In 2005, a student sex scandal marred the reputation of Milton Academy,
an elite prep school located near Boston. Rather than focusing on the
specifics of the incident, the authors, both Milton alums, try for a
broader view of the school's sexual culture in this intimate account
that follows a handful of seniors through their academic year.

Bystanders to the scandal rather than participants, the profiled
students face the ubiquitous concerns of privileged teens: college
applications; the difficulties of balancing extracurricular activities,
social life, and academics. What may seem startling, though, are the
politics of the students' casual hook-ups and the language both sexes
use to describe their attitudes and encounters. The unfocused narrative
is weakened further by excessive detail that's often more mundane than
revealing. Still, the authors, who base their telling on extensive
personal interviews with their subjects, emerge with an honest portrait
of contemporary teen sexual life that may prompt discussions across
generational lines.

For more insight into the sexual pressures affecting young adults,
suggest Deborah Toman's Dilemmas of Desire.

Download File Size:2.21 MB

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