Sexual Lives: A Reader on the Theories and Realities of Human Sexualities

Sexual Lives: A Reader on the Theories and Realities of Human Sexualities by Betsy Crane. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780072493641.

This reader provides a social constructionist approach to teaching about sexuality. Its 65 selections combine a range of classic theoretical articles with a large number of original pieces, organized to help students understand the ways sexuality influences every aspect of their lives. The reader focuses on the theoretical and the personal stories of people’s sexuality. Personal narratives, many written by students, bridge the gap between theory and experience. The book invites the student into thinking about how sexuality itself is “constructed” as a result of norms, values, beliefs, and practices. It weaves together gender and sexuality, helping students understand the intersection between the two (and the confusion in society when we find people don’t easily “fit” into categories).