Savage Love: Straight Answers from America's Most Popular Sex Columnist
Encyclopedia
Savage Love: Straight Answers from America's Most Popular Sex Columnist is a non-fiction
book by sex columnist
Dan Savage
. It was first published in 1998 by Plume.
In Savage Love, the author recounts his early sexual education and experiences, as well as his initial impetus to begin a sex advice column of the same title as the book. Savage Love includes a collection of pieces from the author's column. The book received a favorable reception in reviews from Library Journal
, Mademoiselle
, POZ
, and Gay and Lesbian Humanist.
In the introduction to Savage Love: Straight Answers from America's Most Popular Sex Columnist, the author gives the reader some background to his early sexual education and experiences. Savage recounts how he first decided to start his advice column in 1991, while employed as the night manager of a video store in Madison
, Wisconsin. His friend Tim Keck joined him for a meal in Madison, on his way to Seattle
, Washington to form a weekly publication, The Stranger
. Savage stated to Keck that he could contribute a weekly advice column with the recommended title of "Hey, Faggot", and this was later modified to become "Savage Love".
Savage writes that communication is a key part of a good sexual experience: "After all, nothing makes a person better at sex than good communication. All sex therapists, advice columnists, and marriage counselors, serious, mainstream, pop culture, religious – are all in agreement on this point".
The book includes a collection of writings from the author's column, Savage Love
. Some of the writer's best columns were selected for inclusion in the book. At the time of the book's publication, the author's Savage Love column was six years old, and syndicated
to 16 newspapers, with a total of 4 million readers. Savage asserts that his homosexuality affords him an added skill in his trade of advice-giving. The work provides advice for sexual problems of individuals of various lifestyle orientations.
format was also released in 1998. A subsequent edition was published by E P Dutton in 1999.
reviewed the book for Library Journal
, writing, "Sex advice columns provide enlightenment for the erotically challenged as well as voyeuristic entertainment, and the aptonymic Savage delivers on both counts." The review concluded, "Especially recommended for libraries in urban and university locations and wherever Savage Love is syndicated." A review of the book in Mademoiselle
commented, "Savage Love: Straight Answers from America's Most Popular Sex Columnist, by Dan Savage, smartly tackles topics from blowing someone off to just blowing someone." writing for POZ
, journalist Xaviera Hollander commented, "His flip, funny, no-holds-barred tone has an edge that his 3.5 million readers either adore or abhor-- and keep coming back for more." Stephen Blake of Gay and Lesbian Humanist noted, "For the uninitiated ... this book is a wonderful introduction to one of America’s best-known sex-advice columnists."
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
book by sex columnist
Sex columnist
A sex columnist is a writer of a newspaper or magazine column about sex.Sex advice columns may take the form of essays or, more frequently, answers to questions posed by readers. Sex advice columns can usually be found in alt weekly newspapers, women's magazines, health or fitness magazines, and...
Dan Savage
Dan Savage
Daniel Keenan "Dan" Savage is an American author, media pundit, journalist and newspaper editor. Savage writes the internationally syndicated relationship and sex advice column Savage Love. Its tone is frank in its discussion of sexuality, often humorous, and hostile to social conservatives, as in...
. It was first published in 1998 by Plume.
In Savage Love, the author recounts his early sexual education and experiences, as well as his initial impetus to begin a sex advice column of the same title as the book. Savage Love includes a collection of pieces from the author's column. The book received a favorable reception in reviews from Library Journal
Library Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
, Mademoiselle
Mademoiselle (magazine)
Mademoiselle was an influential women's magazine first published in 1935 by Street and Smith and later acquired by Condé Nast Publications....
, POZ
POZ (magazine)
POZ is a monthly magazine that chronicles the lives of people affected by HIV/AIDS. Its website, Poz.com, has daily HIV/AIDS news, treatment information, forums, blogs and personals....
, and Gay and Lesbian Humanist.
