Friday, January 22, 2010

The “Go Ask Alice” book of answers: A guide to good physical, sexual, and emotional health / Columbia University’s Health Education Program


The “Go Ask Alice” book of answers is an incredible resource of health information for young adults. The book is produced by Columbia University’s Health Education Program essentially for the students of that institution, but it has achieved a much wider audience, because of the accuracy and honesty of its content. The book evolved from the website that started in 1993 and is still answering questions for young adults on topics such as: masturbation, orgasms, contraception, STD’s, emotional health, fitness, nutrition drugs and alcohol, relationships, men’s, women’s and general health questions. The questions are as frank and explicit as the answers are and readers are left with high quality information, advice and references for further research.

“Go Ask Alice” is, I feel an invaluable resource for older teens and young adults that either have trouble talking to their parents about these personal and sometimes intimate topics. The book and website are also important to those readers that have no other source of information on these topics than friend’s gossip and urban legends. This resource does not shy away from the controversial in that it addresses questions such as can men be pressured to have sex, date rape drugs and questions for the GLB and Q community.

Columbia University’s Health Education Program (1998) The “Go Ask Alice” book of answers: A guide to good physical, sexual, and emotional health, New York: Henry Holt.

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