Listen
See this imageFollow the Author
Louise Perry
Follow
The Case Against the Sexual Revolution 1st Edition
by Louise Perry (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 725 ratings
4.3 on Goodreads
1,309 rating
Kindle
$16.00Read with Our Free App
Paperback
$15.23
10 Used from $11.0921 New from $13.92
Ditching the stuffy hang-ups and benighted sexual traditionalism of the past is an unambiguously positive thing. The sexual revolution has liberated us to enjoy a heady mixture of erotic freedom and personal autonomy. Right?
Wrong, argues Louise Perry in her provocative new book. Although it would be neither possible nor desirable to turn the clock back to a world of pre-60s sexual mores, she argues that the amoral libertinism and callous disenchantment of liberal feminism and our contemporary hypersexualised culture represent more loss than gain. The main winners from a world of rough sex, hook-up culture and ubiquitous porn – where anything goes and only consent matters – are a tiny minority of high-status men, not the women forced to accommodate the excesses of male lust. While dispensing sage advice to the generations paying the price for these excesses, she makes a passionate case for a new sexual culture built around dignity, virtue and restraint.
This counter-cultural polemic from one of the most exciting young voices in contemporary feminism should be read by all men and women uneasy about the mindless orthodoxies of our ultra-liberal era.
Review
"This clear-sighted, compassionate book challenges the reigning sexual orthodoxy of 'anything goes', showing the many uncounted costs it imposes on women. A must-read for conservatives and feminists alike."
Mary Harrington, Contributing Editor, UnHerd
"In this thoughtful, timely and witty book, Louise Perry exposes the travesty of 'sex positive' feminism as neither positive nor sexy and argues for new thinking which puts women's true interests, desires and happiness at its heart."
Janice Turner, Times columnist and feature writer
"books such as Perry's matter […] many of her arguments ― that consent is an inadequate measure of what is and is not abuse, that the valuing of sexual freedom over mutual dependency benefits the most privileged at the expense of the least, that physical strength differences between men and women matter enormously ― seem to me hugely important, yet completely absent from so much of the feminism I have known."
The Critic
"... tackles the costs of the sexual revolution head-on... a brave and unflinching book"
Nina Power, author of What Do Men Want?
"This is a marvellously essential book, brilliantly argued. Perry has written the most radical feminist challenge to a failed liberal feminism."
Phyllis Chesler, writer, feminist and psychologist, author of Women and Madness
"Brilliantly conceived and written, this highly original book is an urgent call for a sexual counter-revolution. A book as stimulating as the splash of icy water that wakes someone from a nightmare."
Helen Joyce, author of Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality
"Those feminists who assume this book is not for them – give it a go. Brilliantly written, cleverly argued, packed with fascinating ideas and information: agree or disagree with the central premise, it is fresh and exciting."
Julie Bindel, feminist and writer, author of Feminism for Women
"... crisply readable polemic...."
The Times
"It's a combination of beliefs that will outrage almost everyone. Radical feminists, the old-guard 1960s firebrands, will agree with her on porn, but be aghast by the chapter on marriage; social conservatives will love the marriage chapter, but bristle at Perry’s approval of abortion; the new generation of liberal feminists, who have known nothing but sexual freedom, may well despise it all."
The Sunday Times
"clear-sighted"
Suzanne Moore, The Sunday Telegraph
"She's right - and courageous."
Mary Kenny
"urgent and daring and brave. It may turn out to be one of the most important feminist books of its time."
Rachel Cooke, The Observer
"... Louise Perry lobs a grenade into feminist discourse."
Irish Examiner
"This is a provocative book. More than once, its author says the unsayable. It makes you think, and it makes you want for a better world. It is urgent and daring and brave. It may turn out to be one of the most important feminist books of its time."
Rachel Cooke, The Guardian
"challenging and thought-provoking."
Hugo Rifkind, The Times
"... will ruffle liberal feathers all over the coop."
London Magazine
"Perry undeniably has a sharp eye both for the ways in which contemporary feminism risks eating itself... and for those guilty feminist moments where emotions awkwardly refuse to comply with the theoretical ideal. Any woman who has ever had what was meant to be a gloriously hedonistic no-strings fling, only to find herself anxiously checking her WhatsApps just to see if he's called, will recognise something here."
Gaby Hinsliff, the New Statesman
"This could be a movement in its nascent days."
Prospect
"[Perry's] book suggests a renewed bibliography that enables the reader to grasp the paradoxes at play within liberal feminism's theses."
Lola Salem, The Critic
"This 'crisply readable' polemic questions whether sexual freedom is really as liberating as it sounds"
The Week
"Riveting"
The Spectator
"Perry musters and masters the evidence. Her case is powerful, moving, and ― as you may be able to tell from the tone of this piece ― angering."
