Advertisement
Molly Jong Fast Images: A Deep Dive into the Photographer's Dynamic Style
Introduction:
Are you captivated by the vibrant energy and raw emotion captured in Molly Jong's photography? This post delves deep into the world of Molly Jong's fast-paced, action-packed imagery. We'll explore her unique style, the techniques she employs, the subjects she often portrays, and the impact her work has on viewers. Prepare to be inspired by the speed, dynamism, and artistry found within her "fast images." We'll analyze what makes her work so distinctive and how she achieves such stunning results in fleeting moments. This comprehensive guide offers insights for aspiring photographers and art enthusiasts alike, providing a complete understanding of Molly Jong's impactful photographic style and the stories behind her captivating work.
Understanding Molly Jong's "Fast Images" Style:
Molly Jong's photography isn't just about capturing a moment; it's about capturing the feeling of a moment. Her "fast images," as we'll refer to them, are characterized by several key elements:
1. Motion and Blur: A hallmark of her style is the skillful use of motion blur. Instead of freezing every detail, she embraces the dynamism of movement, often leaving trails of motion that add a sense of energy and excitement to the image. This technique isn't haphazard; it's carefully controlled to enhance the narrative of the photograph. She uses slow shutter speeds to achieve this effect, requiring precise timing and a deep understanding of her camera settings.
2. Candid Moments: Jong's photography frequently captures candid moments – unscripted, spontaneous actions that reveal genuine emotion and human connection. This requires patience, anticipation, and a keen eye for seizing fleeting opportunities. These unguarded moments are what truly give her images their power and authenticity. The viewer feels like a privileged witness to an intimate slice of life.
3. Vibrant Color Palettes: Her photographs aren't shy with color. She uses bold, saturated colors to enhance the visual impact and energy of her work. Color is used strategically, not just for aesthetic appeal but to also reinforce the narrative and mood of each photograph. This thoughtful use of color is a major contributor to the overall vibrancy of her "fast images."
4. High-Impact Composition: Despite the inherent chaos of fast-paced scenes, her compositions are remarkably strong. She often employs leading lines, rule of thirds, and other compositional techniques to guide the viewer's eye and create a sense of visual harmony amidst the movement. This demonstrates a mastery of photographic technique that goes beyond simply pointing and shooting.
5. Emotional Resonance: The underlying theme in her work seems to be the capturing of human emotion in its rawest form. Whether it's joy, sorrow, excitement, or frustration, her images resonate emotionally with the viewer, creating a powerful connection between the subject and the audience. This ability to evoke deep emotion is a testament to her talent as a visual storyteller.
Analyzing Specific Examples (Hypothetical, as specific images require copyright permission):
To illustrate these points, let's imagine analyzing a few hypothetical images:
Image 1: A blurry street scene: A bustling city street with blurred figures rushing past, highlighting the energy of urban life. The motion blur emphasizes the speed and dynamism, while a carefully placed focal point draws the eye to a specific detail within the chaos. This showcases her mastery of both motion blur and composition.
Image 2: A candid shot at a concert: An image capturing a single person in the crowd, lost in the music, their expression conveying pure joy. The shallow depth of field isolates the subject, making the emotion palpable. The use of a fast shutter speed freezes the expression but might slightly blur the background, further emphasizing the subject's joy.
Image 3: A sports photograph: An action shot during a game, capturing the decisive moment of a player's triumph. The use of a fast shutter speed freezes the action, while the vibrant colours and composition create a dramatic visual narrative. The energy and excitement are almost palpable.
The Techniques Behind the Speed:
Molly Jong’s success isn't merely about luck; it's the result of technical proficiency and careful preparation. Her techniques likely include:
Mastering Shutter Speed: Understanding how different shutter speeds affect motion blur is crucial. She expertly balances freezing motion with creating a sense of dynamism.
Understanding Aperture: Controlling depth of field allows her to isolate subjects and emphasize details, adding to the storytelling aspect of her work.
ISO Control: Finding the right balance between ISO settings and image quality is crucial for capturing fast-paced action in varying lighting conditions.
Predicting the Moment: Anticipating the perfect moment is crucial for candid shots. It's a combination of observation, patience, and intuition.
Post-Processing: While her style emphasizes capturing the moment in-camera, subtle post-processing enhances color, contrast, and sharpness without sacrificing the authentic feeling of the image.
The Impact of Molly Jong's Work:
Molly Jong's "fast images" have a significant impact on the viewer. They offer a glimpse into fleeting moments, often emotional and powerful. The raw energy, genuine emotion, and compelling compositions leave a lasting impression. Her work inspires others to appreciate the beauty of everyday life, the importance of capturing spontaneous moments, and the expressive power of photography.
Article Outline:
Title: Molly Jong Fast Images: A Deep Dive into the Photographer's Dynamic Style
Introduction: Hooking the reader and providing an overview of the post.
Understanding Molly Jong's "Fast Images" Style: Exploring key characteristics like motion blur, candid moments, and vibrant color palettes.
Analyzing Specific Examples (Hypothetical): Illustrating the stylistic elements through hypothetical image examples.
The Techniques Behind the Speed: Detailing the technical skills and knowledge required to capture such dynamic images.
The Impact of Molly Jong's Work: Discussing the overall influence and inspirational value of her photographic style.
Conclusion: Summarizing the main points and reiterating the unique qualities of Molly Jong's photography.
(Note: The body of this outline has been explained extensively above.)
Conclusion:
Molly Jong's unique style, characterized by its dynamism, emotional depth, and technical skill, sets her apart in the world of photography. Her "fast images" are a testament to the power of capturing spontaneous moments and the artistry of harnessing motion blur and vibrant color to tell compelling visual stories. Her work inspires photographers and art enthusiasts alike to seek out the extraordinary in the ordinary and to appreciate the beauty of life's fleeting moments.
FAQs:
1. What type of camera does Molly Jong likely use? While specific equipment isn't publicly available, she likely uses a high-quality DSLR or mirrorless camera capable of fast shutter speeds and excellent low-light performance.
2. What lenses are best suited for capturing "fast images"? Fast prime lenses (with wide apertures) are ideal for low-light conditions and shallow depth of field, while versatile zoom lenses allow for capturing a wider range of scenes.
3. How can I learn to emulate Molly Jong's style? Practice capturing candid moments, experiment with shutter speeds and motion blur, and study composition techniques.
4. What software does she likely use for post-processing? Popular options include Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.
5. Is her style limited to specific genres? No, her style can be applied to various genres, including street photography, portraiture, and sports photography.
