The Ethical Slut

The classic guide to love, sex, and intimacy beyond the limits of conventional monogamy has been fully updated to reflect today’s modern attitudes and the latest information on nontraditional relationships.

"One of the most useful relationship books you could ever read, no matter what your lifestyle choices. It’s chock-full of great information about communication, jealousy, asking for what you want, and maintaining a relationship with integrity."—Annie Sprinkle, PhD, sexologist and author of Dr. Sprinkle’s Spectacular Sex

For 20 years The Ethical Slut—widely known as the “Poly Bible”—has dispelled myths and showed curious readers how to maintain a successful polyamorous lifestyle through open communication, emotional honesty, and safer sex practices. The third edition of this timeless guide to the ethics of relationships, communication, and sex has been revised to include:

• Interviews with poly millennials (young people who have grown up without the prejudices their elders encountered regarding gender, orientation, sexuality, and relationships)
• Tributes to polyamory pioneers
• Tools for conflict resolution and instructions on how to improve interpersonal dynamics
• New sidebars on topics such as asexuality, sex workers, LGBTQ terminology, and ways polys can connect and thrive

The authors also include new content addressing nontraditional relationships beyond the polyamorous paradigm of “more than two”: couples who don't live together, couples who don't have sex with each other, nonparallel arrangements, couples with widely divergent sex styles, power disparities, and cross-orientation relationships, while utilizing nonbinary gender language and new terms that have come into common usage since the last edition.

Main Themes:

• Debunking Myths: The book starts by challenging conservative myths about relationships and sexuality. It encourages readers to embrace sex-positive beliefs and to let go of the idea that long-term monogamous relationships are the only "authentic" ones.
• Types of Love: It argues that romantic love isn't the only form of love that can exist between sexual partners. Love can be multifaceted and exist in different forms, all of which can be fulfilling.
• Jealousy: The book tackles the issue of jealousy, often considered inevitable in non-monogamous relationships. It argues that jealousy is not inevitable and can be managed through open and honest communication.
• Sex and Intimacy: Contrary to popular belief, having sex outside of a primary relationship doesn't necessarily reduce intimacy within it. When handled respectfully, it can even enhance the relationship.
• You Are Enough: One of the key messages is that you, as an individual, are a complete sexual unit. You don't need anyone else to complete you.
• Abundance Mindset: The book introduces the concept that love and sex are not finite resources. Giving love and sex to multiple people doesn't divide these resources but multiplies them.

https://samples.audible.com/bk/acx0/004411/bk_acx0_004411_sample.mp3