Sex Object by Jessica Valenti- Book Review

I must open this blog stating- I will have to use language that some might find offensive or highly sexual. If I didn't, I wouldn't be accurately portraying Valenti's work. I am warning ahead of time, so no complaining, ok?

Before I purchased Sex Object by Jessica Velenti, I had an uncomfortable conversation.

I purchased the book from The Golden Notebook in Woodstock, NY (shop local!) and got into a conversation with the owner about the book. The owner is a woman and I am a man. The question was a simple one- the owner asked- I heard about this book, what is it about? She had found out I was an amateur blogger and she found out I blush easily. She found this out because I started saying what I knew the book was about-

The way men look at women and say inappropriate things, sometimes even to the point of no longer speaking, but doing. It is about her sex life, abortion, her drug habit, but mostly how men treat women. 

The more I spoke, the redder I got, until I got to the point of saying- "You probably know more about what she is talking about than I do, so I am just going to stop talking now." The owner and I laughed at not only my embarrassment, but also that Valenti was writing about truth and doing it in a no holds punches type of way.

These articles are raw and not for the easily embarrassed/offended. She speaks openly about blowjobs, seeing men's penises on the subway, being ejaculated on without her knowing it, getting raped, abortion, drugs, and what she has been called as a writer for many popular sites. The way she writes is in small blog like chapters that usually begin with a bang- an example from "Anon"- I don't remember the first time an anonymous man told me to go fuck myself or said I was a cunt...." That is what you will get if you pick up this book. 

The book is told in 3 parts, but I was a bit unsure why as the articles didn't stray too far from similar topics and the book is only 192 pages long or 200 with the end notes, which were notes written to her via email/blog comment- one was just a string of "fuck you." This also is not a humor book. I write that having just read and reviewed "Shrill" which has similar topics and at least in my Amazon feed is listed as one of the "books you might also enjoy." The two are vastly different.

I will write that the book did effect me. As I read, I thought about my own behavior, but also my own naiveté. I too grew up in NYC and now live near Woodstock (where her parents moved to), but I had no idea that things like this happened to women. I had heard catcalls because there are just people who are jerks who do that, but to actually take out one's penis and sometimes masturbate, just kind of floored me. It was one of those things that I thought wouldn't happen in a million years, but for Valenti it was almost a weekly/monthly thing! The book also opened up conversation with my wife as I jokingly asked her- "How many stranger's penises have you seen?" and she had to think about the question. Again, I am the naive one here.

The book is a challenging book. It ranges from the shocking articles to articles about the birth of her child who was a preemie, so it doesn't stay shocking the whole time. It reads very quickly and it is bite sized. I would read 2-3 chapters a day to stretch it out. If I sat down and read it, I could have done so in about an hour-an hour and a half.

I rated this one 4 stars. 

Here is your Amazon link- Sex Object by Jessica Valenti