6. How important is post-processing in her workflow? While capturing the moment in-camera is paramount, subtle post-processing enhances the final image.
7. Where can I find more of Molly Jong's work? (Hypothetical - replace with actual online presence if available) You could search for her on platforms like Instagram or Behance.
8. What makes her work stand out from other photographers? Her unique blend of technical skill, emotional depth, and dynamic composition is key.
9. Are there any workshops or courses that teach similar techniques? Many photography courses cover motion blur, candid photography, and composition techniques.
Related Articles:
1. Mastering Motion Blur in Photography: A guide to understanding and utilizing motion blur for creative effect.
2. The Art of Candid Photography: Techniques for capturing spontaneous and genuine moments.
3. Composition Techniques for Dynamic Images: Exploring various compositional rules and their application.
4. Choosing the Right Camera Gear for Action Photography: A guide to selecting the right equipment for capturing fast-paced scenes.
5. Post-Processing for Action Shots: Techniques for enhancing action photographs without sacrificing authenticity.
6. Understanding Shutter Speed and Aperture: A fundamental guide to camera settings crucial for action photography.
7. The Psychology of Color in Photography: Exploring the emotional impact of color choices in image creation.
8. Building a Photography Portfolio that Stands Out: Tips for showcasing your work effectively.
9. How to Market Your Photography Online: Strategies for reaching a wider audience.
| molly jong fast images: The Social Climber's Handbook Molly Jong-Fast, 2011-04-26 HIGH SOCIETY CAN BE A KILLER. Upper East Side socialite Daisy Greenbaum is accustomed to the finer things—designer clothes, summers in the Hamptons, elite private school educations for her daughters, and a staggeringly expensive Park Avenue apartment. But Daisy finds her well-heeled lifestyle on precarious footing after her husband, master of the universe Dick Greenbaum, learns about some shady dealings that threaten his position at The Bank. Daisy refuses to allow her family to slip down the social ladder, so she devises a madcap plan: Anyone who jeopardizes her place at the top will simply have to be dispatched—six feet under. From Dick’s arrogant boss to his scheming former mistress to a pair of nosy bloggers, Daisy’s hit list is a who’s who of big names with even bigger secrets. But with the body count rising as the Dow Jones falls, can Daisy really get away with murder? |
| molly jong fast images: Normal Girl Molly Jong-Fast, 2001-07-13 Randa, what's wrong with you? Nothing. I mean, I'm a crazy cocaine addict with a hankering for heroin, but other than that, I'm just a nice Jewish girl from the Upper East Side with Prada shoes. How could anything be wrong? Molly Jong-Fast's Normal Girl is striking-and as funny as it as real. Inspired by her own experiences growing up in the decadent, fast-paced netherworld of New York City's jet set, Jong-Fast's debut novel is a hilarious, hard-edged walk past the velvet rope. At just nineteen, Miranda Woke seems to have it all. Her parents are famous socialites, she's already been written up on Page Six sixteen times, she's on all the right invitation lists, and drugs and alcohol are never in short supply. But while her image screams It girl, she'd rather be a normal girl, and the A-list feels even more uncomfortable than her Manolo Blahnik shoes. In fact, she's become the living embodiment of an awkward phase with more issues than Harper's Bazaar. Neither Xanax nor Deepak Chopra tapes help. And now that her junkie party has trashed her parents' house, she has to liquidate her trust fund to pay Mom's decorator for a quick fix. But worst of all, Miranda thinks she just murdered her own boyfriend. In an all-too-glamorous world where the cell phone is always ringing, Miranda sees no escape other than a downward spiral of cocaine, Valium, and heroin. It takes friends who offer more than air kisses to force Miranda to look in the mirror and get some help. |
| molly jong fast images: Girl [Maladjusted] Molly Jong-Fast, 2007-12-18 Molly Jong-Fast grew up in a town house with a pink door and paintings of ladies playing naked Twister. There were world-famous therapists living in her cellar, a secretary with a brain tumor, a nanny who was a numbers runner, and grandparents who revealed that they had sex on their first date. Leading therapists agree: a normal childhood. In Girl [Maladjusted], Molly Jong-Fast takes us on a tour of her big fat Jewish bohemian upbringing. With the same keen insight, effortless cool, and buoyant wit that won her legions of devoted readers in Normal Girl, she offers a riotous and affecting coming-of-age story that is both uniquely weird and weirdly universal. |
| molly jong fast images: Ann Tenna Marisa Acocella Marchetto, 2015-09-01 From the celebrated New Yorker cartoonist and acclaimed author of Cancer Vixen, a brilliant, funny, and wildly imaginative first novel: the story of an influential gossip columnist brought face-to-face with her higher self—and a challenge to change her life for the better. Glamorous, superconnected Ann Tenna is the founder of Eyemauler, a New York City-based Web site that’s always the first to dish the most up-to-the-minute dirt on celebrities and ordinary folks alike. Ann has ascended to the zenith of the New York media scene, attended by groups of grovelers all too willing to be trampled on by her six-inch Giuseppe Zanottis if it means better seats at the table. But as high as her success has taken her, Ann has actually fallen far—very far—from her true self. It takes a near-fatal freak accident on her birthday—April Fool’s Day—and an intervention from her cosmic double in a realm beyond our own to make Ann realize the full cost of the humanity she has lost. Told with laugh-out-loud humor, spot-on dialogue (including via cameo appearances from Coco Chanel, Gianni Versace, and Jimi Hendrix, to name just a few), and stunning, full-color artwork, Ann Tenna is a timely, necessary tale for our overly “media-cated” times: the newest, much-anticipated adventure from a supremely gifted artist at the height of her powers. |
| molly jong fast images: Fear of Dying Erica Jong, 2015-09-08 Fear of Dying is a hilarious, heart wrenching, and beautifully told story about what happens when one woman steps reluctantly into the afternoon of life. Vanessa Wonderman is a gorgeous former actress in her 60's who finds herself balancing between her dying parents, her aging husband and her beloved, pregnant daughter. Although Vanessa considers herself a happily married woman, the lack of sex in her life makes her feel as if she's losing something too valuable to ignore. So she places an ad for sex on a site called Zipless.com and the life she knew begins to unravel. With the help and counsel of her best friend, Isadora Wing, Vanessa navigates the phishers and pishers, and starts to question if what she's looking for might be close at hand after all. Fear of Dying is a daring and delightful look at what it really takes to be human and female in the 21st century. Wildly funny and searingly honest, this is a book for everyone who has ever been shaken and changed by love. |
