The Sex Lives of Teenagers: Revealing the Secret World of Adolescent Boys and Girls - Book Review

Adolescence, Fall, 2002

PONTON, Lynn. The Sex Lives of Teenagers: Revealing the Secret World of Adolescent Boys and Girls. New York: Dutton, 2000. 285pp. $24.95 (h).

Lynn Ponton, a psychiatrist who specializes in counseling troubled teens and their parents, provides readers with the rare opportunity to step into the therapist's office and hear what teens have to say about their sexual lives. In frank and honest language, they relate their fears, expectations, and knowledge -- or lack thereof -- about sex. Teenagers and parents alike have a voice here, and Ponton helps them come to terms with emerging sexual identities. She opens a dialogue that explores teens' sometimes risky behavior and addresses controversial topics such as pregnancy, abortion, masturbation, fantasies, Internet dating, sexual orientation, and gender roles.