In a world whereby you can google any question and find a million answers, here is a list of books from our collection that help look at developing a positive relationship with yourself and any potential partner that may come into your life.
A list by by YPRL staff member Tegan Connelly
This book explores how women's dating behaviour does not yet reflect the gender-equal partnerships we desire and dating literature has remained so focused on helping us lock down a partner, it has ignored what independent women actually want from men: more. Writer Emily J. Brooks explores women's socialisation, real negotiation, and the unwavering benefits of equality in our romantic relationships. When women demand a love that backs us, it lifts up the rest of our lives-so it is time for us to step into our power.
Are you in a relationship? Used to be? Want to be? Just want to have better sex or date better? This book is your antidote to typical sex, dating, and relationship rules.
Dr. Faith, bestselling author of Unfuck Your Brain, cuts through the mess with sharp guidelines on how to be a human being in an adult, loving, intimate relationship, with yourself and other people. If you're looking to heal from past wounds, make better choices, or improve an existing relationship, this book is for you!
A fascinating read for anybody interested in a real dialogue and real engagement on how to move forward in a #MeToo era. In this essential and incisive investigation, Leser unearths the roots of misogyny, its inextricable links to the patriarchy, and how history brought us to the #MeToo movement and the wave of incandescent female rage that is sweeping the world. Crucially, he also interrogates his own psyche, privilege and culpability as he bears witness to the 'collective wound of the world' and asks how we can move towards healing and profound and permanent change.
Women don't owe you pretty is an accessible leap into feminism, for people at all stages of their journey who are seeking to reshape and transform the way they view themselves. In a world that tells women we're either not enough or too much, it's time we stop directing our anger and insecurities onto ourselves, and start fighting back to re-shape the toxic structures of our patriarchal society. Florence's book will help you to tackle and challenge the limiting narrative you have been bombarded with your whole life, and determine feminism on your own terms. After all, you are the love of your own life.
Enjoy Sex is a truly practical, friendly guide through the confusing, and sometimes alarming, world of sex and sexuality. Its radical approach puts your experience at the heart of the book, and invites you to explore what might be enjoyable to you. With the authors’ engaging and thoughtful style, the book challenges the messages we receive about ‘normal’ sex, looks at how to understand and care for yourself, delves into ideas of pleasure for different bodies, ages and tastes, explores relationships, and tackles the tricky topics of communication and consent.
Being a feminist can mean different things to different people, but one thing it always includes is the belief in equality and human rights. Whether you are talking with one close friend or hanging out with a group of classmates, it matters what you say and how you say it. Not everyone is going to agree with your opinions, especially when you are talking about social justice issues. Can Your Conversations Change the World? provides insight into the origins and history of feminism, how it plays out on the global stage and what it means to be a young feminist and activist today.
Fed Up tackles the hard-hitting issues surrounding emotional labour: the historical underpinnings and roots in feminism, the benefits and burdens of this kind of effort, and the specific contexts where emotional labour, otherwise known as the 'mental load', plays a major but undervalued role, including relationships, work, sex, parenting, politics and self-care.
The longest-running regular column in The Lifted Brow , the 'Law School' column has been offering stern warnings, enthusiastic encouragement, and sage (and not-so-sage) wisdom to desperate lovers and sexual adventurists since 2011 and is now in a book. Hilarious, rude, and surprisingly heart-warming, Law School covers the practical and ethical dilemmas of sex and relationships from two very different perspectives. Ben and Jenny challenge the way we think and talk about the intimate, in funny and earnest banter. Their advice will either save your love life, or ruin it forever.
Boundaries are the ways we communicate our needs. They are what allow us to feel safe among strangers, in everyday interactions, and in our closest relationships. When we have healthy boundaries, we have a strong foundation in an uncertain world. And when someone crosses your boundaries, or you cross someone else's, the result range from unsettling to catastrophic.
In this book, bestselling author Dr. Faith Harper offers a full understanding of issues of boundaries and consent, how we can communicate and listen more effectively, and how to survive and move on from situations where our boundaries are violated. Along the way, you'll learn when and how to effectively say "no" (and "yes"), troubleshoot conflict, and respect your own and others' boundaries like a pro. You'll be amazed at how much these skills improve your relationships with friends, strangers, coworkers, and loved ones
Sex Down Under breaks down and de-mystify some of the taboos and barriers around sex and encouraging people to feel more comfortable to talk about it. Matty is open minded, has a wicked sense of humour and brings wide-ranging experience to her profession as a sex therapist and writer. She has learned over the years that there's no such thing as a "normal" sex life and no two people are likely to agree on the minefield topic of sex.