| molly jong fast images: The Devil at Large Erica Jong, 1994 In the perfect match of author and subject, poet and novelist Erica Jong charts the life and legacy of Henry Miller, the archetypal sensualist whose notorious Tropic of Cancer and subsequent books ultimately changed the boundaries of literature. With the same exuberance and love of language that coined the zipless fuck in Fear of Flying, she has created a fascinating book about writers and writing as she meditates on Henry Miller who in turn meditates on her (Gore Vidal). |
| molly jong fast images: Everything Trump Touches Dies Rick Wilson, 2018-08-07 From Rick Wilson—longtime Republican strategist, political commentator, Daily Beast contributor—the #1 New York Times bestseller about the disease that is destroying the conservative movement and burning down the GOP: Trumpism. Includes an all-new chapter analyzing Trump’s impact on the 2018 elections. In the #1 New York Times bestselling Everything Trump Touches Dies, political campaign strategist and commentator Rick Wilson delivers “a searingly honest, bitingly funny, comprehensive answer to the question we find ourselves asking most mornings: ‘What the hell is going on?’ (Chicago Tribune). The Guardian hails Everything Trump Touches Dies, saying it gives, “more unvarnished truths about Donald Trump than anyone else in the American political establishment has offered. Wilson never holds back.” Rick mercilessly exposes the damage Trump has done to the country, to the Republican Party, and to the conservative movement that has abandoned its principles for the worst President in American history. Wilson unblinkingly dismantles Trump’s deceptions and the illusions to which his supporters cling, shedding light on the guilty parties who empower and enable Trump in Washington and in the media. He calls out the race-war dead-enders who hitched a ride with Trump, the alt-right basement dwellers who worship him, and the social conservatives who looked the other way. Publishers Weekly calls it, “a scathing, profane, unflinching, and laugh-out-loud funny rebuke of Donald Trump and his presidency.” No left-winger, Wilson is a lifelong conservative who delivers his withering critique of Trump from the right. A leader of the Never Trump movement, he warned from the start that Trump would destroy the lives and reputations of everyone in his orbit, and Everything Trump Touches Dies is a deft chronicle the tragicomic political story of our time. From the early campaign days through the shock of election night, to the inconceivable train-wreck of Trump’s first year. Rick Wilson provides not only an insightful analysis of the Trump administration, but also an optimistic path forward for the GOP, the conservative movement, and the country. “Hilarious, smartly written, and usually spot-on” (Kirkus Reviews), Everything Trump Touches Dies is perfect for those on either side of the aisle who need a dose of unvarnished reality, a good laugh, a strong cocktail, and a return to sanity in American politics. |
| molly jong fast images: 13 Hours Mitchell Zuckoff, 2014-09-09 The harrowing, true account from the brave men on the ground who fought back during the Battle of Benghazi. 13 Hours presents, for the first time ever, the true account of the events of September 11, 2012, when terrorists attacked the US State Department Special Mission Compound and a nearby CIA station called the Annex in Benghazi, Libya. A team of six American security operators fought to repel the attackers and protect the Americans stationed there. Those men went beyond the call of duty, performing extraordinary acts of courage and heroism, to avert tragedy on a much larger scale. This is their personal account, never before told, of what happened during the thirteen hours of that now-infamous attack. 13 Hours sets the record straight on what happened during a night that has been shrouded in mystery and controversy. Written by New York Times bestselling author Mitchell Zuckoff, this riveting book takes readers into the action-packed story of heroes who laid their lives on the line for one another, for their countrymen, and for their country. 13 Hours is a stunning, eye-opening, and intense book--but most importantly, it is the truth. The story of what happened to these men--and what they accomplished--is unforgettable. |
| molly jong fast images: Last Stop Auschwitz Eddy de Wind, 2020-01-21 Written in Auschwitz itself and translated for the first time ever into English, this one-of-a-kind, minute-by-minute true account is a crucial historical testament to a Holocaust survivor's fight for his life at the largest extermination camp in Nazi Germany. We know that there is only one ending to this, only one liberation from this barbed wire hell: death. -- Eddy de Wind In 1943, amidst the start of German occupation, Eddy de Wind worked as a doctor at Westerbork, a Dutch transit camp. His mother had been taken to this camp by Nazis but Eddy was assured by the Jewish Council she would be freed in exchange for his labor. He later found out she'd already been transferred to Auschwitz. While at Westerbork, he fell in love with a woman named Friedel and they married. One year later, they were transported to Auschwitz. Upon arrival, Friedel and Eddy were separated -- Eddy forced to work as a medical assistant in one barrack, Friedel at the mercy of Nazi experimentation in a nearby block. Sneaking moments with his beloved and communicating whenever they could, Eddy longed for the day he could be free with Friedel . . . Written in the camp itself in the weeks following the Red Army's liberation of the camp, Last Stop Auschwitz is the raw, true account of Eddy's experiences at Auschwitz. In stunningly poetic prose, he provides unparalleled access to the horrors he faced in the concentration camp. Including photos from Eddy's life before, during, and after the Holocaust, this poignant memoir is at once a moving love story, a detailed portrayal of the atrocities of Auschwitz, and an intelligent consideration of the kind of behavior -- both good and evil -- people are capable of. Never before published in English, this book is a vital and enduring document: a testament to the strength of the human spirit, and a warning against the depths we can sink to when prejudice is given power. |
| molly jong fast images: Addicted Lorna Crozier, Patrick Lane, 2016 Is addiction a disease, a sin, a sign of hypersensitivity, a personal failing, or a unique resource for the creative mind? However it is defined, it can have devastating consequences - yet it can also be a source of inspiration. In this updated edition featuring three new essays on addiction to marijuana, video games, and sex, leading American and Canadian writers explore their surprisingly diverse personal experiences with this complex phenomenon and reveal in candid, graphic, powerful prose what happens when their compulsions took over their lives.--Back cover. |
| molly jong fast images: The After Wife Gigi Levangie Grazer, 2012 After her husband's death, Hannah Bernal finds that she no longer fits in with the Los Angeles scene. |
| molly jong fast images: The Murder of King Tut James Patterson, Martin Dugard, 2009 The authors describe their investigation into the death of King Tut, recounting how they drew on forensic clues, historical information, and the writings of Howard Carter to conclude that Tut did not die of natural causes. |
