Awesome book Very informative and enlightening

Full disclosure: I'm a guy...

That said; this book is great. It really helped me to understand and rethink how my partners mind and body may feel and react to stimuli... contrary to what I previously "assumed" or was fought.

thank you Emily Nagoski for putting this out there.

44 people found this helpful

More interesting than I thought

Would you listen to Come as You Are again? Why?

Probably not all the way through (I bookmarked few spots thought); there were handful of very interesting concepts, which I have now absorbed.

Any additional comments?

As I started listening to this book I thought: "Oh, this is a book for women" (I'm male), but decided to continue listening, and I'm glad I did. Yes, it is primarily written for women, but there were several general concepts about human sexuality (which are also applicable to men) I was unaware of. And, being a straight guy, it was good to learn about some some central factors in female sexuality, too. :-) Arousal nonconcordance, the dual control model, the extent of the effect of the context, what Emily refers to as "the little monitors" (maybe not a scientific term?), and the criterion velocity were all partially or entirely new information to me. It's always interesting to learn how there are various systems in the human body that have been mapped out and understood to this extent. Yes, it was definitely worth a listen; I'd say this is one of those books that would make a big difference in many people's lives if everyone would read it at around the age of 20.

34 people found this helpful

Who is her audience? And HAES? Really?

The first half of the book is good, and there was plenty to take away from it. As other reviewers mentioned, the language she uses to describe human anatomy is a bit off-putting. It doesn't seem geared toward adult listeners, but also comes across as too patronizing for even teenagers. I'm a 30-something man reading this to try to get a better feel for what might and might not work to improve my sex life with my wife, and what I can bring to her. To that end, there were some points that were worth bringing to the table.

Unfortunately, the author completely lost me when she went into a little tangent about Healthy At Every Size (HAES) and her belief that you can be morbidly obese and still be perfectly healthy. She even shares a conversation she supposedly had with an unnamed cardiologist over dinner and how he completely backs up her theory that there's no evidence to suggest obesity has any negative effect on cardiac function.

Not only was it completely out of place for a book about female sexuality, but in my mind it seriously damaged her credibility as a scientist. It was a ham-fisted way to push some fringe ideology. I lost interest in the book quickly thereafter. If you subscribe to that particular belief, you'll probably enjoy this book on the whole. But disregarding decades of medical research to the contrary and trying to defend it with a (likely fake) conversation with a cardiologist is just slimy to me.

26 people found this helpful

EVERY woman should read/listen to this book!

... and then share it with every other woman in her life. Emily takes science & makes it make sense in an articulate, compassionate, humorous way. I plan to get a hard copy & do lots & lots of highlights & notes. As a survivor of childhood incestuous sexual abuse I can recommend this book as a great way to start dispelling the myths & erroneous self-talk inherent to that history. I wish I'd had this book 30 years ago!!!

21 people found this helpful

Positive, Encouraging, Exciting

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

As a sex educator, I encounter many couples with mismatched libido and women who feel like they are "broken." This book taught me SOOO many new concepts I am eager to share! It is easy to understand, eye opening, based on science, and encouraging. ALL women should read it, and all men should, too! We need to come to a common understanding of how society skews male and female sexuality. We all have the same parts, they're just organized in different ways and women have to deal with so many challenges.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The author Emily reads the audio version and lends such a positive, upbeat attitude to the learning process. You can visualize the smile on her face as she shares insight. Very comforting and pleasant.

What does Emily Nagoski bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I ended up buying a paperback version so I could mark it up - there were so many key points I wanted to remember. I kept rewinding and listening again. Invaluable info.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

If someone listens carefully to this book, it can change their life. It can help them accept who they are, which is key to being comfortable with your sexuality.

Any additional comments?

This book can change lives for the better. So sympathetic, helpful, comprehensive, positive. I'm so impressed with the information shared.

45 people found this helpful

Very repetitive

She repeats herself so much, I couldn’t even finish the book. I grew so tired and annoyed listening to the same things over and over. Save yourself the time and credit.

13 people found this helpful

Fantastic if a little repetitive

I just want to start by saying that it is ABSOLUTELY essential listening/reading for any person (woman, men and every other gender in between) and provides fantastic insight into improving how I feel about my own sexuality. I learned the importance of patience, mindfulness, and paying attention to my sexual brakes and accelerators.

The one thing that prevents me from giving this a full 5 stars is that a lot of the information can get redundant, I feel like I might have heard "You are normal and beautiful" at least a million times. In a certain sense I get why Emily Nagowski wanted to really stress this for all the women reading the book (since not all women are clear on that) but after a while it somewhat felt like filler. I also wasn't a fan of some of the terms she used to simplify certain concepts like "feeling feels" or "tl;dr". Personally I felt like it "dumbed down" some concepts which were perfectly understandable and interesting, without the need for some already outdated internet slang.

Although I definitely consider that as more of a nit-pick in my own personal experience than a deal breaker for most readers.

11 people found this helpful

loved it, and I'm a dude

Although I could do without the subtle "evil men" undermining (not all men suppress women), I do empathize with the mindset. but overall, I loved the myth busting, highly positive and optimistic attitude, and the narrator's voice was a delight.

highly recommend to everyone curious to know more about women and what might be going on in their head.

9 people found this helpful

Please stop what you are doing and read this book.

Every one should read this book. I know it is geared towards women, but really anyone who has a vulva or is interested in spending time with one should read it.

32 people found this helpful

very educational!

As a man who has always been fascinated by the fairer sex, I absolutely loved this audio book. It's a treasure trove of information that I had never heard before, and how it's explained is easy to understand. The performance was very well done as well. 10/10 and I might just have to buy the hard copy as well

21 people found this helpful