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How to Think More About Sex cover art

How to Think More About Sex

By: Alain de Botton, Campus London LTD (The School of Life)
Narrated by: David Thorpe
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Summary

View your sex life in a different light and learn how it can make you happier. Sex is the most intimately human experience there is. It is can also be the most confusing. Our desire to be together conflicts with our desire to avoid vulnerability and appear ‘normal’, leaving us detached, desensitised or embarrassed. Covering topics including adultery, lust, pornography and impotence, Alain de Botton argues that 21st century sex will always be a balancing act of trust versus risk, and of primal desire versus studied civility. By examining sex from a subjective - rather than scientific - perspective, he uncovers new ideas on how we can achieve that balance.

Pulling back the sheets on modern sexuality, How to Think About Sex offers important and surprising wisdom that proves that being good in bed is really all in your head.

©2012 The School of Life (P)2012 Macmillan Digital Audio

What listeners say about How to Think More About Sex

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  • Overall
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    4 out of 5 stars

An interesting read

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book began as a new way to think about sex and its place in our society. I found that stimulating. Nonetheless, there were parts where I found myself wanting to put my head through a wall (see the section on pornography) and felt swamped in Alain's tendency to be an old school traditionalist.

I secretly hoped the book would be a progressive manifesto for reconstructing modern relationships, but proved to be far tamer than that. Alain has some interesting contributions to the debate on modern relationships, but I felt that his work would've benefited from the inclusion of feminist discourse on love and sex. By leaving out the gender-specific issues in relationships, the book felt like a superficial glaze on what is really happening among young couples.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting.....

Not sure what I was expecting with this -- I like the School of Life series. But a well-written essay about sex that dealt with interesting issues but left no lasting impression.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Alain knows us

Again Alain identifies an all too well-known subject and with his eyes and mind and words makes us see it in a fresh new way. I guess the stress mark in the title should be placed under the words think and more. I mainly loved the book, though its final chapter did not feel so honest, but rather as something he had to say.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent and thought-provoking

Again using narrative to engage the reader, De Botton successfully throws our understandings of love, sex and marriage into oblivion and invites us to question our behaviour. A fabulous read!

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1 person found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

psychobabble for me...

narrative was great and a nice voice to listen to.
book was far too deep for me and I found myself drifting when listening to it.
wasn't for me.

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1 person found this helpful

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Very interesting anecdotal take on sex

Raises some very topical ideas around the contrast between long term love and short term lust. Got me thinking! Also had me audibly laughing at points

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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Fine but not amazing

Polarised and many clichés but opens the door to some interesting questions. Will try look into the reading list for something more substantial.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting read..

Very nice book that provides some insights and thoughts provoking ideas, it dives into human connections and relationships in an unusal way that really make you rethink our way of relationships.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Funny, Witty, Only OK.

The book itself begins humorously and interesting, with well narrated stories to illustrate relatable experiences for the regular person. But the explanations behind the stories fail to offer any real insight that is useful and practical.

Ultimately, knowing why the chicken tastes good, doesn't make it taste any better.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Insights self forgiveness and love for others

A pragmatic take on the manifold of sex and sexuality and the many webs it creates.

Through eclectic deferment from history's greatest art, music, philosophy and literature, De Botton enables the observer to adjust their expectations to something more earth bound and rewarding.

His words enduce an erotic awe and captivation for the sensual wonders of the human conditon - counjered only by a splendid command of language. Simultaneously, it reads like some kind of modern day spiritual text with a contemporary scientific rigor and discipline.

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