Attwood and Smith edit this collection of perspectives on how young people encounter and engage with both the act of sex and, prior to that, the many discourses surrounding it, as well as the
difficulties in adults seeking to research these dynamics. The first two articles discuss the management of youth sexual culture in the therapeutic frame of child sexual abuse intervention and
in heteronormative sex education. Several chapters then explore the topic of media influence, with one arguing that the taboo on discussing sex in youth-oriented media leaves a void of healthy
socialization, and others analyzing the widespread perception of sexualization through consumer culture, documenting first encounters with pornography, attempting to assess the practical impact
of sexual themes in media on youth sexual health, and asking young people themselves about the meaning of their first sexual experiences. Finally, two chapters critically approach two instances
of sexual practice research purporting to aim at protecting youth, with an overall negative evaluation in one case and a positive evaluation in the other. Annotation ©2014 Ringgold, Inc.,
Portland, OR (protoview.com)
