Sluts - edited by Michelle Tea (Featuring work by 36 writers)

"Sluts" is a collection of fiction, memoirs, poems, and essays diving deep into sex, especially queer sex. It really gets into what being a "slut" means and how that can be different for everyone, all while giving a shout-out to people's sex drives and unapologetic queer lives. It throws you into the lives of tons of different people, from those awkward school moments to the tough stories of drag queens fighting for their place.

I was super into this anthology; it's as naughty and edgy as it is fascinating. Every story grabbed me, and I give credit to the writers who shared their own stories. I especially loved the lesbian stories and their focus on hot, real sexual intimacy. It was sweet, kinda dirty, but also reassuring. I don't usually read stuff that gets so real about queer sex lives, so "Sluts" totally opened my eyes to how I see sex and the fact that it shouldn’t be a shameful thing. Everyone's different, with their own limits and desires, and how intimacy brings people together.

Yeah, sometimes it felt like it was pushing it a bit, but maybe that's just my inner prude talking but it could also be really beautiful and erotic. So I wouldn’t argue if someone said that reading it in public might be risky, especially around family, but it's just a book; a book about something a lot of people see as taboo. And so if it's not your thing, don't sweat it, but I will say that it’s not just graphic; it also brings attention to queer stereotypes and the homophobia that's still out there. This book feels like something society needs because it drops some unexpected knowledge on you that’ll be sure to impact the way people live their lives.

There's so much to it that I wanted more. Some stories ended too quick, but the ideas were solid, with characters I loved to hate because they were so perfectly flawed. The settings felt real, unless the story was set in a cool dystopian country that was a nice change from the bog-standard world we live in as readers. That was another thing I loved; every piece was different. With different genres, voices, points of view, so it felt like I was reading a bunch of different books in one. That helped break up "Sluts," which is a hefty 448 pages, but still an easy read. I wasn't bored for a second reading about the same topic for a whole week, which is a win for books that are over 300 pages.

It's poetic, satisfying, sexy, and captivating. I'm definitely going back for a second round with some of the short stories; ones written by Gabrielle Korn, Chloe Caldwell and Lydia Conklin. This is a book you shouldn't miss, especially if you're a bit of a slut yourself. So, if you're into something a little out there or just want a break from your usual reads, "Sluts" is it. You can take your time with it, that's the true beauty of it; leave it for months and come back whenever and I doubt you'll hate it...or maybe you will, who knows? I can't say it's for everyone, even though I kinda did, but it's worth a shot.

Sluts features work by: DL Alvarez / Jeremy Atherton Lin / Vera Blossom / Chloe Caldwell / Cristy Road Carrera / Sam Cohen / Tom Cole / Lydia Conklin / jimmy cooper / Lyn Corelle / Jenny Fran Davis / Cyrus Dunham / Hedi El Kholti / Robert Gluck / Miguel Gutierrez / Gary Indiana / Taleen Kali / Cheryl Klein / Gabrielle Korn / Nate Lippens / Meredith Maran / Carta Monir / Amanda Montell / Carely Moore / Bradford Nordeen / Baruch Porras-Hernandez / Kamala Puligandla / Brontez Purnell / Liara Roux / Andrea Sands / Daviel Shy / Jen Silverman / Anna Joy Springer / Laurie Stone / McKenzie Wark & Zoe Whittall

By your copy of the book here: https://amzn.eu/d/28rVukJ