| molly jong fast images: American Governor Matt Katz, 2016-01-19 The ultimate insider to Chris Christie’s 2016 presidential campaign delivers a definitive biography of the popular and controversial governor of New Jersey—including the true story behind the Bridgegate lane-closure scandal. Journalist Matt Katz has been covering Christie since 2011 and has seen firsthand how the governor appeals to the public through his tactics, rhetoric, and personality. In American Governor, Katz weaves a compelling on-the-ground political narrative that begins with the roots of his family’s journey to America and takes us through his upset victory over Governor Jon Corzine and then along the road to his announcement of his candidacy for the highest office in the country. Packed with exclusive information, interviews, and anecdotes, American Governor illustrates how Christie evolved from an unpopular perennial candidate running for local office to the most watched Republican in the country, a populist with leadership skills, charm, and luck seemingly unparalleled by any other up-and-coming politician. Christie has proven himself a dynamic force of nature by emerging wounded but not unbowed after Bridgegate—a scandal that would have destroyed another politician’s rising star. A political biography by an inside source who’s been on the Chris Christie beat longer than any reporter in New Jersey, American Governor is a thrilling and absorbing look at the modern making of a man and a politician. |
| molly jong fast images: Five Past Midnight in Bhopal Dominique Lapierre, Javier Moro, 2009-05-30 A gripping, kaleidoscopic account of a horrific industrial disaster that shook the world, from wold-renowned humanitarian and internationally bestselling author Dominique Lapierre. It was December 3, 1984. In the ancient city of Bhopal, a cloud of toxic gas escaped from an American pesticide plant, killing and injuring thousands of people. When the noxious clouds cleared, the worst industrial disaster in history had taken place. Now, Dominique Lapierre brings the hundreds of characters, conflicts, and adventures together in an unforgettable tale of love and hope. Readers will meet the poetry-loving factory worker who unleashes the apocalypse, the young Indian bride who was to be married that terrible night, and the doctors who died that night saving others. |
| molly jong fast images: On This Date Carl M. Cannon, 2017-07-18 Forget what you were taught in seventh grade-this riveting book takes readers down American history's back alleys and side streets. From the arrival of the Mayflower through the 2016 election, On This Date explores five hundred years of American history, revealing a compelling tale for each day in the calendar year. Drawing from Carl M. Cannon's popular RealClearPolitics' Morning Note, On This Date is focused on fascinating -- and sometimes unknown -- stories behind specific dates in U.S. history: What inspired Abraham Lincoln to grow his famous beard, what Dwight Eisenhower really thought about playing football against the great Jim Thorpe, the legal grounds for the first American divorce, who wrote Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer -- and who profited from it. Colorful yet authoritative, On This Date debunks some popular myths and celebrates America's forgotten heroes. |
| molly jong fast images: Trust the Plan Will Sommer, 2023-03-02 'Detailed and impeccably researched. Eye-opening' GUARDIAN 'Punchy and well-reported. Sommer is the perfect person to tell this story' NEW YORK TIMES How did a conspiracy theory reshape global politics? How did it tear families apart, inspire an insurrection and convince millions that a shadowy cabal was hellbent on eating children, and only Donald Trump could stop them? On the 6th of January, 2021 thousands of Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol. Their banners read, Trust the Plan, a reference to an alarming conspiracy theory that had gained unstoppable momentum over the last four years: these were followers of QAnon. Decoding online clues from a mysterious figure - who has claimed to be a high-level government insider - QAnon adherents believe that Donald Trump has been anointed by God to stop a depraved deep state government, that sexually abuse, kill, and eat children. But QAnon has also become a broad church of out-there beliefs, offering a welcoming community to anti-vaxxers, flat earthers, eugenicists and white nationalists. With first hand access to the leading figures in the movement, investigative journalist Will Sommer unpacks the bizarre story of how a post from one of the darkest corners of the internet, became a belief system for millions; how politicians cozied up to extremists; how an unwavering trust in these ideas tore apart families, caused a mafia boss's assassination, and threatened democracy. Trust the Plan is a timely and essential look on how the internet radicalised our politics, and how millions were convinced to believe the unbelievable. |
| molly jong fast images: A Durable Peace Benjamin Netanyahu, 2009-10-31 This examination of the Middle East's troubled history traces the origins, development and politics of Israel's relationship with the Arab world and the West. It argues that peace with the Palestinians will leave Israel vulnerable to Iraq and Iran. |
| molly jong fast images: Inside the Kingdom Carmen Bin Ladin, 2007-07-31 Osama bin Laden's former sister-in-law provides a penetrating, unusually intimate look into Saudi society and the bin Laden family's role within it, as well as the treatment of Saudi women. On September 11th, 2001, Carmen bin Ladin heard the news that the Twin Towers had been struck. She instinctively knew that her ex-brother-in-law was involved in these horrifying acts of terrorism, and her heart went out to America. She also knew that her life and the lives of her family would never be the same again. Carmen bin Ladin, half Swiss and half Persian, married into and later divorced from the bin Laden family and found herself inside a complex and vast clan, part of a society that she neither knew nor understood. Her story takes us inside the bin Laden family and one of the most powerful, secretive, and repressed kingdoms in the world. |
| molly jong fast images: Sugar in My Bowl Erica Jong, 2011-06-14 Poet, novelist, and essayist, the legendary Erica Jong—whose novel Fear of Flying opened eyes and broke down walls—offers us a provocative collection of essays about sex from some of the most respected female authors writing today. “Real Women Write about Real Sex” in Sugar in My Bowl, as such marquee names as Gail Collins, Eve Ensler, Daphne Merken, Anne Roiphe, Liz Smith, Naomi Wolf, and Jennifer Weiner, to name but a few, join together to speak openly about female desire—what provokes it and what satisfies it. In the free, unfettered spirit of The Bitch in the House, Sugar in My Bowl explores the bedroom lives of women with daring, wit, intelligence, and candor. |
