Prime

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You'll find our review of Prime and some early excchanges. As Pepper Schwartz says in her first comment here, her most important message is about the importnace of "enjoying our sensuality and sexuality all of our lives, and especially in our fifities, sixties and beyond!"

Are you a reader who can share your experience of sex and sensuality in our fifties, sixties and beyond? Mimi, that means you. And I know there are others! Or perhaps you are a reader anticipating that kind of experience in the future? Jump into the conversation! And men too -- don't be shy. After all, many of those experiences involve you!

Come, talk about sex and older women with Pepper Schwartz!

Starting this weekend, Pepper Schwartz will join us for a discussion of her new book, Prime: Adventures and Advice on Sex and Love in the Sensual Years.

Please join us!

Jeffrey Rosenfeld reviewed the book for us here. We'd especially love to hear from people who have read the book, but all are welcome.

Dr. Pepper Schwartz is a noted sociologist specializing in sexuality. She has written over 40 academic research articles, and also many accessible books on sex and relationships including, including The Great Sex Weekend and Everything You Know About Sex and Love is Wrong, along other books aimed at helping people keep their sexual relationships interesting and vibrant. She has also written Ten Talks Parents Must Have With Their Children About Sex and Character and 201 Question to Ask Your Kids / 201 Questions to Ask Your Parents, books that help parents talk about sex with their kids, Pepper Schwartz has dedicated her career to opening up sexuality as a realm of sociological study, but also to making that study useful and accessible to the public. In Prime, she does something academic-types rarely do under their own names: she reveals much about her own sex life, using her own experience as a prompt to offer advice to herself and to other women experiencing the dating and relationship-building world in their 50s.

This conversation marks the beginning of a new feature for us here in the Square. We're initiating a series of conversations with authors of the books we review, and we're thrilled that Pepper Schwartz has agreed to kick off the series for us.

The conversation will take place in the comments section of Jeff Rosenfeld's review. When we start, I'll put a direct link to the conversation on the sidebar of the site so you can get there quickly!

From Jeff Rosenfeld's review:

"The message is simple but important. Being single and of “A Certain Age” is no reason to give-up on sex. Pepper Schwartz knows – and we should too, that “You can have sex, and can want sex, way into old age,” And Pepper Schwartz offers herself up as a role-model for women who want to own their sensuality."

and... 

"The great value of Prime is that the sexual experience is always wrapped in its psychological and interpersonal trappings. Schwartz wants to create meaningful, honest relationships with her lovers, and takes us along as she does the psychological work."

and... 

"Prime deserves the same praise as Betty Friedan’s Fountain of Age (Simon & Schuster, 1993) Friedan’s agenda was similar to Pepper Schwartz’s. Years ago, she reminded her readers that old age should be anadventure. Prime is significant because it gives older women the hope and confidence they need to make their lives sensual and lush."

Click here to read the whole review!