Monday, March 28, 2011

25,000 Years of Erotic Freedom

I picked this book up sometime last year for research for something, which I wrote without reading it, and now (of course) I'm kicking myself in the ass, realizing how a lot of the info in here would have been extremely helpful.  Alas... that's what rewrites are for.
For those familiar with the works of Alan Moore - known most for his work in comics - his masterpiece being Watchmen - but this particular title fits closer to his Lost Girls trilogy (of which I really need to re-read).  The entire book is a brief history on sexual repression and what it does to people, and society at large.  Here's a sample:
Just to recap, then: Sexually progressive cultures gave us mathematics, literature, philosophy, civilization, and the rest, while sexually restrictive cultures gave us the Dark Ages and the Holocaust.  Not that I'm trying to load my argument, of course.
That's just a little teaser.  It's a very quick read and it's full of wonderful artwork as well.  The older I get the more I found sexuality intrigues me - moreso what it does to people and society and so a book like this is right up my alley.  Moore isn't aiming to solve any problems - he's just hoping to add weight to the conversation - or perhaps get more conversations going.  While spending the weekend with my in-laws, my father-in-law found this book lying around and read it from cover to cover - not able to abandon it for more than a few moments at a time.  It feels weird to say that this is a very important book, but it is.  It's part of a conversation that most people avoid and for no good reason.  Give it a shot.  If nothing else it'll give you something interesting to discuss at your next dinner party.  And for extra bonus points - read it in public transit and leave the art-pages wide open and see how many people steal glances.
25,000 Years of Erotic Freedom

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