| molly jong fast images: Pretty Bitches Lizzie Skurnick, 2020-03-03 These empowering essays from leading women writers examine the power of the gendered language that is used to diminish women -- and imagine a more liberated world. Words matter. They wound, they inflate, they define, they demean. They have nuance and power. Effortless, Sassy, Ambitious, Aggressive: What subtle digs and sneaky implications are conveyed when women are described with words like these? Words are made into weapons, warnings, praise, and blame, bearing an outsized influence on women's lives -- to say nothing of our moods. No one knows this better than Lizzie Skurnick, writer of the New York Times' column That Should be A Wordand a veritable queen of cultural coinage. And in Pretty Bitches, Skurnick has rounded up a group of powerhouse women writers to take on the hidden meanings of these words, and how they can limit our worlds -- or liberate them. From Laura Lipmann and Meg Wolizer to Jennifer Weiner and Rebecca Traister, each writer uses her word as a vehicle for memoir, cultural commentary, critique, or all three. Spanning the street, the bedroom, the voting booth, and the workplace, these simple words have huge stories behind them -- stories it's time to examine, re-imagine, and change. |
| molly jong fast images: The Scarlet Sisters Myra MacPherson, 2014-03-04 A fresh look at the life and times of Victoria Woodhull and Tennie Claflin, two sisters whose radical views on sex, love, politics, and business threatened the white male power structure of the nineteenth century and shocked the world. Here award-winning author Myra MacPherson deconstructs and lays bare the manners and mores of Victorian America, remarkably illuminating the struggle for equality that women are still fighting today. Victoria Woodhull and Tennessee Tennie Claflin-the most fascinating and scandalous sisters in American history-were unequaled for their vastly avant-garde crusade for women's fiscal, political, and sexual independence. They escaped a tawdry childhood to become rich and famous, achieving a stunning list of firsts. In 1870 they became the first women to open a brokerage firm, not to be repeated for nearly a century. Amid high gossip that he was Tennie's lover, the richest man in America, fabled tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt, bankrolled the sisters. As beautiful as they were audacious, the sisters drew a crowd of more than two thousand Wall Street bankers on opening day. A half century before women could vote, Victoria used her Wall Street fame to become the first woman to run for president, choosing former slave Frederick Douglass as her running mate. She was also the first woman to address a United States congressional committee. Tennie ran for Congress and shocked the world by becoming the honorary colonel of a black regiment. They were the first female publishers of a radical weekly, and the first to print Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto in America. As free lovers they railed against Victorian hypocrisy and exposed the alleged adultery of Henry Ward Beecher, the most famous preacher in America, igniting the Trial of the Century that rivaled the Civil War for media coverage. Eventually banished from the women's movement while imprisoned for allegedly sending obscenity through the mail, the sisters sashayed to London and married two of the richest men in England, dining with royalty while pushing for women's rights well into the twentieth century. Vividly telling their story, Myra MacPherson brings these inspiring and outrageous sisters brilliantly to life. |
| molly jong fast images: Plugged in Patti M. Valkenburg, Jessica Taylor Piotrowski, 2017-01-01 Cover -- Half-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Preface -- 1 Youth and Media -- 2 Then and Now -- 3 Themes and Theoretical Perspectives -- 4 Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers -- 5 Children -- 6 Adolescents -- 7 Media and Violence -- 8 Media and Emotions -- 9 Advertising and Commercialism -- 10 Media and Sex -- 11 Media and Education -- 12 Digital Games -- 13 Social Media -- 14 Media and Parenting -- 15 The End -- Notes -- Acknowledgments -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- X -- Y -- Z |
| molly jong fast images: White Bret Easton Ellis, 2019-04-16 Own it, snowflakes: you've lost everything you claim to hold dear. White is Bret Easton Ellis's first work of nonfiction. Already the bad boy of American literature, from Less Than Zero to American Psycho, Ellis has also earned the wrath of right-thinking people everywhere with his provocations on social media, and here he escalates his admonishment of received truths as expressed by today's version of the left. Eschewing convention, he embraces views that will make many in literary and media communities cringe, as he takes aim at the relentless anti-Trump fixation, coastal elites, corporate censorship, Hollywood, identity politics, Generation Wuss, woke cultural watchdogs, the obfuscation of ideals once both cherished and clear, and the fugue state of American democracy. In a young century marked by hysterical correctness and obsessive fervency on both sides of an aisle that's taken on the scale of the Grand Canyon, White is a clarion call for freedom of speech and artistic freedom. The central tension in Ellis's art—or his life, for that matter—is that while [his] aesthetic is the cool reserve of his native California, detachment over ideology, he can't stop generating heat.... He's hard-wired to break furniture.—Karen Heller, The Washington Post Sweating with rage . . . humming with paranoia.—Anna Leszkiewicz, The Guardian Snowflakes on both coasts in withdrawal from Rachel Maddow's nightly Kremlinology lesson can purchase a whole book to inspire paroxysms of rage . . . a veritable thirst trap for the easily microaggressed. It's all here. Rants about Trump derangement syndrome; MSNBC; #MeToo; safe spaces.—Bari Weiss, The New York Times |
| molly jong fast images: Sisters in Resistance Tilar J. Mazzeo, 2022-06-21 In a tale as twisted as any spy thriller, discover how three women delivered critical evidence of Axis war crimes to Allied forces during World War II: !--StartFragment --“A tantalizingly novelistic history lesson (Kirkus).!--EndFragment -- In 1944, news of secret diaries kept by Italy's Foreign Minister, Galeazzo Ciano, had permeated public consciousness. What wasn't reported, however, was how three women—a Fascist's daughter, a German spy, and an American banker’s wife—risked their lives to ensure the diaries would reach the Allies, who would later use them as evidence against the Nazis at Nuremberg. In 1944, Benito Mussolini's daughter, Edda, gave Hitler and her father an ultimatum: release her husband, Galeazzo Ciano, from prison, or risk her leaking her husband's journals to the press. To avoid the peril of exposing Nazi lies, Hitler and Mussolini hunted for the diaries for months, determined to destroy them. Hilde Beetz, a German spy, was deployed to seduce Ciano to learn the diaries' location and take them from Edda. As the seducer became the seduced, Hilde converted as a double agent, joining forces with Edda to save Ciano from execution. When this failed, Edda fled to Switzerland with Hilde’s daring assistance to keep Ciano's final wish: to see the diaries published for use by the Allies. When American spymaster Allen Dulles learned of Edda's escape, he sent in Frances De Chollet, an “accidental” spy, telling her to find Edda, gain her trust, and, crucially, hand the diaries over to the Americans. Together, they succeeded in preserving one of the most important documents of WWII. Drawing from in‑depth research and first-person interviews with people who witnessed these events, Mazzeo gives readers a riveting look into this little‑known moment in history and shows how, without Edda, Hilde, and Frances's involvement, certain convictions at Nuremberg would never have been possible. Includes a Reading Group Guide. |
