I was at the bookstore and this book jumped out at me, with a cool picture that seemed a little odd in the sociology section, I read the title and the back of the book and was convinced I should read it.

When I received this book at Christmas time, I made it a point to finish off some other books before diving into this interesting topic of pornography and masculinity.

WARNING….THE FOLLOWING REVIEW IS FOR ADULT READERS AND OR MATURE, OPEN MINDED PEOPLE…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!

The author spends a lot of time talking about pornography and the industry that creates sexuality for entertainment on two different levels. First and foremost as a business that makes a ton of money, more than any sports in the United states. The alarming numbers and statistics of pornography, showcases that the taboo of several years ago, has flooded the lives of millions upon millions of men and women worldwide.

The second tone this book takes is one of a personal relationship with the porn stars themselves. Talking to women on a level that most don’t really care to know. Taking them from individual, nameless, faces to human beings. Showcasing interviews and commentaries from the female perspective, we see two sides; one side professional, showcasing a position of power, and then the lesser known, personal human level of women who are uncertain that what they are doing is truly fulfilling on a level more than sex on film can prove.

Then it gets a little boring. There’s a lot of stats, research, and figures, making this book hard to polish off.

But where it lacks in relative story telling it makes up for in the form of historical identities of sexuality from decades and decades to the present time. Shifting from a sexuality and process that was usually “shared” as a commodity that was precious but not quite accessible via ordinary means. (The internet exploding pornography into the homes where sometimes even children access the wrong websites…even if for brief moments in time.)

Amazon.com describes the book as follows:

“In our culture, porn makes the man. So argues Robert Jensen in Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity. Jensen’s treatise begins with a simple demand: “Be a man.” It ends with a defiant response: “I chose to struggle to be a human being.” The journey from masculinity to humanity is found in the candid and intelligent exploration of porn’s devastating role in defining masculinity.

Getting Off seamlessly blends personal anecdotes from Jensen’s years as a feminist anti-pornography activist with scholarly research. In his trademark conversational style, he shows how mainstream pornography reinforces social definitions of manhood and influences men’s attitudes about women and how to treat them.

Pornography is a thriving multi-billion-dollar industry; it drives the direction of emerging media technology. Pornography also makes for complicated politics. These days, anti-porn arguments are assumed to be “anti-sex” and thus a critical debate is silenced. This book breaks that silence. Alarming and thought-provoking, Getting Off asks tough, but crucial, questions about pornography, sex, manhood, and the way toward genuine social justice.”

So what do I think? Is it worth it?

This is an interesting read for me. I love sociological studies, and I love reading about how culture is killing or helping society as a whole.

The hardest of critiques I can give about this book is a matter of the language used. Double Penetration, Gangbang, Gag Reflexes, Deep Throat, and so many other sexually explicit words are used to describe the goings on in the world of pornography, and that is going to make a lot of conservative readers mad. The author goes into explicit details, not censoring the process, methods, or situations found in gonzo pornographic movies or full featured storyline filled dramatic…porn. (I know that sounds odd, but hey…it’s the truth)

If you’re not familiar with porn at all, you’re going to be taking a crash course in pornography. If you are familiar with porn, you’re going to read into details of what goes on behind the scenes of the average porn set and you might not like the unflinching look into the seedy underbelly of hardcore pornography.

I love the dichotomy presented in a non-religious manner, and I love how the premise really gest backed up by some solid evidence, but no statistics can really describe how the change of the attitudes among fans, create compelling ideology about pornography.

I don’t recommend this to everyone. I feel that this topic is still taboo in many ways. It seems that society as a whole has embraced pornography, and in social circles people talk openly about the freakiest things they saw on the internet, in movies and in magazines. This is normal male behavior for so many, which is sad in some senses. But the greater tragedy is found in the closing statements of this book….It involves men at the Adult Film Expo in Las Vegas in 2006, the fans change from past years. No longer are they hooting and hollering at the women on display, but rather they are more reserved, more fully aware of the humanity of the starlet in front of them…

“This is an expression of another side of dominant masculinity in the United States today. It is the masculinity of a numbed, disconnected, shut down man, alone, even if others are around him.”

This book put a mirror up to my soul in a way, and I saw the time line of psychology run deep from finding a stack of Penthouse magazines when I was 10 years old, to stealing a credit card and buying porn at age 16…this book took a non religious approach of how masculinity is robbed in exchange for a vapid and ridiculous view of sexuality.

This is a great read for anyone interested in the subject matter. It doesn’t approach the subject of pornography with a heavy handed “thou shalt not” approach that I’ve been given in the past, but rather showcases light into a dark topic and creates relevant material.

This is why I love the sociology section at the book stores, I understand man, sex, pornography, society, and myself a whole lot more. Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity by Robert Jensen is a highly recommended read on a lot of levels. Get the book from amazon by clicking here.

Further Reading

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• 1000 Books You’ll Never Read and Where to Buy Them
• Baseball and Porn
• Auto Focus Dvd Review

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Filed under: book review, book reviews, pornography in society, social stigma, sociology