Ordained minister Newman (With Heart and Hand) chose a riveting topic for her second book: her premise is that African-American women often have confused ideas about sex, in large part because the church gives them confusing messages. Unfortunately, the book does not live up to its initial promise. Newman's message is less about ethics (she is curiously opaque, for example, about the propriety of sex outside of marriage) than self-image. Above all, she wants her readers to feel good about themselves, urging women to take up "Project Me," which involves spending time alone and tending to their own needs. This is hardly new advice. One wonders how Newman's suggestions—that women take a karate class, learn to embroider or buy themselves flowers—will help her audience think more clearly about sex. Part of the book's superficiality stems from Newman's attempt to cover too many subjects, including body image, domestic violence, orgasm in marriage, dancing in church, dating and HIV prevention. Though these are all worthy topics, Newman sacrifices depth for breadth. One of the book's redeeming features is her sensitive biblical exegesis; she portrays Jesus as a "revolutionary feminist" who befriended women, and concludes from her study of the Onan story in Genesis that masturbation (which she calls "self-pleasuring") is not sinful. These interpretations, though certainly not original to Newman, are ably presented. Readers will also appreciate the biblically inspired reflection questions that close each chapter. Scriptural summaries and fill-in-the-blank worksheets, however, are not enough to salvage this disjointed guide. (Apr.)