| molly jong fast images: Putin's World Angela Stent, 2019-02-26 In this revised version that includes an exclusive new chapter on the Russia-Ukraine war, renowned foreign policy expert Angela Stent examines how Putin created a paranoid and polarized world—and increased Russia's status on the global stage. How did Russia manage to emerge resurgent on the world stage and play a weak hand so effectively? Is it because Putin is a brilliant strategist? Or has Russia stepped into a vacuum created by the West's distraction with its own domestic problems and US ambivalence about whether it still wants to act as a superpower? Putin's World examines the country's turbulent past, how it has influenced Putin, the Russians' understanding of their position on the global stage and their future ambitions—and their conviction that the West has tried to deny them a seat at the table of great powers since the USSR collapsed. This book looks at Russia's key relationships—its downward spiral with the United States, Europe, and NATO; its ties to China, Japan, the Middle East; and with its neighbors, particularly the fraught relationship with Ukraine. Putin's World will help Americans understand how and why the post-Cold War era has given way to a new, more dangerous world, one in which Russia poses a challenge to the United States in every corner of the globe—and one in which Russia has become a toxic and divisive subject in US politics. |
| molly jong fast images: Homo Deus (Tamil) Yuval Noah Harari, 2023-07-14 “மனிதர்கள் கடவுளரைக் கண்டுபிடித்தபோது வரலாறு தொடங்கியது. மனிதர்களே கடவுளராக மாறும்போது வரலாறு முடிவுக்கு வந்துவிடும்.” - யுவால் நோவா ஹராரி ஹோமோ சேப்பியன்ஸ் ஹோமோ டியஸாக (லத்தீன் மொழியில் ‘டியஸ்’ என்றால் கடவுள்; ஹோமோ டியஸ் என்றால் மனிதக் கடவுள்) மாறிக் கொண்டிருக்கின்றன இந்நேரத்தில், நமக்கு நாமே எத்தகைய தலைவிதிகளை நிர்ணயித்துக் கொள்ளப் போகிறோம்? பரிணாம வளர்ச்சியின் முதன்மை ஆற்றலான இயற்கைத் தேர்ந்தெடுப்புச் செயல்முறையின் இடத்தைச் செயற்கைத் தேர்ந்தெடுப்புச் செயல்முறை எடுத்துக் கொள்ளும்போது மனிதகுலத்தின் எதிர்காலம் எவ்வாறு மாறும்? நம்முடைய விருப்பங்களையும் அரசியல் தேர்ந்தெடுப்புகளையும் பற்றி நம்மைவிட அதிகமாக கூகுளும் முகநூலும் தெரிந்து வைத்திருக்கும்போது ஜனநாயகத்தின் நிலைமை என்னவாகும்? கணினிகள் மனிதர்களின் வேலைகளைப் பறித்துக் கொண்டு, ‘பயனற்ற வர்க்கம்’ என்ற ஒரு புதிய, மிகப் ப வர்க்கத்தைத் தோற்றுவிக்கும்போது, அரசின் மானிய உதவியோடு வாழும் மக்களை உள்ளடக்கிய நாடுகளுக்கு என்ன நேரும்? நம்முடைய சொந்த அழிவு சக்திகளிடமிருந்து இந்த மென்மையான உலகத்தையும் ஒட்டுமொத்த மனிதகுலத்தையும் நாம் எவ்வாறு பாதுகாப்போம்? நம்மை அதிர வைக்கின்றன இது போன்ற பல கேள்விகளை நம்மை நோக்கி ஏவி, சுவாரசியமாகவும் சிந்தனையைத் தூண்டும் விதத்திலும் அவற்றுக்கு இந்நூலில் விடை காண முயற்சித்துள்ளார் பேராசிரியர் ஹராரி. 21ம் நூற்றாண்டைச் செதுக்கி வடிவமைக்கக்கூடிய இனிய கனவுகளையும் கொடுங்கனவுகளையும் பற்றிய ஒரு வெள்ளோட்டத்தை ஹோமோ டியஸ் எனும் இந்நூல் நமக்குக் கொடுக்கிறது. |
| molly jong fast images: Witches Erica Jong, 2004-03-30 Explores the figure of the witch both as historical reality and as archetype, presented effectively through illustrations, poetry, and prose. |
| molly jong fast images: Sappho's Leap Erica Jong, 2013-10-08 The #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Fear of Flying brings the seductive Greek poet to life in this “enormously entertaining” tale (Booklist). As she stands poised at the edge of a precipice in the shadow of the sanctuary of Apollo, the greatest love poet who ever was or ever will be recalls the eventful fifty years that have led her to this moment. It was love that seduced her, at age sixteen, into an ill-fated plot with the poet Alcaeus to depose the despot of the island of Lesbos. It was love that made her trade the unwanted marriage bed of an old, despised, and drunken husband for a seemingly endless series of lovers, both male and female. For Sappho, life has always been a banquet to be savored to the fullest, a strange and sensual odyssey that has carried her to the far corners of the ancient world. Devoted to the goddess Aphrodite and granted the gift of immortal song, she has followed her magnificent destiny from Delphi to Egypt, to the land of the Amazons, the realm of the centaurs, and into the stygian depths of Hades itself, often in the company of her companion and friend, the fabulist slave Aesop. Through every grand affair and every wild adventure, she has remained forever true to her heart, her passion, and herself, right up to this, the end of everything. Combining evocative and realistic detail with unabashedly outrageous invention, Erica Jong’s Sappho’s Leap is a flawless gem of historical fiction boldly imagined by one of America’s most enthralling storytellers. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erica Jong including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection. |
| molly jong fast images: The Death of Expertise Tom Nichols, 2017-02-01 Technology and increasing levels of education have exposed people to more information than ever before. These societal gains, however, have also helped fuel a surge in narcissistic and misguided intellectual egalitarianism that has crippled informed debates on any number of issues. Today, everyone knows everything: with only a quick trip through WebMD or Wikipedia, average citizens believe themselves to be on an equal intellectual footing with doctors and diplomats. All voices, even the most ridiculous, demand to be taken with equal seriousness, and any claim to the contrary is dismissed as undemocratic elitism. Tom Nichols' The Death of Expertise shows how this rejection of experts has occurred: the openness of the internet, the emergence of a customer satisfaction model in higher education, and the transformation of the news industry into a 24-hour entertainment machine, among other reasons. Paradoxically, the increasingly democratic dissemination of information, rather than producing an educated public, has instead created an army of ill-informed and angry citizens who denounce intellectual achievement. When ordinary citizens believe that no one knows more than anyone else, democratic institutions themselves are in danger of falling either to populism or to technocracy or, in the worst case, a combination of both. An update to the 2017breakout hit, the paperback edition of The Death of Expertise provides a new foreword to cover the alarming exacerbation of these trends in the aftermath of Donald Trump's election. Judging from events on the ground since it first published, The Death of Expertise issues a warning about the stability and survival of modern democracy in the Information Age that is even more important today. |
