About this item
An honest and poignant collection of essays by women about losing their virginity in their teens. The V-Word captures the complexity of this important life-decision and reflects diverse real-world experiences. Includes helpful resources for parents and teens.Losing it. Popping your cherry. Handing in your V-card. First time sex is a big unknown. Will it be candlelight and rose petals or quick and uncomfortable? Is it about love or about lust? Deciding to have sex for the first time is a choice that's often fraught with anxiety and joy. But do you have anyone telling you what sex is really like? In The V-Word seventeen writers (including Christa Desir, Justina Ireland, Sara Ryan, Carrie Mesrobian, Erica Lorraine Scheidt, and Jamia Wilson) pull back the sheets and tell all, covering everything from straight sex to queer sex, diving-in versus waiting, and even the exhilaration and disappointment that blankets it all. Some of their experiences happened too soon, some at just the right time, but all paint a broad picture of what first-time sex is really like. Funny, hot, meaningful, cringe-worthy, gross, forgettable, magnificent, empowering, and transformative, the stories in The V-Word are never preachy, but provide a map for teens to chart their own course through the steamy waters of sex. With The V-Word girls can finally take control, learn what's on the horizon, and eliminate the fear and mystery surrounding this important milestone.
About the Author
Amber J. Keyser is the author of fourteen books for teens and tweens. Her YA novel Pointe, Claw (Carolrhoda Lab, 2017) is an explosive story about two girls claiming the territory of their own bodies. It received multiple starred reviews and was featured in Horn Book Love Stories for Pride Month and Booklist's Top Ten Arts Books for Youth 2017.The Way Back From Broken (Carolrhoda Lab, 2015) is a heart-wrenching YA novel of loss and survival, which was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award, received a starred review from Booklist and was an Alan Pick. Amber created, edited, and contributed to The V-Word: True Stories of First-Time Sex (Beyond Words/SimonTeen, 2016) , a nonfiction, YA anthology. Honors for this book include multiple starred reviews and New York Public Library 50 Best Books for Teens 2016, Chicago Public Library Best Nonfiction for Teens 2016, ALA Rainbow List 2017, ALA Reluctant Reader List 2017, and The Amelia Bloomer List 2017.She is the author of multiple nonfiction titles including No More Excuses: Dismantling Rape Culture (2019) , Underneath It All: A History of Women's Underwear (2018) , Tying the Knot: A World History of Marriage (2018) , and Sneaker Century: A History of Athletic Shoes (2015) , several of which were Junior Library Guild Selections. She is the co-author with Kiersi Burkhart of the middle grade series Quartz Creek Ranch (Darby Creek, 2017) .
