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Human Sexuality: A Psychosocial Perspective Second edition by Ruth K. Westheimer and Sanford Lopater. Lippincott Williams, & Wilkins, (351 West Camden St, Baltimore, MD 21201), 2005, xxvi + 831 pp, hard cover, $99.00.
The second edition of this text aimed at college students adds to the myriad of human sexuality textbooks currently on the market. The most striking aspect of this text is that it is coauthored by Dr Ruth Westheimer. Dr Ruth, as she is known throughout the country, is a matronly figure who addresses human sexuality issues with frankness, humor, and a heavy German accent. Unlike some socalled experts one sees on television, Dr Ruth is eminently qualified in the sexuality education arena. Her credentials include a degree in psychology from the Sorbonne, a master's degree in sociology from the New School for Social Research and a PhD in interdisciplinary study of the family from Columbia University. Dr Ruth also was a student of Helen Singer Kaplan, a pioneer in human sexuality. Coauthor Sanford Lopater has a doctoral degree in experimental and physiological psychology from the University of Virginia and has taught human sexuality for 30 years.
Some features of this text that set it apart from others include the cross-cultural information, research highlights, and learning objectives for each chapter. Most impressive are the wonderful graphics, artwork, and photography in this edition. This second edition expands upon the first with the addition of information on transgenderism, a more detailed look at bisexuality, new research on hormonal contraceptives for men and women, hormonal treatments for paraphilias, data on male rape, sex-trafficking, and the longterm effects of child sexual abuse as well as many other new areas of information. This book and its support materials were impressive, particularly for a text that is relatively new. The support materials for faculty include the typical test bank, overheads, Power Point slides, and video clips. They go beyond the typical, however, by including letters to Dr Ruth, web resources for each chapter, content updates found on the book's Connection Website, and a free copy of the History of Sex(TM) Video/DVD Series from A&E Television and the History Channel for each instructor who adopts the text. Student ancillaries include a study guide, content updates, and Web resource links.
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