Being both a woman and an anal novice, I thought that this might be a good place for me to start in my explorations of my back door, and having read this, I can say that this is a great book for ANYONE with an anus who wants some tips. This book, though it is marketed for women, has plenty of information for both sexes and people of any level of experience.

The author who takes you through the steps of anal exploration in an almost conversational tone is Tristan Taormino. Ms. Taormino is an award-winning author, editor, and sex educator. Her writing takes what could have been a very dry and uncomfortable subject and makes you feel like you're getting info from a knowledgeable friend. Throughout the book she stresses several key points: if it hurts, something is wrong; lubrication is essential to anal play; and that communication is key for both participants.

This book not only has information from Ms. Taormino in general, but each chapter has questions from real people in the sidebars that she answers. Another feature of this book are a series of drawings done by the artist Fish. The thing I loved the most about these illustrations was the diversity of people pictured, different sizes, shapes and colors, with a wide diversity in the couples.

1. Chapter 1 – 12 Myths About Anal Sex
-- There are a couple of amusing myths tackled in this chapter, but the one that struck me the most, because I had heard it too, was that anal sex is dangerous and unhealthy. Ms. Taormino explains that, with plenty of lube , anal penetration is as safe as any other type of penetration.

2. Chapter 2 – Our Asses, Ourselves: Anal Anatomy
-- The thing about this chapter that has stuck with me the most was the approachable, easily explained break-down of both male and female anatomy, which were capped off with Fish's illustrations.

3. Chapter 3 – Beyond Our Bodies: Emotional and Psychological Aspects of Anal Erotocism
-- One of the recurring themes of this book is stressed in this chapter, and that is how communication between partners is key.

4. Chapter 4 – Preparing the Ass for Pleasure
-- Some important advice comes from this chapter: "As adult film star Chloe says, 'Get over your fear of shit!'" Ms. Taormino goes on to point out feces is natural and that you don't need to like contact with poop, but you might as well clean up and keep going!

5. Chapter 5 – Enemas
-- I can't say that this chapter held much interest for me, outside of an academic interest, but it is very thorough, running through dos and don'ts, the different equipment available, and how to properly clean it.

6. Chapter 6 – Safer Sex
-- This chapter illustrates, in some cases literally, the various ways to protect yourself and your partner throughout various stages of anal exploration. The part that stuck with me the most is the variety of ways to make protection out of other products, such as turning a latex glove into a dental dam with a sleeve for your tongue.

7. Chapter 7 – Lubricants
-- One of the most important points made in this book has this whole chapter devoted to it: lube. A key point to the whole book is that pain is the body's way of telling us that something is wrong!

8. Chapter 8 – Anal Sex Toys
-- I loved this chapter because it outlined several types of toys, how to use them, and how to properly care for the different types of materials that they're made out of.

9. Chapter 9 – Doing It for Yourself: Anal Masturbation
-- This chapter is all about self-exploration, with tips on techniques to try, and the simple concept that knowing your own anal pleasure helps you communicate with your partner as to what you like or what they may like.

10. Chapter 10 – Let Your Tongue Do the Walking: Analingus
-- Here, she covers hygiene, tips and techniques, and recaps some of what was talked about in the chapter on safe anal sex.

11. Chapter 11 – Anal Penetration
-- This was probably the most useful, interesting chapter, in my opinion. I loved how she split up a lot of the tips up into those for the giver and those for the receiver. This chapter also has several positions for anal exploration with illustrations and variations.

12. Chapter 12 – Anal Pleasure for Men
-- Here, she covered gender stereotypes, P-spots, and orgasms from penetration. Interesting, but doesn't apply in my case as a single woman.

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13. Chapter 13 – BDSM and Anal Play
-- This chapter starts off with a basic run-down of BDSM and common terms and then explores different avenues of pleasure, from spanking to figging (a new one to me!)

14. Chapter 14 – Butt Bondage: Long-Term Butt Plug Wear
-- Here she covers tips on long-term wear, safety, and another do-it-yourself section on creating your own harness to keep the plug where you put it.

15. Chapter 15 – The Art of Anal Fisting
-- I was academically interested in this chapter, but as a complete newb I can't see myself tackling this any time soon.

16. Chapter 16 – Troubleshooting: Common Issues and Problems
-- A whole chapter of questions and answers; I found them interesting, and am always happy to have more information.

17. Chapter 17 – Anal Health, Anal Ailments, and STDs
-- I love the first couple of words of this chapter: "A healthy ass is a happy ass," and this chapter has information on everything you should be aware of.

18. Chapter 18 – The Ultimate Frontier
-- This is a quick note from Ms. Taormino and her goal that everyone is able to be more knowledgeable about their bodies.

19. Chapter 19 – Resource Guide
-- Amazingly in-depth with resources, stores, websites and videos that Ms. Taormino recommends for further research.

The one negative thing that I would say about this book is that the cover is anything but subtle. The picture is of a woman's ass in a short, tight-fitting, brown dress with the title written in large letters over the picture. In fact, the words "Anal Sex" seem to be in the largest font on the cover. Not exactly a book to leave out when guests are coming over. The book itself is about 220 pages long, and I can't say how the paperback version holds up, as I own it as an eBook.

Having read this book as an anal novice interested in finding a good starting point, I can easily say that this book exceeded my expectations, and I can see myself reading this book in the years to come as I gain experience and want to try out the more complex parts of this book. One of the things that appeals to me, being currently single, is that she covers things like solo masturbation as well as communicating an interest in anal play with a partner, which will be useful to me in the future. Not only did Ms. Taormino's conversational style of writing make the whole subject more approachable to me, but she breaks everything down to such manageable tips that it doesn't seem quite so intimidating.