Contents
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, Wisconsin. His friend Tim Keck joined him for a meal in Madison, on his way to Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, Washington to form a weekly publication, The Stranger
The Stranger (newspaper)
The Stranger is an alternative weekly newspaper in Seattle, Washington, USA. It runs a blog known as Slog.-History:The Stranger was founded by Tim Keck, who had previously co-founded the satirical newspaper The Onion, and cartoonist James Sturm. Its first issue came out on September 23, 1991...
. Savage stated to Keck that he could contribute a weekly advice column with the recommended title of "Hey, Faggot", and this was later modified to become "Savage Love".
Savage writes that communication is a key part of a good sexual experience: "After all, nothing makes a person better at sex than good communication. All sex therapists, advice columnists, and marriage counselors, serious, mainstream, pop culture, religious – are all in agreement on this point".
The book includes a collection of writings from the author's column, Savage Love
Savage Love
Savage Love is a syndicated sex-advice column by Dan Savage. The column appears weekly in several dozen newspapers, mainly free newspapers in the US and Canada, but also newspapers in Europe and Asia...
. Some of the writer's best columns were selected for inclusion in the book. At the time of the book's publication, the author's Savage Love column was six years old, and syndicated
Print syndication
Print syndication distributes news articles, columns, comic strips and other features to newspapers, magazines and websites. They offer reprint rights and grant permissions to other parties for republishing content of which they own/represent copyrights....
to 16 newspapers, with a total of 4 million readers. Savage asserts that his homosexuality affords him an added skill in his trade of advice-giving. The work provides advice for sexual problems of individuals of various lifestyle orientations.
Publication history
The book was first published by Plume in 1998, in paperback format. An e-bookE-book
An electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital...
format was also released in 1998. A subsequent edition was published by E P Dutton in 1999.
Reception
Martha Cornog of the American College of PhysiciansAmerican College of Physicians
The American College of Physicians is a national organization of doctors of internal medicine —physicians who specialize in the prevention, detection, and treatment of illnesses in adults. With 130,000 members, ACP is the largest medical-specialty organization and second-largest physician group in...
reviewed the book for Library Journal
Library Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
, writing, "Sex advice columns provide enlightenment for the erotically challenged as well as voyeuristic entertainment, and the aptonymic Savage delivers on both counts." The review concluded, "Especially recommended for libraries in urban and university locations and wherever Savage Love is syndicated." A review of the book in Mademoiselle
Mademoiselle (magazine)
Mademoiselle was an influential women's magazine first published in 1935 by Street and Smith and later acquired by Condé Nast Publications....
commented, "Savage Love: Straight Answers from America's Most Popular Sex Columnist, by Dan Savage, smartly tackles topics from blowing someone off to just blowing someone." writing for POZ
POZ (magazine)
POZ is a monthly magazine that chronicles the lives of people affected by HIV/AIDS. Its website, Poz.com, has daily HIV/AIDS news, treatment information, forums, blogs and personals....
, journalist Xaviera Hollander commented, "His flip, funny, no-holds-barred tone has an edge that his 3.5 million readers either adore or abhor-- and keep coming back for more." Stephen Blake of Gay and Lesbian Humanist noted, "For the uninitiated ... this book is a wonderful introduction to one of America’s best-known sex-advice columnists."
See also
- Advice columnAdvice columnAn advice column is a column in a magazine or newspaper written by an advice columnist . The image presented was originally of an older woman providing comforting advice and maternal wisdom, hence the name "aunt"...
- Savage LoveSavage LoveSavage Love is a syndicated sex-advice column by Dan Savage. The column appears weekly in several dozen newspapers, mainly free newspapers in the US and Canada, but also newspapers in Europe and Asia...
- Sex columnistSex columnistA sex columnist is a writer of a newspaper or magazine column about sex.Sex advice columns may take the form of essays or, more frequently, answers to questions posed by readers. Sex advice columns can usually be found in alt weekly newspapers, women's magazines, health or fitness magazines, and...
- Skipping Towards Gomorrah: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Pursuit of Happiness in AmericaSkipping Towards GomorrahSkipping Towards Gomorrah: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Pursuit of Happiness in America is a non-fiction book by Dan Savage, first published in 2002 by Dutton...
External links
- Savage Love: Straight Answers from America's Most Popular Sex Columnist, preview of the book, Good Reads