Title: The Smart Girl's Guide to Porn Author: Violet Blue Publisher: Cleis Press Publish Date: 2006 Pages: 137 Genres:: Non-Fiction, How-To Guide, Pop culture Reviewer: SexHerald Staff

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“Today women are proudly, loudly watching porn, and in my mind it’s a happy sign of a much-needed change in women’s sexual roles, especially as consumers.”

Violet Blue wants you to have the best porn-watching experience you can possibly have, and she’s written a book to prove it. Whether you want to explore the possibilities of cutting-edge high-tech erotica through porn podcasts or just settle in at home with a DVD or toy, she can lead you to it.

The Smart Girl’s Guide to Porn serves as a Consumer Reports companion volume for adult products and media. With her keen eye for what separates sex onscreen from daily civilian loving unfilmed (i.e. the unnaturally long and sharp fingernails of porn actresses, unblemished flesh, et cetera), the author discusses her findings in an accessible and engaging way. Although Blue readily acknowledges that the only way to find material you love is to spend money, she has nonetheless drawn up an extensive shopping list to narrow your categories and cut down on your sifting. In the meantime, she says, follow your fantasies and it will lead you to the porn of your dreams, whether it’s a wall-to-wall movie you desire (all sex, no plot) or one that features the sexcapades of midgets.

Skimming over or entirely ignoring the more violent forms of pornography, Blue focuses instead on the upside of adult material. Porn is not always the eye candy for women that it is for men as the male performers are usually far less attractive than their co-stars. To alleviate this downer, she recommends watching gay male porn where the actors tend to be far more comely. Briefly, she discusses the long-held misconception that women are not aroused by sexual imagery the way men are even if surreal genital close-ups (a standard in most films) are not every woman’s viewing preference.

Blue also provides some interesting information on the reality of porn and its distribution. She asserts there is no such thing as a celebrity porn tape that accidentally makes its way into the public eye, as all participants are compelled to sign permission forms before a tape can be released. When tapes are “leaked” to the public, it’s a wildfire-effective publicity maneuver.

Empathy for the plight of uncomfortable movie watching is plentiful here as Violet Blue advises new watchers how best to position themselves to watch the action onscreen as they’re being plowed off it.

Helping others to have better sex is a noble mission, and Violet Blue in that department is at the top of her game. Connoisseurs and novices alike will find something noteworthy here.