Erika Imranyi, editorial director at Park Row, first learned about sex therapist Emily Morse in a New York Times article suggesting Morse was the Dr. Ruth for a new generation. Intrigued, Imranyi listened to Morse’s podcast, Sex with Emily, and was impressed by her refreshing approach to an often taboo subject.
“The way we look at sex as a culture is rooted in shame and embarrassment,” Imranyi says. “Emily’s view on sexuality—and pleasure in particular—is not just about being hedonistic. It’s self-care. She reframes sex in a way that makes you think of it as mindfulness.”
Morse’s Smart Sex (June) is one of several forthcoming books that aim to break down barriers to open-minded, fulfilling sexual experiences.
The challenge of embracing sex with confidence is also the subject of Shameless Sex by Amy Baldwin and April Lampert (BenBella, Nov.). Baldwin, a sex educator, and Lampert, the vice president of a sex toy company, cohost a podcast of the same name, and their book centers on listeners’ questions and advice culled from a range of experts to help readers make empowering changes.
Psychotherapist Maxine Mei-Fung believes difficulties with intimacy often stem from childhood deprivation, trauma, and grief. In What Women Want (Grand Central, Sept.), she examines how the past shapes present-day sexual connections and argues that only by revisiting it can people take their relationships to new heights.
In Desire: An Inclusive Guide to Navigating Libido Differences in Relationships, due from Beacon in August, sex therapists Lauren Fogel Mersy and Jennifer A. Vencill focus on intimacy problems faced by couples. The book encourages communication between partners “about their desires and expectations,” says Beacon editor Catherine Tung, while also offering a realistic portrait of out-of-sync passion. “You shouldn’t compare yourself to movie couples where they realize they want to have sex at the same time, and it goes flawlessly,” she notes. In other words, it’s never perfect, but it could be better.
