The Porning of America

From Bratz dolls to Abu Ghraib, this urgent book reveals that porn has become the mainstream and the mainstream has become porn Porn has seeped into and been absorbed by every defining aspect of our culture: language, entertainment, fashion, advertising, sexual behavior - even politics. Sarracino and Scott argue that we no longer have to purchase pornography to get porn because we increasingly live porn on a daily basis. From the Civil War to the golden age of comic books in the 1940s and 1950s to the adult film industry's golden decade of the 1970s and up to today, the authors trace porn's transformation - from lurking in the dark alleys of American life to becoming an unapologetic multibillion-dollar industry. Not an anti-porn diatribe, The Porning of Americaexplores how porned advertising, sexualization, celebrity porn stars, and Internet porn shape how we view both our own and others' bodies. Resolutely pro-sex, Sarracino and Scott contend that, to make the most of our hard-won sexual freedom, we must thoughtfully - and honestly - evaluate what might be liberating about porn, as well as what might be damaging. "This fascinating, provocative book had me glued; it makes a great crack at unraveling the mysteries of today's pornography." - Annie Sprinkle, Ph.D., porn star turned sexologist "Comprehensive and thought-provoking, this is a must-read if you want to understand porn and our culture." - Al Goldstein, founder and former publisher of Screw magazine