Step Up Love Story: Futari Etchi. By Katsu Aki

REPRODUCTIVE ETHICS. Michael D. Bayles. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice‐Hall, 1984; 141 pages; $10.95.

EXPLORING GENDER RELATIONS: A CANADIAN PERSPECTIVE. Marlene Mackie. Toronto: Butterworths, 1983; 358 pages; $17.95 (pa.).

SARAH: A SEXUAL BIOGRAPHY. Paul R. Abramson. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1984; 142 pages; $9.95 (pa.); $29.50 (cl.).

SENSUOUS SPACES: DESIGNING YOUR EROTIC INTERIORS. Sivon Reznikoff. New York: Whitney Library of Design, Watson‐Guptill Publications, 1983; 204 pages; $32.50.

SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES: AN ANNOTATED, SELECTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY. Stephen Margolis. New York: Garland, 1985; 176 pages; $23.00.

WOMEN AND DEVIANCE: ISSUES IN SOCIAL CONFLICT AND CHANGE; AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY. Nanette J. Davis and Jone M. Keith. New York: Garland, 1984; 236 pages; $35.00     

A Review of: “Handbook of the Evolution of Human Sexuality. Edited by Michael Kauth.”

This study explores the role of the hostess club culture in the creation and maintenance of masculinity in Taiwan. The article focuses on flower drinking (the consumption of alcohol in bars, often integrated with prostitution), which is a common practice in Taiwan. Data were obtained from 58 in-depth interviews with men from a variety of occupations and social backgrounds (mean age = 38.50, SD = 11.00) and 73 questionnaires administered to soldiers (mean age = 21.00, SD = 1.10). Findings indicated that demonstration of skill at flower drinking and facility with the related social etiquette are important channels for male bonding that were central to the mid- to upper-class participants' professional development. Flower drinking also provided a method of discriminating men from other men through their choices of why and where to go and how to behave while there. Specific ways that Taiwanese masculinity differs from Western and from Japanese masculinity, and support for the continuing relevance of the traditional Confucian ideal of masculinity, wen-wu, are discussed.     

A Review of: “Adolescent Sexuality: A Historical Handbook and Guide” edited by Carolyn Cocca

Two well‐cited studies (Fisher, 1980; Schwartz, 1973) have suggested that people with negative emotional orientations toward sexuality (i.e., “erotophobia” or “sex guilt”) have difficulty learning contraceptive information. However, a recent laboratory study (Goldfarb, Gerrard, Gibbons, &; Plante, 1988) has raised doubts about this conclusion by demonstrating that erotophobic women can learn contraceptive information if they are exposed to it. The current study was designed to further clarify the relationship between emotional orientation toward sex and ability to learn sexually relevant material. Specifically, it compared pretest and post‐test knowledge of contraception and AIDS in erotophobic and erotophilic students in a university class on human reproduction. While the results indicated that male erotophobics initially knew less, there were no knowledge differences between males and females or erotophobics and erotophilics at the end of the course. Thus, these results support the conclusion that erotophobics are capable of learning sexual material if they are exposed to it. The implications of these results for educational strategies for decreasing unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases are discussed.     

The Quest for the Elusive Female Orgasm

Public health information and educational interventions regarding human papillomavirus (HPV) have focused on the link between vaginal sex and cervical cancer among women. Many people are unaware that HPV can be transmitted through oral sex or that HPV causes oral cancers. Given that HPV infections and unprotected oral sex are increasing, research on oral sex-related HPV risk is important. This study examined the effect of a brief informational intervention regarding HPV and oral sex on the sexual risk cognitions of young adults. College students (N = 238) read information on HPV, oral sex, and oral cancer or no information. Participants then completed measures of oral sex and HPV knowledge, oral sex willingness, HPV vaccination likelihood, and risk perceptions. Participants who read the information on HPV and oral sex and cancer (compared to those who did not) reported greater knowledge, perceived risk and concern, and lower willingness to engage in oral sex. These effects were only significant among women. However, men reported a higher likelihood of future HPV vaccination compared to women who had not yet received the vaccine. Focusing on oral sex and cancer, this study adds to research investigating ways to reduce HPV infections.     

Creating Continuous Conversation: Social Workers and Learning Organizations

This article presents some findings on one aspect of a qualitative study of the continuing education of social workers in New Zealand. Social workers interviewed were aware of the contemporary discourses of lifelong learning and in particular, the concept of learning organizations. Analysis reveals that while practitioners are positive about the ideals of the learning organization; this is tempered by practical considerations and constraints which reflect the critique of the learning organization found in the literature. When asked to define their hopes for post‐qualifying learning, participants identified intellectual refreshment, critical reflection and acknowledging successful work as priorities. Social workers clearly want ‘learning workplaces’ and as educators we need to support their development. Top‐down models may not provide the answer and small‐scale local initiatives which engender critical, reflective and inquiring ‘continuous conversations’ may serve practitioners better.