The Clitoral Truth: The Secret World at Your Fingertips. By Rebecca Chalker. New York: Seven Stories Press, 2000. 256 pp., illustrations, references, resources, glossary, index. Paperback, ISBN 1-58322-059-3, $19.95.

Abstract

tically but nonetheless effectively characterizing men's sexual energy as fire, quick to burst into flame and then extinguish, and women's energy as water, slow to boil but able to hold its heat. The authors provide explicit, beautifully illustrated instructions for men in bringing the waters of female passion to a gradual boil and for women in pleasurably delaying a male partner's incendiary responses. They have plenty of fun with their material, employing wit and double entendre in their descriptions of such sport as "tongue kung-fu" and the mechanics of "the art of screwing." A big plus is the section on how to drive a woman wild manually in ways that the penis is not engineered to do. This section alone could be worth a Chinese emperor's ransom to the "watery" sex. The authors are on solid footing when teaching the intricacies of lovemaking and energy flow, but they stumble when turning their attention to relationships. In Chapter 6, after noting that cultivating love is a profound subject that cannot be summarized in a few paragraphs, they try to do what they have just claimed is impossible, in nine pages filled with Cliff Notes-style communication techniques and meditations. This chapter seems to bear the bold handprint of a nervous editor and consequently reads like an afterthought. Chapter 7, "Sexing the Spirit," as well as parts of Chapter 5, meander into what some might call "woowoo land." Although the laudable intent is to further connect body and spirit, rituals of such complexity abound that I suspect few couples not already well acquainted with Tantric or Taoist practices will be inclined to give them a thorough workout. For example, in performing the 8-step "Orgasmic Upward Draw," my partner and I would be asked to, among other things, concentrate on "smiling to our sexual organs," spiraling the energy in our heads by rolling our eyes in circles, and keep reminding ourselves to "continue to make love." To be honest, I think I'd be happier putting my clothes on and shaking my tail-feathers at the nearest dance club. But, then, maybe that's just me. I can only absorb so much "woo-woo" before I roll my eyes for real. The authors also recommend "soul-mating" for "soul orgasms." The directions are hard to track, and, I imagine, even harder to follow-a bit too much like assembling furniture bought at an Ikea sale. The concept also begs the question of whether even multiple orgasms are climactic enough. By raising the bar to "soulgasms," I wonder how many readers will wind up feeling more inadequate than enlightened should they try and fail to reach these peaks. Throughout the book I noticed a paucity of attention to same-sex couples. Although the authors inclusively tip their hat to lesbians and gays, the narrative avoids specific, concrete examples. And the book is replete with lovely, graphic illustrations-mostly of young, slender, attractive, able-bodied, and impressively endowed heterosexual duos. I believe a book of this caliber owes its readers greater all-around diversity. But to be fair, given the nature of the publishing industry, the artwork choices may not have been left to the authors. In the final chapter, the authors return to providing practical and compassionate suggestions geared toward harmonizing desires throughout the lifespan. They tackle the common matter of desire discrepancy, offering insights that could be useful to any couple of any age, whether multi-orgasmic or not, whether in tune with the Taoist approach or not. And here at last is an illustration of a loving couple clearly over 50. Despite some flaws, The Multi-Orgasmic Couple succeeds on many fronts, one of which is in conveying the potent (yet paradoxical) message that sex is about far more than orgasm; it is about prolonged mutual pleasure and the rapturous, life-giving power of physical intimacy. I'm pleased to see that the authors also play a tune that I have been humming for many years, namely that "desire is not just the impulse that leads us to the bedroom; it is the pulse that keeps us alive" (p. 24). In a modem world where sexologists do daily battle with sexual fear, shame, and misinformation, one can appreciate this book's championing of erotic desire and, particularly, its attention to the complexities of female desire. What's more, for those couples whose sex education has been an amalgam of talkshow sound bites, magazine sidebars, and religious dogma, the notion that a respected and ancient spiritual tradition perceives sexuality as a path to health and pleasure, rather than as a measure of morality, may be a revelation.