
Ooops, we did it again. BCC Press has come up with a book that is so amazing, so relevant, and so in tune with both the zeitgeist and the spiritus mundi that you are going to have a hard time finishing this article before heading over to Amazon to buy it. That’s OK. We know the feeling. We’ll wait.
Bonnie Young’s Sex Educated: Letters from a Latter-day Saint Therapist to Her Younger Self is, well, about sex. But it is also a deeply learned and profoundly compassionate discussion of the physical, spiritual, and emotional aspects of healthy sexuality. And the framing device—lessons from a wise woman and a trained therapist to younger versions of herself—is absolutely perfect for her task. Who among us doesn’t wish we could start part of our life over again with the knowledge that we have now? This is literally what Bonnie Young offers her readers of all ages.
The letters’ addressees go from ten to 28 years old, and the discussion changes with the age of the implied reader. The advice is specific when it needs to be, and it neither over- nor under-emphasizes the physical dimensions of sexuality. Nothing in the book contradicts Latter-day Saint doctrine, nor would it be out of place in the most faithful home. But nothing contradicts science or best clinical practice either. And there are drawings.
The book is perfect for parents, but also for other human beings who want to break past the silence that our culture often places on sexual development in ways that are affirming, spiritual, and kind.
Here’s what we mean:
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