Title: Dirty Words: A Literary Encyclopedia of Sex Author: Ellen Sussaman, editor Publisher: Bloomsbury Publish Date: 2008 Pages: 291 Genres:: Compilation, Fantasy, Fetishes, Fiction, Humor, Non-Fiction, Poetry Reviewer: B.I. Laureano

Rating:

If you haven’t read our After Hours conversation with Ellen Sussman, you should check it out before reading this review. You’ll understand what she means by “new words have tremendous power.”

What word would you have wanted to define and share a story about? I would have selected “perineum” also known as “taint.” In Sussman’s book, Les Standiford got my word. He shares a short story of learning about the term, which he spelled “t’aint,” and it made me chuckle. I’d probably have a similar story about how I too can’t get a reaction out of any of my partners as the myth tells us.  My second choice would be “breast” or more specifically “areola” as neither of the terms are included. Then I’d write a story that would have the reader describe me as “self-righteous.”

I’ll admit, some of the terms included made me a bit uncomfortable as they did Sussman. For example, we share a similar discomfort with the term “Dirty Sanchez.” It made me squirm, not in a judgmental way, but in a “culturally insensitive” way, and I wasn’t alone.  Author Brian Bouldrey points out what is problematic about the term (without mentioning ethnicity) and gives examples of other problematic terms in his explanation. Other terms made me so excited to use and implement in my own life, such as S.P. Elledge’s “cicisbeo.” I’m not defining the words on purpose because you need to read the book.

I did learn about a few terms I didn’t know too much about. These include “silver-balling,” and Stacy D’Erasmo gives a hilarious story to define the term, along with the beautifully written discussion of “fobbing” by Sam Brumbaugh. There are poems, fiction and non-fiction; memories are shared and there is a great cast of characters for each term. It’s a thoughtful text, one that clearly is a collective effort as the authors choose what word they wanted to write about rather than be assigned a term. I wonder if in her second edition if Sussman will allow for art in various forms to accompany the text.

Even though there are missing terms and phrases, Sussman wants you to tell her what she left out! She’s very clear about this not being a complete text and you’ve got to appreciate that kind of honesty.