Church Times
"Arguing that young women need to protect themselves from a sexual culture that treats them as disposable, Perry urges them to draw from the accumulated wisdom of previous generations."
Michelle Goldberg, The New York Times
"[Perry] is writing on behalf of legions of women without PhDs or platforms, those who do not possess the ideological jargon to describe what they've endured and can only share their lived experiences."
Jonathon van Maren for the European Conservative
"Brave, excoriating, and magnificent."
Andrew Wilson, The Gospel Coalition
"Must-read"
Rod Dreher, The American Conservative
"The book is brave, bristling with insights, and beautifully written."
National Review
"significant.... Perry is to be commended for her courage."
The Evangelical Times
About the Author
Louise Perry is a writer, New Statesman columnist and campaigner against male sexual violence.
From the United States
Sinéad F. Dormady
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Points, Poor Grammar - RE-EDITReviewed in the United States on April 26, 2023
Verified Purchase
I bought Louise Perry's book four months ago and I just started reading it. Currently, I'm still on Chapter 1, page 14. Generally, I like where she's going so far, I understand it, and I agree; however I've had to mentally cut a lot of unnecessary words in order to understand her point(s). Additionally, there is improper use or replacement of transitional words, ect. You'll notice them, certainly.
One example of what I'm talking about is in the second photo, second paragraph, starting with, "some contributors...". Cutting out the words, might, some, and way would still make her point and make it clearer to the reader. There are more of these wordy sentences, paragraphs, and pages.
I don't know if it's because she knows her perspective is controversial, so she's mentally tip-toeing, and its being refected in her writing. If that is the case, Louise, we're feminists. We're angry, we've always been angry, always will be, and this book will direct some of that anger at ourselves. Rightfully so, because we should be and deserve it - jab that [verbal] knife in and twist honey, it's okay.
Or, someone is not doing their career justice [writer or editor]. This is a good book so far, just needs to be run through again and properly edited.
3 people found this helpful
HelpfulReport
Ernesto Gutierrez
4.0 out of 5 stars Takes sex seriously—but not seriously enough.Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2022
Verified Purchase
This is a book that is interesting as it takes woman and sex seriously. Its strengths are pointing out the limits of seeing sex and its variety as a choice, and how men and woman see sex differently. There is no doubt that sex is not just a physical action satisfying just physical needs and wants, but rather a physical manifestation of deeper desires that are a mixture of, amongst other things, a raw animal nature, evolutionary drive, and cultural values about right and wrong. I think Ms. Perry is correct in pointing out that liberal feminists (as she calls them) are wrong in seeing or wanting women to behave and think like men, and in wanting men to behave and think like women. They are not wrong “morally” but rather wrong in the idea that it is even possible.
The problem with Ms Perry is that she sees casual sex, pornography, and BDSM as only manifestations of the worse of male sexuality, in addition to pointing out the worse parts of those things. She does not ask how these three things can fit into the same model of sexuality for women that she endorses. For example, it is not a stretch to see that many women like the short fling of a casual hook up as a way of coping with a certain part of their life (for example a rebound)—while men can enjoy a string of them ad infinitum. Many women won’t enjoy serial hook ups, but they can enjoy 1 or 2 hook ups in their lifetimes. Or for example porn—a porn that focuses on female pleasure. Or use of restraint during sex with a long time trusted partner that can mimic the ravage fantasy that many woman hold. While Christian Gray is not the lover woman need or want, women’s interest and fascination speaks to a taboo that can be cultivated in close deep relationship with a husband. The women who find Christian Gray have not been conned or brainwashed—it is a part of the female passions and desires.
Liberal feminism does not speak to the deep desires of love, sex, eros and passion or motherhood; but neither does Ms. Perry by ignoring that we humans harbor deep raw natural passions to throw ourselves into each other in passionate embraces that entice our senses and risk vulnerabilty. It is possible that Ms. Perry has not found friends that enjoy d*ck pics, but I assure you there are woman in stable monogamous relationships with children, that treasure being the target of their partner’s desires for all erotic love entails and a pic or two is not going to throw them into choke holds or porno films.
35 people found this helpful
HelpfulReport
Scott
5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and informativeReviewed in the United States on May 9, 2023
Verified Purchase
Solid read, good dose of reality, helped me to understand problem's facing woman as a man.
2 people found this helpful
HelpfulReport
Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommendReviewed in the United States on January 26, 2023
Verified Purchase
I bought and read this book fairly quickly after seeing some interviews with the author online which I found quite compelling. 4 stars because I don’t necessarily agree with some of her opinions/ conclusions on economic issues (though that is a minor part and not the thesis here) and because some of the examples were more graphic and disturbing than I had anticipated. I would not recommend the book for teens but I do plan to buy it as a High School graduation gift for a friend’s daughter. It is dedicated to “the women who learned the hard way” which includes me. If I had a book like this prior to going off to college I might have known better how to protect and advocate for myself in relationships. I hope that’s something I can help offer the next generation of young women. If you know, teach or love any teenagers, read this. If you are a young adult looking for guidance, read it.
