Been There, Haven't Done That: A Virgin's Memoir
Tara McCarthy. Warner Books, $21.5 (240pp) ISBN 978-0-446-52084-3
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.
Details
Reviewed on: 06/02/1997
Genre: Nonfiction
Paperback - 224 pages - 978-0-446-67381-5