One Nation Under Sex: How The Private Lives Of Presidents, First Ladies And Their Lovers Changed The Course Of American History (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway copy. I tend to enjoy all books having to do with sex, which you should assume this book is since it's authored by Larry Flynt of Penthouse fame. Although I read this book with Woody Haraldson's voice in my head, the book reads as informational history and sexual intrigue rather than a letter to the Penthouse forums. You go on a journey from the founders of our country to the latest leaders such as Clinton and how their sexual conquests influenced and affected our country. From a health perspective where I understand sexual education and health, it comes to no surprise that the leaders of this country like sex as much as anyone else. When you think about it, we are all here because two people enjoyed sex. This book travels into depths of affairs, concubines and queer hookups for the presidents and other influential people.I recommend this book for anyone who can enjoy a historical novel, and is open to reading about sexual history. You won't find smut scenes here, but some solid information about our nations history. A very respectable book by Larry Flynt. I labeled it for the "erotica and sensual" shelf because it deals with the topic of sex scandals, but it is not a risque book per se. As there are some mentions of gay and lesbian affairs, I labeled it for the "glbtq" shelf. Ok, now what we got that out of the way, let's look at the book itself. Organized in chapters, the book provides a history of major scandals as well as affairs and peccadilloes of politicians and those who loved them. We go from colonial times to the Clinton era to our time as the conclusion does bring the book close to up to date. The only reason I gave it three stars is because the prose can be a little dry at times. It is not a bad book at all, and history trivia fans will probably like it. If you enjoy reading about sex scandals, you will probably like it as well. In the book the authors make some key points: *Politicians are human beings. This means they are sexual beings. You cannot really remove this from the equation. *Honestly, making a big deal of a politician's sex life is kind of a wasted effort. However, it does (seem to) have an effective use to expose hyprocrites. This is particularly significant with the current political climate in the U.S. Historically, as in recent history, the GOP positioned itself as the party of morality. Now their sins and vices are coming back to haunt them. This leads to the next point. *The louder a moralist yells, the more likely he or she has big, ugly skeletons in their closet. If they yell the loudest, you can bet there is some sexual issue hidden there. I would say that the classic definition of a conservative as someone who fears that someone else someplace and somewhere is having a good time is accurate. *As a nation, we need to grow the fuck up. We need to have a more European maturity when it comes to sexual matters and the private lives of politicians. This is illustrated quite nicely in the early chapter on Benjamin Franklin, where he is contrasted to John Adams, who was a prude. Some food for thought there. So overall, this is a book worth reading. And it is a book worth discussing. And for the love of cripe, if the fact Larry Flynt is a co-author bothers you, you need to grow the hell up.
What do You think about One Nation Under Sex: How The Private Lives Of Presidents, First Ladies And Their Lovers Changed The Course Of American History (2011)?
A very interesting look in to the sexual lives of our American leaders
—aaamone
Not scandalous just interesting in an historical perspective.
—zouga
