All right, so today I'm reviewing a book a little different from the ones I usually tell y'all about. This book is called The Virgin Diares and it was compiled and editied by Kimberly A. Johnson and Ann Werner. (I am aware that you can see this on the cover, but still.) I want to make a few things clear before I tell you my thoughts on this book. First is that this book is NOT a whole bunch of sex scenes thrown together into some inappropriate piece of literature. Second is that this book IS age appropriate for me. The title seems decieving, but once you find out what the book is really about, and why it was written, all should be well.

The Virgin Diaries is a bunch of stories - 72, to be exact - of many different people's first time having sex. Losing their virginity. Which would explain the title. But that's not all. This brings me back to my point where I said that this book was not "a whole bunch of sex scenes thrown together." The people telling their stories explain about their views on sex before and after, what it was like - emotionally as well as physically - what their relationships with the other people are like now, and they give advice to virgins about when THEY (the readers) have their first times.

This book is aimed toward virgins and teenagers. Mostly teenagers. Honestly, when I was sent a request to review this book, I was VERY hesitant to accept. But then as I looked more in to this book, I really began to like the concept. I'm actually really glad I chose to review this book. It is a great source of information for virgins, especially those who are very confused and curious about sex.

Let's all be honest - most parents don't address the topic of sex all that well with their children. The most advice a parent will give their child would be to use protection. They usually don't go into much more detail than that. I'm not saying that this is how it is for ALL parents and their children, just a majority as far as I can tell. The Virgin Diaries is a very good book for giving more information to virgins so that they aren't wholly unprepared when they think they're ready to give up their virginity. No, this book does not answer every single question anyone could ever ask about sex. I don't think it's possible to do that until you experience it for yourself. But it DOES give you a better idea of what to expect and how to tell when it's the right time for you.

Something I really liked about this book was how all the stories were written by the person who experienced what happened. And by this I mean that there were so many different voices behind all of the stories and I loved that. Instead of the authors of this book writing about what the people said their first times were like, the people who experienced it told their own stories. This way, we don't have one person telling us secondhand what it seemed to be like for someone else, we have the story directly from that person. A story told in their own words, in their own way.

Another thing that I liked about this book was the emotion in the stories. This probably is directly connected to the fact that these stories were written firsthand by the people who experienced them. I loved how the men and women described their emotions. Some of the stories were sad. Like, seriously, "awwww!" Others were funny. Others were just plain awkward. Some were sweet. Some were frustrating. But they were all REAL, and that is the most important part in my eyes.

A valuable thing - to me, anyway - about this book was the fact that there were stories from both men AND women. This means you get to read what it was like for both genders. I think this was beneficial because what girl doesn't ever wonder what's going on in a guy's head? Guys think girls are mysteries, but they can be just as confusing to us as we are to them. So I really liked reading about how the guys felt and what they thought. It was helpful insight into the way guys can think.

No, this book is not a thrill-ride fictional tale that is exciting to read. Of course it's not; it's non-fiction. Still, this book is immensely interesting because it gives you access to information that most people are too shy to ask for and too shy to share. I would DEFINITELY recommend this book to . . . well, anyone. This is the kind of book that is so informative that it could be nice for anyone to pick up and read. It will hold your attention because this topic is something that everyone is always curious about.

Okay, so that's all I have to say about this book. I STRONGLY suggest that you, as my wonderful blog reader, take a look at the book for yourself.

Just A BookLover

This review is going to be a bit different, as I have never reviewed a non-fiction anthology book before.
   
When Ms. Johnson and Ms. Werner requested a review of their book The Virgin Diaries, I admit, I was a bit apprehensive. I don’t tend to read things directly related to sex, but after reading a bit about the book and seeing some of the information behind it, I decided that it would be interesting to read.. This book is primarily aimed toward teenagers, but I honestly think it is a good read for anyone looking for some more insight on the subject. I think the topic is an important one, and that is why I decided to read and review The Virgin Diaries.
 
  The Virgin Diaries consists of about 72 short stories in all, from both male and female points of view, and focuses on sex and virginity. I think this subject is an important one to bring up because nowadays, sex is practically thrown in our faces everywhere. The authors themselves have said this book is supposed to give a little guidance to anyone wondering about sex and anything of the like, and I think the book does give a good base for the curious. Each story recounts the details of a person’s loss of virginity, and there were so many different points of view on the subject. Each of the stories has a different moral, I guess you could say, and I think people looking for information on the subject will be very pleased with the book.
 
  The stories were really interesting to read. Some of them were touching, and some of them were sad, there were many different emotions that flowed through these stories. I never expected to see all the different emotions when reading these stories. I never really thought about people's reactions to sex and virginity before, and i was surprised with how many different views there were. It was cool to see how different the people telling their stories were, and what they all thought afterwards.

This book is definitely great for anyone- teen or adult- looking for advice on sex and virginity. I think the book is important in general just because sex is everywhere: in our movies, in our music, and in our books. I think it is great, especially for teens, to have a book like this to look into and get some insight.
 
 The Virgin Diaries is a quick, enjoyable read, and though it is different from my typical reads, I still enjoyed it and took some great lessons from it. I definitely recommend it, especially to teens who might need a little bit more advice on sex and virginity. Also, I wanted to mention what a great addition the pictures and information tidbits Ms. Werner and Ms. Johnson added into the stories were. I thought they were really cool and interesting and added to the overall feel of the book,

Kreag Sheehan I Devour Books

What an awesome concept for a book. I think this book is full of important infomation about virginity and losing it. When I was younger I got " the talk " in a vague way and that was that. I by no means lived a sheltered life growing up but it would have been nice to had a book along these lines to have read before going out and making such a huge decision. Best part of this book.... the authors didn't preach, leaving the reader to form their own thoughts on each story. And form you will, each of these stories stand alone and I found myself feeling for each of them. This book as found a permanent home on my book shelves!

Click the name of her blog to see full review

Crazy Book Slut

Everyone has a story about their first time, good or bad, and this book lets us into that world of personal stories that 72 men and women share. Being a female, I found the stories and feelings of the men most interesting. It sheds a light on the fact that they have some of the same emotions and feelings as we woman do on sex. It was a great read and I love the way the book is compiled, and the illustrations are fun too (not sexually graphic pics or anything). I do hope the authors carry on with reality based books, because this was an enjoyable, and knowledgeable, read. 

Hayley - Hanging Off The Wire Blog

See full review:

The Virgin Diaries by Kimberley Johnson and Ann Werner, is an anthology of firsts. The mother-and-daughter writing team questioned 72 people about losing their virginity. Inquiries range from the obvious "How old were you?" to the more complex and open ended "Why did you choose to lose it at that time with that person?" The responses, compiled into a series of essays, run the gamut from heartwarming and humorous to tender and romantic to painfully awkward. Interspersed with personal accounts are quotes like "Credibility is like virginity. Once you lose it, you can never get it back." as well as a few statistics on subjects like masturbation and faking orgasms. 

A.D.  The North Bay Bohemian  10/20/10

Surrendering ones virginity is nothing less than a rite of passage, comparable to war or facing death. This book ranks among the most enlightening books ever written on this subject and left me with a new found spiritual dignity. Listening to the narrative is like listening to someone telling you a story in a private place. The story fashions all of the contributors experiences into a cogent weave, resisting the temptation to overpower the narrative with any judgmental insight. The fundamental aesthetic quality of this narrative is that it is internally sufficient, and like Haiku subtlety profound. I feel the book is invaluable to anyone on either side of the virginity threshold.

Bill McDonald