13 people found this helpful
HelpfulReport
Molly Johnson
4.0 out of 5 stars risks you (or your teens) might not fully understand, and what to do about themReviewed in the United States on October 30, 2022
Verified Purchase
This is a book about the risks faced by teens and young adults (especially young women) in our post-sexual-revolution culture. I was thinking this might be useful for a homeschool sex education/health course, but it is not suitable for children because it contains graphic examples. Any parent or teacher of teens, though, might find it highly useful. It challenged certain assumptions I had made, raised complexities I had brushed off, and made many helpful distinctions I had overlooked.
The book details the risks posed (to women, primarily) by prostitution, the porn industry, today’s hook-up culture, our highly sexualized media, BDSM, domestic violence, divorce, and single motherhood. It is an even-handed, persuasive, interesting presentation illuminated by anecdotes, statistics, and research. The author clarifies several problem areas, some recent and some age-old, surveying the solutions have been tried over centuries and across cultures and the solutions proposed by feminists and intellectuals, and her own sensible and simple advice. The problems are: that men tend to want more sexual variety than women, that men don’t suffer negative consequences of sex as much as women do, that men are stronger than women and can more easily get their way, that sex-related crimes are among the hardest to prove, and that the very systems that once protected women from these inequalities are under threat or already dismantled in the name of equality. She is particularly critical of the notion that teaching “consent” offers any real protection against violence and insists on looking at human nature as it really is rather than as we wish it to be.
In a mere 200 pages, Louise Perry will give you much to think about, on a very important subject.
19 people found this helpful
HelpfulReport
Monika
5.0 out of 5 stars Very well researched and formed caseReviewed in the United States on April 9, 2023
Verified Purchase
A very secular review of how society has shifted in what is proclaimed as feminist success and she points out how it has had some not so welcome consequences
3 people found this helpful
HelpfulReport
LauraT
5.0 out of 5 stars READ THIS BOOK!Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2022
Verified Purchase
Everyone , especially young females, need to read this book so they don't have to "learn the hard way." Finally someone is courageous enough to speak the truth of how much damage the sexual "revolution" has done to our society and the individuals who make it up.
I don't want to brag, but I grew up in the 1960's and saw this movement for what it was. You wouldn't believe the puzzled looks I would get when I would say even back then, "the sexual revolution has got to be masterminded by a male because the woman loses on every front in this revolution". Other women couldn't see it. Well this book will lay it out for you because this author can explain it better than I ever could.
Did I live up to my ideals growing up as a child in the 60's-70s? YES. I can say it was my Christian faith that made me stronger to resist the sirens of this movement growing up as a young woman and dating. I waited until marriage and have been married over 30 years now. I realized how fragile/vulnerable we are emotionally, psychologically, spiritually and physically, and was not going to mess me up by having premarital sex. Though I didn't even understand what sex was, I knew if was a HUGE deal. My sister used to say how people have sex, "like they're eating a hamburger." They take NO thought to how much they are hurting themselves and the women bear the brunt of this damage.
Look at our youth now and all these crazy sexual labels they are putting on themselves. I am not mocking them, as I feel a lot are very, very damaged souls. Our society has LIED to us regarding sex. You can roll your eyes all you want, but the Bible got it right in condemning sex outside of marriage. And YES, it's realistic. After marriage, the Bible command is for the man "to love his wife as Christ loved the church and gave His life for her."
IF only our society promoted this....
47 people found this helpful
HelpfulReport
Alexander J. F. Ross
5.0 out of 5 stars My wife loves this book!Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2023
Verified Purchase
My wife is reading it and loves it.
2 people found this helpful
HelpfulReport
genniel koger
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!!Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2023
Verified Purchase
I couldn't put this book down and when I had to, I couldn't wait to get back to it! Such a valuable book for the young women in society today. The conclusion is the best part of this book as it imparts wisdom that can be appreciated by both women and men especially the fathers!
5 people found this helpful
HelpfulReport
Tom Walsh
4.0 out of 5 stars Timely topic and well researched.Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2023
Verified Purchase
This book addresses a narrative no one wants to speak about for fear of being canceled or shouted down. However, the Sexual and Cultural Revolution, which severed the bonds of marriage, love and procreation have clearly ruined our society. The feminist lie and the monied interest behind that promoted it needs to be exposed. Unless we get back to being a morally principled and family oriented people, our society and especially our souls are doomed. All of the issues surrounding the deception and the statistical documentation that shows how our beautiful culture was corrupted and what we can do to find our way back has been well researched and presented in a scholarly manner.
5 people found this helpful
HelpfulReport