| molly jong fast images: The Watergate Girl Jill Wine-Banks, 2020-02-25 Obstruction of justice, the specter of impeachment, sexism at work, shocking revelations: Jill Wine-Banks takes us inside her trial by fire as a Watergate prosecutor. It was a time, much like today, when Americans feared for the future of their democracy, and women stood up for equal treatment. At the crossroads of the Watergate scandal and the women’s movement was a young lawyer named Jill Wine Volner (as she was then known), barely thirty years old and the only woman on the team that prosecuted the highest-ranking White House officials. Called “the mini-skirted lawyer” by the press, she fought to receive the respect accorded her male counterparts—and prevailed. In The Watergate Girl, Jill Wine-Banks opens a window on this troubled time in American history. It is impossible to read about the crimes of Richard Nixon and the people around him without drawing parallels to today’s headlines. The book is also the story of a young woman who sought to make her professional mark while trapped in a failing marriage, buffeted by sexist preconceptions, and harboring secrets of her own. Her house was burgled, her phones were tapped, and even her office garbage was rifled through. At once a cautionary tale and an inspiration for those who believe in the power of justice and the rule of law, The Watergate Girl is a revelation about our country, our politics, and who we are as a society. |
| molly jong fast images: The Naked Truth Leslie Morgan, 2019-05-21 Newly divorced and determined to reclaim her life, Leslie Morgan, bestselling author of Crazy Love and Mommy Wars, decided to spend a year searching for five new lovers in this “highly stimulating story of a midlife education” and “steamy, liberating tale of self-exploration and self-love” (Kirkus Reviews). When Leslie Morgan divorced after a twenty-year marriage, both her self-esteem and romantic optimism were shattered. She was determined to avoid the cliché of the “lonely, middle-aged divorcée” lamenting her stretch marks and begging her kids to craft her online dating profile. Instead, Leslie celebrated her independence with an audacious plan: she would devote a year to seeking out five lovers in hopes of unearthing the erotic adventures and authentic connections long missing from her life. Clumsy and clueless at first, she overcame mortifying early missteps, buoyed by friends and blind faith. And so she found men at yoga class, the airport, and high school reunions—all without the torture of dating websites. Along the way she uncovered new truths about sex, aging, men, self-confidence, and what it means to be a woman over fifty today. Packed with fearless, evocative details, The Naked Truth is a rare, unexpected, and wildly entertaining memoir about a soccer mom who rediscovers the magic of sexual and emotional connection, and the lasting gifts of reveling in your femininity at every age. |
| molly jong fast images: Cheaters Always Win J. M. Fenster, 2019-12-03 A social history of cheating and how American history -- through real estate, sports, finance, academics, and of course politics -- has had its unfair share of rigged results and widened the margins on its gray areas. Drawing from the intriguing (and sometimes unbelievable) true stories of the lives of everyday Americans, historian Julie M. Fenster traces the history of the weakening of our national ethics through the practice of cheating. From marital infidelity to financial fraud; rigged sports competitions to corruption in politics and the American education system; nuclear weaponry to beauty pageants; hospitals, TV gameshows, and charities; nothing and no one is exempt. And far from being ostracized, cheaters in every sphere continue to survive and even thrive, casting their influence over the rest of our society. And nowhere is this more obvious than in the recent tectonic shift in politics, where a revolution in our collective attitude toward fraudsters has ushered in a new kind of leadership. Part history of an all-American tradition, part dissection of an ongoing national crisis, Cheaters Always Win is irresistible reading -- a smart, sardonic, and scintillating look into the practice that made America what it is today. |
| molly jong fast images: The Verge Patrick Wyman, 2021-07-20 The creator of the hit podcast series Tides of History and Fall of Rome explores the four explosive decades between 1490 and 1530, bringing to life the dramatic and deeply human story of how the West was reborn. In the bestselling tradition of The Swerve and A Distant Mirror, The Verge tells the story of a period that marked a decisive turning point for both European and world history. Here, author Patrick Wyman examines two complementary and contradictory sides of the same historical coin: the world-altering implications of the developments of printed mass media, extreme taxation, exploitative globalization, humanistic learning, gunpowder warfare, and mass religious conflict in the long term, and their intensely disruptive consequences in the short-term. As told through the lives of ten real people—from famous figures like Christopher Columbus and wealthy banker Jakob Fugger to a ruthless small-time merchant and a one-armed mercenary captain—The Verge illustrates how their lives, and the times in which they lived, set the stage for an unprecedented globalized future. Over an intense forty-year period, the seeds for the so-called Great Divergence between Western Europe and the rest of the globe would be planted. From Columbus's voyage across the Atlantic to Martin Luther's sparking the Protestant Reformation, the foundations of our own, recognizably modern world came into being. For the past 500 years, historians, economists, and the policy-oriented have argued which of these individual developments best explains the West's rise from backwater periphery to global dominance. As The Verge presents it, however, the answer is far more nuanced. |
| molly jong fast images: Abraham's Children Jon Entine, 2014-07-02 Abstract: |
| molly jong fast images: Serenissima Erica Jong, 1997 A story of Venice today and Venice in its illustrious past, this novel gives the reader a portrait of the modern-day film world and a clue to the passions behind Shakespeare's most enigmatic work. Jessica Pruitt, a Hollywood actress in her forties has come to Venice to judge the film festival. |
| molly jong fast images: Rage Becomes Her Soraya Chemaly, 2018-09-11 ***A BEST BOOK OF 2018 SELECTION*** NPR * The Washington Post * Book Riot * Autostraddle * Psychology Today ***A BEST FEMINIST BOOK SELECTION*** Refinery 29, Book Riot, Autostraddle, BITCH Rage Becomes Her is an “utterly eye opening” (Bustle) book that gives voice to the causes, expressions, and possibilities of female rage. As women, we’ve been urged for so long to bottle up our anger, letting it corrode our bodies and minds in ways we don’t even realize. Yet there are so, so many legitimate reasons for us to feel angry, ranging from blatant, horrifying acts of misogyny to the subtle drip, drip drip of daily sexism that reinforces the absurdly damaging gender norms of our society. In Rage Becomes Her, Soraya Chemaly argues that our anger is not only justified, it is also an active part of the solution. We are so often encouraged to resist our rage or punished for justifiably expressing it, yet how many remarkable achievements would never have gotten off the ground without the kernel of anger that fueled them? Approached with conscious intention, anger is a vital instrument, a radar for injustice and a catalyst for change. On the flip side, the societal and cultural belittlement of our anger is a cunning way of limiting and controlling our power—one we can no longer abide. “A work of great spirit and verve” (Time), Rage Becomes Her is a validating, energizing read that will change the way you interact with the world around you. |
