Review: Better than Postman and Spin-the-Bottle
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 8, 2012
Remember your junior-high and high school days? (I guess I'm dating myself; nowadays, junior high is referred to as middle school.) There were the inevitable cliques that never mixed; nevertheless there were occasions---such as the dances and the pep rallies---where everyone would meet and cross over into one another's group. Despite the social ostracism by some people against others not deemed worthy enough to even inhabit the same planet as them, social inhibitions invariably broke down as soon as the cafeteria lights dimmed and the DJs began blaring their lineup of pop jams and other assorted tunes.It was during these rare occasions that some of the guys would screw up the courage to ask a girl to dance with them (or at least what passed for dancing in eighth grade). For some of us, there was always one girl that stood out from the rest: in our adolescent mind, she was forever in our thoughts. We would see her in the hallway in between classes and would fantasize incessantly about her and all the things we would do to one another...if only we could make her like us! No other young woman mattered. To paraphrase the Stylistics, she was everything, and everything was her. Case closed.Sometimes, if someone was able to sneak in a bit of Southern Comfort or Jack Daniels to pass around under the bleachers, a bunch of guys and girls might get schnockered, whereupon social inhibitions would deteriorate further and, coupled with raging teenage hormones, a bit of Spin-the-Bottle or Postman would commence right then and there under cover of darkness---which was always interesting!Too bad it never happened with me.Stephen Williams's book "Adult Truth or Dare: A Naughty Guide for Lucky Swinging and Swapping" continues along this aforementioned train of thought. The author provides a welcome respite from teenage angst and overactive imagination, and focuses instead upon a more realistic, mature demographic---adult man and women who, by virtue of age, experience, and social and emotional intelligence, provide a proverbial springboard to possible romantic and sexual interludes."Adult Truth or Dare" is a nice change of pace for those who feel adventurous and are able to handle emotional situations with grace and aplomb. The numerous suggestions Williams provides---French-kissing a person of the opposite sex and/or of the same sex; making love with someone of a different sex or the same sex; partaking in group sex---are certainly geared for consenting adults and far surpasses anything we ever could fathom when we were teenagers.In this particular case, participating in swapping and/or swinging is fraught with volatile emotions that can spin out of control if all parties involved are careless with personal boundaries. Many people have had fantasies about making love with people outside of their present relationship; these thoughts are far from puerile for most adults. If anything, such fantasies are quite normal and are indicative of a healthy interest in sex.I found Williams's ideas interesting and quite provocative, but ultimately "Adult Truth or Dare" left me a bit cold---I simply could not relate with the themes being encouraged in the book. I am not terribly crazy about threesomes, swapping, swinging, etc. I tend to be a one-woman man, and I would most likely have a problem with another person (man or woman) who wanted to partake in sexual relations with me and my partner. I can only speak for myself, however. But regardless of what I may think, good sex can happen with great communication and empathy. When this occurs, I don't really need a third person involved."Adult Truth or Dare" is a good book for a certain niche of people who are happy and comfortable with expressing their sexuality in said lifestyle. In the future I will probably take a pass on it.