I jumped immediately from What Do Women Want? by Daniel Bergner to American Savage (2013) by Dan Savage. I took it as a sign that Savage’s recommended reading in his introduction included What Do Women Want? I felt very prepared.
Dan Savage is someone that I’ve heard of but didn’t really know much about. My friend had told me about his sex podcast, and I’d heard about his books. I’d definitely heard of the “It Gets Better” program, too, but I can’t say for sure whether I even knew that Dan Savage had started it before I began this book.
Anyway, I assumed that Dan Savage would have a lot to say and that I would probably agree with most of it. And I turned out to be mostly right. Savage discusses sex, cheating, gay marriage and equal rights, Obamacare, sex education, and other pertinent issues. He’s funny, engaging, and his book is thoughtful, entertaining, practical, and easy to read. I didn’t agree with him on everything–more on that later–and at times it could feel a little self-important–that Savage was using his book as a platform to redress every slight done unto him by his critics. However, I enjoyed reading it and I’m probably going to be looking for more of his books soon.
I really like Dan Savage. Like you mentioned, I don’t always agree with him, but I get his perspective. I think he’s funny and entertaining, but he is unflinchingly frank about sex, no matter what orientation. I find that refreshing.