About the Author

Amber J. Keyser believes in the power of sharing our experiences. She's the author of the young adult novel The Way Back from Broken (Carolrhoda Lab, 2015) and numerous nonfiction titles. Connect with her online at AmberJKeyser.com.

Reviews

A selection of seventeen womenwriters tell about their experience of first-time sex. The stories reveal agreat diversity in age, situation, sexual orientation, gender identification, and even what counts as first-time sex. The resources section provides abibliography, notes, biographies of all the contributors, and several essays.One essay gives straight-forward advice, empowering young women to be informedand to make their own choice about when and with whom. Kelly Jensen, a formerteen librarian, suggests teen novels and nonfiction that deal particularly wellwith different sexual situations. Parents are also addressed with resources forthem as well as advice on opening an on-going conversation with their daughtersabout their values and experiences around sex. The book serves youngwomen as a kind of rite of passage with a bevy of oldersisters telling it like it is, sharing experiences that are rarely talked about.Given the array of experiences (from wedding night to casual encounter) andidentifications (hetro, lesbian, bi, and trans) some readers may havedifficulties with some of the frankness, diversity, and language. Thetrade-off, however, is well worth it. Thevariety emphasizes how individual it is and how important it is for each youngwoman to make an informed and conscious choice for herself. It turns out theV-word of importance here is not so much "virginity" as it is finding one's own"voice."--Elizabeth Matson.--VOYA, STARRED REVIEW "February 2016"

Feminism has come a long way from the fight for suffrage, and in its current manifestation, it can be difficult for some to determine precisely what feminism stands for or, indeed, if it's necessary at all. It seems like women have more freedom than ever, but, as these two titles emphasize, in both the political and personal spheres, there's a lot of ground yet to cover. Each of the broad range of contributors in Keyser's The V-Word: True Stories about First-Time Sex--gay, straight, bisexual, transgender, etc.--details the sometimes painfully awkward, sometimes blissful experience of choosing to have sex for the first time. The frank, sexually explicit (naturally) narratives cover a wide range of experiences--some are sweet and transformative; others are perfunctory or borderline forgettable--but the one thing they all share is the importance of sexual agency. One woman tells the story of waiting until her wedding night, while another describes a relationship with a man who respected her--a sharp contrast to the years of sexual abuse she endured before. Each woman makes a choice to have sex, and choice is the key element here. The V in V-Word can be interpreted as "voice," not "virginity," and the takeaway is the importance of young women speaking up for what they want or don't want and taking an active role in what happens to their bodies. While highlighting the importance of choice, moreover, the contributors' accounts dismantle the idea that virginity is something to be revered as a mark of purity that, if lost, is a source of shame or mourning; rather, choosing to have sex is merely the first step down a path of new experiences. Keyser follows the essays with in-depth, accessible advice for teens geared almost exclusively toward girls as well as extensive resources for further learning. Sexual empowerment is the name of the game here, and it's a message not often doled out in today's climate of abstinence-only sex ed. Vitally, some expert sex educators weigh in, which adds an air of credibility to the proceedings. Occasionally, the tone is overly sentimental, and teens allergic to sincerity might bristle, but, overall, this is an excellent resource for teens interested in sex that gives them not only meaningful and important tools for health, such as concrete advice about contraceptives and consent, but a supportive, sex-positive voice in a culture that's still fairly uncomfortable addressing sexuality, in teen girls in particular. -- Sarah Hunter--Booklist "February 1, 2015"

Keyser (The Way Back from Broken) compiles powerfullycandid and intimate essays from 17 women, many of whom are YA authors, abouttheir first times having sex, the pressure to do so, guilt, desire, and theconcept of virginity ("Life is an endless roller coaster of first times, oflost virginities," writes Kiersi Burkhart). Their accounts includedisappointing hookups, thrilling same-sex explorations, and the decision toabstain from sex until marriage. In "Openly Bisexual," Sara Ryan doubles downon the candor, sharing not just her sexual explorations but sometimes floridexcerpts from her teenage diary ("The more I consider it, the more I become certain: I want to share all with Robert"); Alex Meeks describes the search forfulfilling sex while coming out as transgender ("I felt doomed to eternaldisconnection from my body"). Also included are a Q&A with blogger KellyJensen about representations of sex in media, and supplementary resources forboth parents and teens. Frank, encouraging, and explicit, these stories nevercut away from the physical or emotional realities of sex, and the collection isstronger and more valuable for it.--Publishers Weekly *STARRED REVIEW* "November 23, 2015"