Women Who Love Sex: Ordinary Women Describe Their Paths to Pleasure, Intimacy, and Ecstasy Paperback - 2007 - 1st Edition

Media reviews

"Originally published in 1994 and updated in 1999, this classic exploration of terra femina redefined sex based on how women really experience sexual pleasure. These affirmative portraits, plus Ogden's commentary, broaden readers' understanding of female sexuality beyond stereotypes, whether from pop culture, sexology, macho patriarchy, or feminsim. The complex, regenerative power of pleasure that she describes offers women hope that it is good and healthy to 'love sex.'"—Library Journal


“Ogden’s celebration of female sexuality places her in the tradition of Lonnie Barbach, Shere Hite, and Betty Dodson.”—Kirkus

“An affirmative guide for both women and men, enriched by smart clinical insights.”—Publishers Weekly


"A masterpiece of affirmation—refreshing, moving, and extraordinarily liberating. For sexuality professionals, for our students, patients, and clients, for anyone who loves women, and especially for any woman who loves sex (or wants to love sex), Women Who Love Sex is the freshest breath of air to come along in years."—The Journal of Sex Research

"This book is a remarkable contribution to the literature on female sexuality. Ogden sets out to destroy stereotypes of female sexuality, whether they are found in pop culture, the world of professional sexology, or in current, politically correct 'feminist' ideology. She succeeds by situating women's sexual phenomenology within an appropriate, theoretical context and by substantiating her propositions with empirical support."—Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality



“This book explores a whole new landscape: the sexuality and sensuality of healthy women on their own terms—not simply in relationship to the male norm. You will find inspiration and affirmation in this book.”—Christiane Northrup, MD

“This woman-affirming book breaks new ground with its broad understanding of the nature and power of women’s sexual pleasure.”—Our Bodies Ourselves

"An innovative approach. A truly significant contribution to the way in which we think about human sexuality."—Wardell B. Pomeroy, PhD, coauthor of the "Kinsey Reports"—Sexual Behavior in the Human Male and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female

"In my work with college women, I am witness to the wrestling match between young women's evolving self-definition and the relentlessly constricting messages imposed upon them by society. Women are warned about sexual negativity, but by refusing to acknowledge that women also posses the capacity for deep sexual joy, we have allowed only half the truth to be told. Women Who Love Sex tells the long-denied other half of that truth. Reading it was extraordinarily freeing, both for me and my students."—Mary Krueger, PhD, Founding Director of the Bowling Green State University Women's Center

"This is a warm, innovative book, full of sexual poetry from women's own stories about their lives. Ogden has an important message. Sex, especially woman-affirming sex, is about a whole lot more than intercourse and orgasm. It is about trust, sharing, spirituality, love, whole-body sensuality, and letting go of restrictive sex roles and oppressive sexual scripts."—Naomi B. McCormick, PhD, Professor of Psychology at the State University of New York at Plattsburg, and author of Sexual Salvation

"Fascinating, affirming, and down-to-earth. Gina Ogden skillfully weaves together women's stories with insight and wisdom to explore the magnitude of women's sexual experiences—their power, importance, and connection to spirituality. This book will get a lot of women talking about sex!"—Charlotte Kasl, PhD, author of Women, Sex, and Addiction

"Gina Ogden writes with scientific accuracy, care, and passion, and her writing flows."—Ted McIlvenna, MDiv, PhD, President of the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality

"This superb and powerful book provides a format for women to understand their own sexuality from a woman's perspective rather than trying to fit into a model defined by men. It exemplifies why qualitative research provides important insights into the study of human sexuality."—Beverly Whipple, RN, PhD, President of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists, and coauthor of The G-Spot