Firsts--Reviewed by Sarah Roberts

"People aren’t a chemistry experiment you can tinker with until the proportions are just right.

People are terrifying that way.”

Your first time is something that is not only a big step, but also utterly terrifying. Some people desperately wish that there was some way to get ready or even practice, without their girlfriend or boyfriend finding out. I mean they just want to give that one special person the perfect special time.

Enter Mercedes Ayres.

Seventeen year old Mercedes Ayres gives boyfriends that chance to get the awkward first time over with, and open the door to giving their girlfriends perfect first time. Only catch is the guy has to be a virgin and he can't ever speak of his adventure with Mercedes to anyone. Of course the boys are fine with the secrecy, except for Zach who seems to want more from Mercedes than she is willing to give.

Everything seems to be going quite well that is until Charlie, Mercedes's best friend Angela's boyfriend, wants a turn. Suddenly, Mercedes little "tutoring" becomes public. All Mercedes secretes come to light and she isn't ready for it.

Join Mercedes as she tries to find out who she really is, battles the hatred from her fellow girl classmates, and even love.

I gave this book five stars because I absolutely loved it! This book captured topics that seem to be felt through out high schoolers all over the world. There's self-esteem issues, sexuality issues, bullying, love, and becoming comfortable with our bodies. This book made me really think about things in my life that I have done, and the real thoughts behind them. It gives you an inside view of what people really feel about themselves and how they think their actions affect other people's lives.

Ms. Crawford, I think we should purchase this book because not only does it show you the affects of sexual activity on a teen, but also the affects on the partner of the sexually active teen. This book does not just cover sex, but it also covers the thought process of a teen and how they feel the need to be loved in order to love themselves. It shows us that sex is not supposed to be used for feeling pleasure or a false sense of happiness, but rather for the purpose of expressing your love for the one person you believe will be your first and only love. This book also lets us see the bad affects that sex has on a person, and what multiple sexually partners can really do to a person. I think this book will have a great affect on my fellow peers and believe that this book should be incorporated into our library. This needs to be experienced by our young adults in order to help them find their way through high school and the pressure of sex at our age. 

Sex if You're Scared of the Truth Don't Read This - Mary Roberts

Book: Sex if You’re Scared of the Truth Don’t Read This!

Author: U.S. Marine Carl Sommer

Publisher: Advance Publishing - published in 2009

Reviewed by: Mary Roberts 

 - 5 out of 5 stars 

       Carl Sommer addresses in this book a teenage audience. He uses statistics as well as testimonies to get across the idea that sex before marriage is not a healthy lifestyle choice. He discusses the emotional and physical damage that “casual sex” can inflict on an adolescent’s body. Sommer promotes the reader to look at their own life and experiences to see the benefits of abstinence. He also uses stories from his own life to highlight the benefits of waiting until marriage. The book is written with very easy to understand language. It is also written with a sense of seriousness and bluntness. This made the book seem more like a discussion than a lecture and made it a more enjoyable read.

            Personally I completely agree with the author’s ideals. His thesis statement throughout the book is that sex before marriage is both emotionally and physically unhealthy. One of the first things he discusses are STDs and “safe sex” both of these topics are often either accepted or just completely ignored. He states that “19 million people are infected each year with some kind of STD.” (pg. 37).  This is a striking statistic that he uses to successfully combat the mindset that an STD can’t happen to you. He discusses the ABC’s of “safe sex”: abstinence, be faithful, use a condom (pg. 36). He also discusses the flaws inthe rules. Another major point he brings up is the mixed signals teens receive in their education. “Many health providers mention abstinence as being 100% effective  for the prevention of STDs and pregnancies, but then go into great detail about how to have safe sex” (pg. 37). This is a valid point that really brought up the question what are we really being taught to do? Sommer later combats the ideas of pornography. He explains that the images are unhealthy for the function of both men and women. For men he argues that it gives them a view of women as objects. It also increases their chances of violent behavior. According to Sommer “In a study of convicted child molesters 77% of those who molested boys and 87% of those who molested girls admitted to habitual use of pornography”( pg. 62). Sommer covers many of the emotional reasons not to have Sex. One major effect he covers is depression. “When compared to teens who are not sexually active, teenage boys and girls who are sexually active are significantly less likely to be happy and more likely to be depressed.”(pg. 65). This is important because the damage done emotionally by have premarital sex can be just as devastating as the diseases one can gain. Sommer does a great job of bringing up the different scenarios that surround the ideas of premarital sex. He creates fake dialogues of people being pressured into intimacy. He also gets testimonies of people who have stood up against this idea of casual sex, such as Miss America winner Erika Harold who was determined to share her view of abstinence in her platform, and Miriam Grossman M.D. who wrote an over under an alias informing the public of the emotional trauma caused by premarital sex. In this novel Sommer informs the reader about the risks they’re facing when they say yes before marriage, while still giving them hope that abstinence is possible. Even for those who have already failed. This book was a quick and very insightful read that I completely recommend to anyone who wants to find out the truth about sex.