I read this book in a weekend, and I'm a slow reader. If I had to sum up this book in one word, it would be "deprogramming". It teaches the reader to suspend his or her presuppositions and approach sex from a fresh standpoint. She breaks stride with the traditional feminist camp in her discussion of pornography and prostitution by questioning the ideas that many feminists (and I tend to count myself as one) take for granted. She discusses our "sex-drenched, sex-phobic" culture and critiques many of the philosophical ideas that underlie many common views. Highlights include her discussion of the Adam and Eve myth, Augustinian Christianity, sexual taboos, homosexuality, and transgender issues. At one point, she comments that most authors who write about sex do so in a way that seems as if they're afraid that anyone who reads their work will be afraid that they are actually turned on by the subject. Tisdale is not one of these authors. Her language is frank and honest but not gratuitously shocking. I teach a college philosophy course and we will soon be spending two weeks on this book. My students are eagerly awating those lessons. The current lack of interest that academic philosophers have in these issues is unfortunate. We talk about sex all the time and it is such a big part of our lives, yet so many think that the ideas that we approach our sexuality with are not worthy topics for rigorous examination and discussion. We need more writers like Tisdale who are willing to discuss these issues in an honest and intelligent way. Buy this book!

The author must have been the inspiration for the creation of the hit play The Vagina Monologues. I also was reminded of Hugh Hefners book on how Playboy came to be, which was basically his own struggle with the Love hate sex born of the puritans mentality.

And I always find it so refreshing when I read an authors work where they do not mince words, especially on sex issues like oral sex, how society views sex organs and the simply and profound human hypocrisy that is so ripe here in the United States. Only problem is, the people who should read the book, won't. Thankfully the brighter folks amongst us will read it and thru word of mouth she will become better known and respected.

Tisdale's book is like a long essay by a compassionate, learned friend. She poses more questions than answers, giving us her opinions and insights without forcing conclusions. Tisdale allows us to reach our own conclusions about sexuality, but opens many doors on the journey. It's a small but powerful and thought-provoking book.

I read this a few years ago when I first began to do male nude photography as a photo student. I needed to come to grips with my own and other's resistance to the male nude form. I found the insights in "Talk Dirty" to be especially relevant and valuable.

By just thumbing through this book for a few minutes, I realized that writing this book was a labor of love for the author. The recipes are magnificent and often unusual, showcasing the complexities of these two spices, ubiquitous to all our kitchens in the US. In addition, in true Jordan style, she researches her subject diligently and with passion. I felt almost ashamed for taking these two ingredients for granted. I have been a fan of Michele's cooking and writing for some time now, but in this book, she let's us see a little more of the person she is. In one of the most poignant vignettes I have ever read anywhere, she wrote about a recipe for Asian Limeade. "The first time I tried the real thing was ...in Borneo....geckos, the same green color as my limeade, scurried across the walls; I don't think I have ever felt so far from home." This is one great book, for the vignettes and for the recipes.

Michele Anna Jordan is a food writer for the reader. Her books are a road to travel in and around the subject, enticing one to rummage into spice cabinets, and through specialty stores and farmer's markets. If we can't hop on a plane to Malaysia, Michele will do her best to help us taste it. With Salt and Pepper, I found a welcoming mat for my pleasure of salt. There are no sneers across her pages as I reach for my sea salt to sprinkle more on my Edamame, or the Kosher flakes for my fresh summer tomatoes. "I love you more than salt" - that alone will be reason enough for me to bless each new wedding in my circle of friends with this book and a sampling of salt and spicy pepper!

Sallie Tisdale starts off well, but never manages to answer the many questions she poses about food. In the end the book reads as an extended whinge. The introduction is basically the book, the rest is too often just extended repetition. The bibliography is especially light on credible historical sources,yet the history of food is often her subject. After a short time, Tisdale's glib assumption that she,her family,and her attitudes to food are the norm for all Americans passes from being ridiculous to being insulting. There are better books on the subject, notably "Fast Food Nation" and "The Primal Feast."

What is Sallie Tisdale trying to say with this book? I read the entire book over the course of 3 months (small portions) and I never discovered "the secret of food." This book is over 311 pages of disconnected musings. Each musing is well-written but there isn't a coherent whole. Its more like a coherent hole. A second helping? No thank you.

Ms Tisdale has written for us a most sensitive, intelligent and well researched personal account of her relation to food in our present society. With so many others who have come to see the hate/love relationship we have towards what should be a high point of daily life, she has touched upon the delights that can be had from a well thought-out meal without torturing ourselves about the high pollution of pre-prepared foods nor about the amount of calories, fats or additives that each 'new' scientific discovery tells us to be aware of. One would almost get the feeling that Ms Tisdale tells us: 'dare to live'. I highly recommend this book for lifting up your 'hunger' spirits and I have bought several copies for friends. PS The averse reactions of this wonderfully warm and loving book speak for themselves as obviously Ms Tisdale gets often too close for comfort.