Praise for Girls & Sex: “Provocative and thoughtful.... Both an examination of sexual culture and a guide on how to improve it.... The breadth of Orenstein’s reporting...is impressive.” - Laura Stepp, Washington Post
“Nonsensational but deeply entertaining…. A must-read.” - People, Book of the Week
“A nuanced read for anyone who remembers being a young woman and anyone who is raising the next generation of girls (and boys) for whom we hope the future holds sexual satisfaction, not pain or disappointment.” - Rebecca Traister, More
“Compelling and intelligent, Orenstein’s book offers a powerful vision of the challenges of modern womanhood and of what it means to be female in 21st-century America. A sharp, timely collection of essays.” - Kirkus
“Orenstein is an enduring and important voice in the feminist choir.” - Publishers Weekly
“The real strength of this collection is Orenstein’s beautiful interweaving of personal stories with politics and her writings on/about politics.... She enriches her readers’ understanding of abortion laws, breast cancer, body image, pornography, and other timely issues in specific yet open-ended and complex ways.” - Library Journal, starred review
“Insightful…. Also offers an intimate portrait of Orenstein herself…. The power of her work comes from her incessant curiosity and her general unwillingness to provide a singular answer to life’s biggest questions.” - Booklist, starred review
“A satisfyingly succinct handbook of Orenstein’s incisive, witty and necessary observations.... The conclusions Orenstein draws are often unexpected, always brilliant. The confessions she extracts from her subjects are stunning.” - Chicago Tribune
“Orenstein punctuates many of her insightful points with wry wit and fresh humor.... After a round of surprising medical results, a member of Orenstein’s medical team tells her, ‘I’m afraid this is a bit like peeling an onion.’ So, too, is Orenstein’s writing. It’s layered. It stings. It may very well make you cry—and then do something with it.” - Shelf Awareness, starred review
“[Orenstein] has long woven trenchant feminist analysis of social issues with honest, often moving, self-interrogation.... One of Orenstein’s greatest strengths is in breaking personal and cultural silences around living in a female body.” - San Francisco Chronicle
“Known for her wide-ranging feminist writing about everything from princess culture to breast cancer, Orenstein presents a collection of her essays that are both striking and timely.” - New York Times Book Review