What Your Mama Never Told You: True Stories About Sex and Love

by Tara Roberts (Editor)

Overview

Like big sisters sharing secrets, these everyday young adult black women bravely open their arms and bare their souls. Their intimate and insightful memoirs about sexual coming-of-age experiences reveal that the most personal moments are often, surprisingly, the most universal. Find out what your mama never told you—and let your sisters’ stories wrap you up in a big hug.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780618646364
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	02/01/2007
Pages:	274
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.62(d)
Age Range:	10 - 12 Years

About the Author

Tara Roberts is a former lifestyle editor for both Essence and Heart & Soul magazines. She is currently the managing editor of Sex, Etc., the national newsletter and Web site written by teens, for teens, out of Rutgers University. Tara divides her time between Atlanta, Georgia, and Highland Park, New Jersey.

Editorial Reviews

"Highly explicit, generous, and filled with hopeful wishes, these stories will rivet young women of all colors and backgrounds who are exploring their sexuality and searching for themselves." Booklist, ALA

"This is a wonderful collection...The selections offer refreshing insights..."

School Library Journal

Heartfelt and sincere, and it will definitely connect with adolescent girls confused about their own sexual desires and fulfillment.
KLIATT

"...explicit explorations of all aspects of female sexuality, as well as the feeling that we're all in this together so we may as well be frank about it, will undoubtedly keep this book in high demand." Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

From the Publisher

In What Your Mama Never Told You: True Stories About Sex and Love, editor Tara Roberts follows up her first book of essays, Am I the Last Virgin? Ten African American Reflections on Sex & Love (PW said, "Girls of all races will hear their experiences and concerns echoed in the voices of these African American women"), with an essay anthology that explores topics including faith, masturbation and how to say "no." (Houghton/Graphia, $7.99 paper 272p ages 16-up ISBN 978-0-618-64636-4; Jan.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

In this collection of sixteen memoirs, African-American women share their stories about coming-of-age, both sexually and emotionally. Some stories have compassionate parents or lovers, some contain stories of abuse and the aftermath, but all share a loving and supportive exploration of female sexuality in all its forms, especially for young African-Americans (though the situations can apply to girls of any race). If looking for a frank and honest discussion of growing sexuality and learning to love oneself, this is definitely the right book to read. Reading all the stories straight through in one sitting might make the subject start to seem overwhelming but taken individually, each story is empowering in a different way. It should be noted, however, that some younger girls might not be quite ready for these kinds of conversations, and great care should be taken to keep them from dismissing the ideas outright. This book, or selected stories from it, would make a wonderful textbook for women's studies, health, or sexuality courses. The stories are good tools for launching discussions about sex, sexuality, and love for yourself and others.

Children's Literature - Kathleen Foucart

It would be easy to dismiss this extremely graphic book about sexuality as too potentially troublesome for YA collections. And yet, it is certainly heartfelt and sincere, and it will definitely connect with adolescent girls confused about their own sexual desires and fulfillment. Roberts is currently the managing editor of Sex, Etc., a national magazine and website written by teens, for teens, out of Rutgers University. She has been an editor for Essence and Heart & Soul and she founded Fierce, a progressive woman's magazine. In this collection of intimate memoirs, 15 African American women write about intense experiences and emotions, all having to do with sex. They are writing to adolescent girls about their own adolescence and coming of age. Some have to struggle with guilt and repression because of religious teachings about sexuality (Catholic, Muslim, Baptist, you name it.) Most everyone had to cope with parents and grandparents who were not helpful, even unhelpful, in helping a girl accept her body and her sexual desires. There is a lot about masturbation and first sexual experiences; some memoirs continue into marriage accounts. The basic themes are that sexual desire and fulfillment are healthy, our bodies are wonderfully made, and women should never feel subjugated by men.

KLIATT - Claire Rosser

Gr 9 Up
This is a wonderful collection of 16 sensitive essays penned by young black women writers chronicling their personal encounters with love and with sexual awakening. Each true story depicts a special aspect of a young woman's growing awareness of her body, her sexuality, her capacity to love, and male/female relationships. All of the selections are tenderly told and meant to convey life lessons from the black, female perspective. In addition to the essays, the book includes a thumbnail sketch of each contributor and a listing of resources on sexuality, reproduction, and sexually transmitted diseases. These selections offer refreshing insights into adolescence and what it means to be a sexual being. And, although sex and sexuality are the focus of each story, there are no explicit descriptions. For those libraries seeking to enhance their health and human-development collections, this book should prove to be a valuable addition.
—Carol Jones CollinsCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal