Baker D'Arcy

I read this book as part of OWL (Our Whole Lives) at my church. Bc of this I was considerably more educated on the reproductive system than my peers, as well as reproductive health and safety. This book is not "child porn" and it's very telling that the negative comments are finding sexualization in entirely nonsexualized imagery. Further, we live in the age of the internet, children have increasing access to the internet and that is, despite any parent's efforts, incredibly difficult to monitor and control. Kids are going to be exposed to sex and sexuality in middle school regardless of anything. Would you rather it be through the distorted lenses of actual pornography and the crude language of their peers at school, or by a book that sticks to actual science? This book does not encourage sexual activity in young children, or imply that it is good or normal to engage in it before reaching adulthood. It merely explains the ways to be safe if one does. Parent's are maintaining willful ignorance if they believe sexual activity will not occur before a person turns 18. There were cases of pregnancies in my middle and highschool, cases that could have been avoided has those involved read this book or something similar. These negative reviews come not from any genuine concern for their child being groomed, but from ignorance, and hatred for members of the LGBT+ community, because this book commits the 'heinous crime' of approaching gender from the theory of social construction viewpoint, and acknowledging differing sexualities as something besides demonic affronts to god. This book provides a comprehensive guide to the changes that occur as one enters puberty, the functions and mechanics of the reproductive health, reproductive safety, differing ideas of love, and the divergence between gender and sex. This book allows those who are beginning or going through puberty to understand themselves and realize they are not freaks or monsters for undergoing these changes.