Been There, Haven't Done That: A Virgin's Memoir

In the beginning of this ode to virginity, McCarthy declares: ""I'm 25 years old and I'm a virgin. At least by popular standards."" And with that she takes us on a dizzying odyssey of her ""unpenetrated state"" that begins with her Irish-Catholic childhood on Staten Island, her religious teacher nicknamed Sister ""Rambo"" (""I am sixty-eight years old and I am a virgin!""), and finally her college days at Harvard. What begins as a lighthearted romp turns into refrains of the same sad song over and over: Girl meets boy, girl doesn't sleep with boy, girl loses boy--to numbing effect. McCarthy reveals that she may be a virgin, but she is well aware of different kinds of sensual stimulation, both oral and manual. She asks: What is sex? and gives us myriad responses that would have stunned Nietzsche as she protects her virginity, practically turning it into a neurotic obsession. McCarthy, who writes for Ireland's Hot Press and has contributed to Seventeen, has basically taken a magazine piece and stretched it to book length. This book may be hailed by virgins, while others will take the Nike approach: Just do it. (June) FYI: Under the terms of her book contract, McCarthy, who is now 26, must remain ""virginal in mind, body, and spirit"" until pub date, otherwise she surrenders her advance.