can vary so broadly from person to person. She shows you the three main types of relationships, highlighting the pros and cons of each, and shares how this knowledge might inform your own decisions to help you build the relationships and sex life that you want.
Once you start reading The Sex Diaries Project, you won't be able to put it down. Nor will you want to. Enjoy!
Synopsis
The candid, revealing, sometimes heartbreaking, always fascinating diaries of a broad spectrum of North Americans, collected and organized by a brilliant and mediagenic journalist. Oprah Winfrey Network has optioned the TV rights to this book for a reality TV show.
CONTENTS
Introduction: What the Sex Diaries Mean
Chapter 1/We're Two Peas in a Pod: Coupledom
Chapter 2/Together -- Forever?
Chapter 3/The Secrets Behind Breakups
Chapter 4/On Paper, I'm Monogamous; In Practice....
Chapter 5/In My Head It's Not Over Yet
Chapter 6/I Am My Own Soulmate
Chapter 7/Single and Obsessed with Sex
Chapter 8/The More the Merrier
Index
Synopsis
In the tradition of The Vagina Monologues and PostSecret, this provocative collection takes a peek behind bedroom doors?satisfying our insatiable desires to look into the private lives of ordinary peopleArianne Cohen spent four years collecting 1,500 Sex Diaries and in this book she takes us on a tantalizing tour of American bedrooms through the all-new, provocative, often moving, sometimes shocking, always entertaining real diaries of forty Sex Diarists. From the Madly-In-Love 17-Year-Old Who Might be Pregnant to the Cheating Father of Three and the Grandma Who Is Perfectly Happy Alone, these tales of love, lust, longing and leaving will shock, titillate, and educate. Cohen serves as tour guide, drawing on her deep database of Sex Diaries for her incisive and illuminating commentary. Cohen was the first editor of the Sex Diaries column, a popular feature in New York magazine, editing it from 2007 to 2010. Her work regularly appears in Marie Claire and the New York Times and she is a contributing editor at Woman's Day. She is executive producing a TV reality series based on this book.
- Presents a groundbreaking portrait of relationships in America?including myriad options beyond single, dating, and married
- Includes Sex Diaries of straight, gay, bi, single, married, young, and older Sex Diarists, published here for the first time
- Gives readers tips on how to evaluate their own relationships and sex lives
Sex is everywhere in our culture?yet how people best connect and disconnect is largely a mystery. The Sex Diaries Project turns the lights on to reveal the secrets that lie behind closed bedroom doors.
Synopsis
"
The Sex Diaries Project is the ultimate snoop fest: a peephole with pages. Because we all want to know if they're doing it the same way we are."
—Laura Zigman, New York Times bestselling author of Animal Husbandry and coauthor of Get Over Yourself!
"If it weren't for sex, you wouldn't be here. The Sex Diaries Project opens the door to priceless real-life tips, tricks, and experiences. I promise that you're not the only one?who hasn't had sex in five months, is obsessed with someone, or has a fetish. You'll laugh out loud and see the lighter side of your sexy self—it's liberating."?
—Steve Santagati, author of the New York Times bestselling The Manual
A tantalizing tour through the private lives of ordinary people
The Sex Diaries Project turns the lights on to reveal the secrets behind closed bedroom doors, presenting a groundbreaking portrait of relationships in America—including the options beyond single, dating, or married—and a brilliant, witty analysis of how Americans relate. It includes sex diaries of straight, gay, bi, single, married, young, and older diarists, published here for the first time.
"As a gay man who is married to a wonderful husband, I found this book completely fascinating. The Sex Diaries Project presents the diverse spectrum of sexuality in America today in a nonjudgmental and brilliantly insightful manner."
—Ryan Nickulas, The A-List: New York
Synopsis
In the tradition of The Vagina Monologues and PostSecret, this provocative collection takes a peek behind bedroom doors?satisfying our insatiable desires to look into the private lives of ordinary peopleArianne Cohen spent four years collecting 1,500 Sex Diaries and in this book she takes us on a tantalizing tour of American bedrooms through the all-new, provocative, often moving, sometimes shocking, always entertaining real diaries of forty Sex Diarists. From the Madly-In-Love 17-Year-Old Who Might be Pregnant to the Cheating Father of Three and the Grandma Who Is Perfectly Happy Alone, these tales of love, lust, longing and leaving will shock, titillate, and educate. Cohen serves as tour guide, drawing on her deep database of Sex Diaries for her incisive and illuminating commentary. Cohen was the first editor of the Sex Diaries column, a popular feature in New York magazine, editing it from 2007 to 2010. Her work regularly appears in Marie Claire and the New York Times and she is a contributing editor at Woman's Day. She is executive producing a TV reality series based on this book.
- Presents a groundbreaking portrait of relationships in America?including myriad options beyond single, dating, and married
- Includes Sex Diaries of straight, gay, bi, single, married, young, and older Sex Diarists, published here for the first time
- Gives readers tips on how to evaluate their own relationships and sex lives
Sex is everywhere in our culture?yet how people best connect and disconnect is largely a mystery. The Sex Diaries Project turns the lights on to reveal the secrets that lie behind closed bedroom doors.
About the Author
ARIANNE COHEN collects sex diaries from all over the globe and partners with publishers, producers, and museums to share them with the world. Her work appears regularly in publications such as the New York Times, the Guardian, Elle, and Marie Claire, among many others, and she is executive producing a reality TV series based on the project. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard. Cohen invites you to keep your own anonymous diary at www.sexdiariesproject.com.
Table of Contents
Introduction: A Few Tantalizing Words from Your Sex Diaries Editor 1
Part One Solo
1 Dalliancing: I'm Enjoying Myself 11
2 Soloing: I Am My Own Soul Mate 39
Part Two Partnered
A Brief Intermission: Your Editor's Sex Diaries Epiphany 57
3 Dating: It's Simple: I Like You, You Like Me 67
4 Committing: Together, Forever 97
5 Recommitting: Round Two 139
6 Ending: Dissonance, Breakups, Death and Other Mishaps 159
Part Three Poly
7 Cheating: On Paper I'm Monogamous, in Practice . . . 207
8 Flourishing: The More, The Merrier 235
Appendix: What Kind of Relationship Is It?: A Cheat Sheet 275
The Sex Diarists 277
Notes 285
Acknowledgments 287
Index 289