I think I have the worst luck commuting. It seems that every train car I sit in, there's a man reeking of gin or a baby crying or a gaggle of teenagers that just won't shut up.

But, some days, I bring it on myself. Well, not bad luck; more like strange looks and whispers. The hour and a half train ride back and forth to NYC is my only time to read. So, when The Art of Sensual Female Dominance arrived, I naturally took it on the train. The middle aged women sitting next to me gaped, the young son stared, trying to sound out the word (dom-dom-dommm-in-in-in-nan-cccce?) and the conductor gave me a wink and a smile - eww.

I didn't know much about dominance and submission. I recalled the things I've seen on television, my friend Tanya's wardrobe, her stories of stripping at a Goth bar and the stories my sister told me of her friend who was a dominatrix.

According to author Claudia Varren, dominance & submission (D&S) is for everyone. Everyone meaning anyone who is tired of "straight vanilla sex" or who wants to spice up their sex life (me! me!). Varren tries to take the 'typical" reader through what domination is all about and attempts to dispel rumors.

In the preface, she explains domination and how empowering it can be. She emphasizes safety and respect - you only hurt each other consensually and out of respect. She also highlights how a wardrobe is essential to being a "dom".

I thought that this is on of those educational books, aimed at women like me - a nice, middle class girl who wears corporate casual clothes to her lame 9-5 job and has a boyfriend with a suit who also pulls a 9-5'er. Varren does go through the slow, first steps of D&S in the preface and in the last chapter. The majority of the text features more intense D&S (anal play, fisting, heavy bondage, caning) and this could be a little scary for some one who is just thinking about it. Understandably, these are practices for someone more involved in D&S, and not necessarily a novice, but maybe she could've organized the chapters in graduated levels for beginners.

Varren is a professional Dom. Maybe she forgot what it was like starting out. Most her book is about how much she loves being a Dom and the sexual escapades she had. When she tried to explain some D&S, it turns into something she did and how great it felt. Her stories are intense and left me thinking, "I have to do that?!" Also, I was confused about D&S as a part of intercourse - she explained things you can do, but what about after? Was there an example plan? What do I do if I'm nervous about trying it out?

Also, her language was repetitive and she tended to ramble. Often, while she was trying to explain something, she'd go off on how wet her pussy was or how some guy had a huge penis, or her other exploits leaving the reader very confused on what to do or what the author is even talking about.

Varren, I felt, was also one-sided. What if the woman wants to be submissive? She did say that the roles could be reversed, but she didn't show it. And what if you have a female partner? No mention of that either.

The book was OK. It served a purpose, although it probably could have done it in 100 less pages. It did, however, leave me really wanting to try D&S. I'm interested in it now, but I think I'll find another book that's more on my level.