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Robbie's Radical Ramblings

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Prudish Nation by Paul Dalgarno

Author: Paul Dalgarno

Format: E-book

Pages: 252

Publisher: Upswell

So I brought this book because of a thread on Twitter-  one of my favourite authors posted that he had been interviewed for it and recommended it- so I decided to go “why the hell not” and purchased it straight away and started it almost straight away- I had to finish another book first )only took me about twenty minutes). 

What can I say about this intriguing book? 

The premise is that it’s a book about how prudish Australia really is when it comes to sex, with a lens based in the authors’ own experience of being in a poly relationship. 

That’s the simple way to describe this book- and that’s a good thing! 

The long version is that this is a treatise on poly relationships which soon expands to explore how, essentially, that despite Australia being a happy go lucky country that if you “deviate” from the “sexual norm” ie- anything other than hetero- then Australia is more repressed than America and (somewhat ironically) Britain- which both countries have a reputation of being prude beyond believe. 

I didn’t think I would like this novel- poly relationships are really not my thing(PRUDE!!!)- but I continued to devour this novel because it’s simply enjoyable. 

The authors’ writing style is superb- it’s like having a conversation with someone over a cup of tea with no strings attached- and while dealing with things I don’t have much to do with, it challenged my own levels of prudishness. 

A piece of writing- if it’s good- is meant to make you thing and pause on the objects it’s raising and Pude Nation certainly did- it made me question myself and how on the one hand I can be extremely prudish (conditioned prudishness much?)- but by the same token we have a friendship based on no judgment and we talk about things of a sexual nature. 

The great thing about this treatise is the author has taken his time to research the hell out of it- there’s a wide range of interviews that are Australian based- authors, poets, academics- that help ensure that this book should hopefully be held in high regards in terms of Australian sexuality studies.


Newer:[Advanced Review Copy] Unfinished Business at Crofton HallOlder:A Man and His Pride
PostedJune 16, 2023
AuthorRobbie Newell

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