For Goodness Sex

For Goodness Sex

A Sex-Positive Guide to Raising Healthy, Empowered Teens

Al Vernacchio

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Description

“A breath of much-needed fresh air around a very charged subject.”—Christiane Northrup, M.D., OB/GYN physician and author of the New York Times bestsellers Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom and The Wisdom of Menopause

“Vernacchio's no-blame, no-shame approach will inspire parents to drop their fears, judgments, and inhibitions in order to help their kids navigate the teen years.”—Publishers Weekly

A progressive approach to sexuality education that challenges commonly-held beliefs about how we talk to young people about sex and offers a controversial yet proven alternative to the standard conversations taking place in schools and homes across America.

Sex education today generally falls into one of two categories: abstinence-only or abstinence-based education—both of which tend to withhold important, factual information and leave young adults ill-equipped to make safe decisions. Al Vernacchio, a high school sexuality educator who holds a Master’s degree in Human Sexuality from the University of Pennsylvania, has created a new category: sex-positive education. In For Goodness Sex, he refutes the “disaster prevention” model of sex ed, offering a progressive and realistic approach: Sexuality is a natural part of life, and healthy sexuality can only develop from a sex-positive, affirming appreciation.

Curious yet fearful of being judged, young people turn to peers, the Internet, and the media, where they receive problematic messages about sex: boys are studs, girls are sluts; real sex should be like porn; hookups are better than relationships. Without a broader understanding to offset these damaging perceptions, teenagers are dangerously unprepared intellectually and emotionally to grow and develop as sexual beings. For Goodness Sex offers the tools and insights adults need to talk young people and help them develop healthy values and safe habits. With real-life examples from the classroom, exercises and quizzes, and a wealth of sample discussions and crucial information, Vernacchio offers a guide to sex education for the twenty-first century.

Genres

SexualityHealth & FitnessTeenagersLife StagesFamily & RelationshipsAll Other NonfictionHuman SexualityPsychology

Pages336

Released2023

LanguageEnglish

PublisherHarperCollins

ISBN9780063251304

SellerHarperCollins

About the author(s)

AL VERNACCHIO is a high school sexuality educator and English teacher at Friends’ Central School in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. In addition to his classroom responsibilities, Al organizes sexuality-themed programs and assemblies, provides parent education on human sexuality topics, and is one of the faculty advisors for the Gay-Straight Alliance. A human sexuality educator and consultant for more than twenty-five years, Al Vernacchio has lectured, published articles, and offered workshops throughout the country. His work has been featured in “Teaching Good Sex,” a November 20, 2011, cover story in the New York Times Magazine. Al has given four TED Talks and has appeared on national programs such as NPR’s Morning Edition and 1A. Al earned his BA in theology from St. Joseph’s University and his MSEd in human sexuality education from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS); the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT); and Advanced Sexuality Educators and Trainers (ASET). A lifelong Philadelphian, Al and his husband, Michael, live in the Germantown section of the city.

Reviews

“Al Vernacchio has masterfully accomplished what good sexuality educators have attempted for so many years: he has created a work that is both a fun, easy read as well as a thorough and thoughtful guide.” — Don Dyson, PhD, Associate Dean, School of Human Service Professions and Director, Center for Human Sexuality Studies, Widener University

“Al Vernacchio has written a wonderful book that includes numerous model answers and a new way to think about adolescent sexuality—as a force for good in life rather than simply a problem to be dealt with.” — Leslie M. Kantor, MPH, Vice President of Education, Planned Parenthood Federation of America

“Vernacchio’s no-blame, no-shame approach will inspire parents to drop their fears, judgments, and inhibitions in order to help their kids navigate the teen years.” — Publishers Weekly

“At last a book that teaches parents how to talk to kids about sex in a way that is based healthily in reality and not fearfully in doom and gloom. I wish my parents had read this book!” — Lori Duron, author of Raising My Rainbow

“An engaging, much-needed new approach to teaching children about the human sexual experience.” — Kirkus Reviews