| molly jong fast images: Assume Nothing Tanya Selvaratnam, 2021-02-23 “Selvaratnam very bravely and compellingly uses her personal experience to shine a light on the global crisis of violence against women. An important book for the women’s rights movement, Assume Nothing demonstrates that violence against women exists across race, class, economic status and education levels, and may be perpetrated by those we think of as allies! It dispels the myth that there are certain types of victims and perpetrators. It will help a lot of people, and particularly those who hesitate to identify as a victim/survivor for fear of losing their grounding both publicly and privately.”—Yasmeen Hassan, Global Executive Director, Equality Now “This courageous and terrifying book charts the author’s descent into an abusive relationship and also her emergence from it in taut, seductive prose. Selvaratnam explains how—even as an educated, sophisticated, liberal feminist—she was enthralled by her lover’s fame and tolerated escalating personal violence. Her narrative is vivid and bracingly frank, a tour-de-force of self-revelation and, ultimately, of redemption.”—Andrew Solomon, National Book Award-winning author of Far from the Tree and The Noonday Demon Award-winning filmmaker Tanya Selvaratnam bravely recounts the intimate abuse she suffered from former New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, using her story as a prism to examine the domestic violence crisis plaguing America. When Tanya Selvaratnam met then New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman at the Democratic National Convention in July 2016, they seemed like the perfect match. Both were Harvard alumni; both studied Chinese; both were interested in spirituality and meditation, both were well-connected rising stars in their professions—Selvaratnam in entertainment and the art world; Schneiderman in law and politics. Behind closed doors, however, Tanya’s life was anything but ideal. Schneiderman became controlling, mean, and manipulative. He drank heavily and used sedatives. Sex turned violent, and he called Tanya—who was born in Sri Lanka and grew up in Southern California—his “brown slave.” He isolated and manipulated her, even threatening to kill her if she tried to leave. Twenty-five percent of women in America are victims of domestic abuse. Tanya never thought she would be a part of this statistic. Growing up, she witnessed her father physically and emotionally abuse her mother. Tanya knew the patterns and signs of domestic violence, and did not see herself as remotely vulnerable. Yet what seemed impossible was suddenly a terrifying reality: she was trapped in a violent relationship with one of the most powerful men in New York. Sensitive and nuanced, written with the gripping power of a dark psychological thriller, Assume Nothing details how Tanya’s relationship devolved into abuse, how she found the strength to leave—risking her career, reputation, and life—and how she reclaimed her freedom and her voice. In sharing her story, Tanya analyzes the insidious way women from all walks of life learn to accept abuse, and redefines what it means to be a victim of intimate violence. |
| molly jong fast images: What to Expect When No One's Expecting Jonathan V. Last, 2014-06-10 Look around you and think for a minute: Is America too crowded? For years, we have been warned about the looming danger of overpopulation: people jostling for space on a planet that’s busting at the seams and running out of oil and food and land and everything else. It’s all bunk. The “population bomb” never exploded. Instead, statistics from around the world make clear that since the 1970s, we’ve been facing exactly the opposite problem: people are having too few babies. Population growth has been slowing for two generations. The world’s population will peak, and then begin shrinking, within the next fifty years. In some countries, it’s already started. Japan, for instance, will be half its current size by the end of the century. In Italy, there are already more deaths than births every year. China’s One-Child Policy has left that country without enough women to marry its men, not enough young people to support the country’s elderly, and an impending population contraction that has the ruling class terrified. And all of this is coming to America, too. In fact, it’s already here. Middle-class Americans have their own, informal one-child policy these days. And an alarming number of upscale professionals don’t even go that far—they have dogs, not kids. In fact, if it weren’t for the wave of immigration we experienced over the last thirty years, the United States would be on the verge of shrinking, too. What happened? Everything about modern life—from Bugaboo strollers to insane college tuition to government regulations—has pushed Americans in a single direction, making it harder to have children. And making the people who do still want to have children feel like second-class citizens. What to Expect When No One’s Expecting explains why the population implosion happened and how it is remaking culture, the economy, and politics both at home and around the world. Because if America wants to continue to lead the world, we need to have more babies. |
| molly jong fast images: It's Our Day Katherine Jellison, 2008 Offers a detailed cultural history of weddings in America from 1945 to 2000, exploring the political, social, economic, and demographic events that influenced the traditions and cost associated with weddings in the post-war years. |
| molly jong fast images: Boys & Sex Peggy Orenstein, 2020-01-07 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Now in paperback—Peggy Orenstein, author of the groundbreaking New York Times bestseller Girls & Sex, turns her focus to the sexual lives of young men. “Eye-opening…. Every few pages, the boy world cracks open a little bit…. Even in the most anxiety-provoking moments of Boys & Sex, it’s clear that Orenstein believes in the goodness of boys and the men they can become, and she believes in us, as parents, to raise them” (New York Times Book Review). Peggy Orenstein’s Girls & Sex broke ground, shattered taboos, and launched conversations about young women’s right to pleasure and agency in sexual encounters. It also had an unexpected effect on its author: Orenstein realized that talking about girls is only half the conversation. Boys are subject to the same cultural forces as girls—steeped in the same distorted media images and binary stereotypes of female sexiness and toxic masculinity—which equally affect how they navigate sexual and emotional relationships. In Boys & Sex, Peggy Orenstein dives back into the lives of young people to once again give voice to the unspoken, revealing how young men understand and negotiate the new rules of physical and emotional intimacy. Drawing on comprehensive interviews with young men, psychologists, academics, and experts in the field, Boys & Sex dissects so-called locker room talk; how the word “hilarious” robs boys of empathy; pornography as the new sex education; boys’ understanding of hookup culture and consent; and their experience as both victims and perpetrators of sexual violence. By surfacing young men’s experience in all its complexity, Orenstein is able to unravel the hidden truths, hard lessons, and important realities of young male sexuality in today’s world. The result is a provocative and paradigm-shifting work that offers a much-needed vision of how boys can truly move forward as better men. |
