From Publishers Weekly
In this fact-filled but overheated report, pediatrician Meeker cites medical studies and her own clinical experience to argue that adolescent promiscuity has led to skyrocketing rates of sexually transmitted disease and increased depression and suicide among the young. Spicing up her statistics with obscene rap lyrics and lurid reports of teen orgies and the high school "craze" for oral sex, she blames the usual suspects: post-60s permissiveness, the misguided equating of condoms with safety and sexualized media imagery in, for example, Cosmopolitan and Ally McBeal. In opposition to a "conspiracy" of sex-ed "bureaucrats" to "maintain sexual freedoms rather than prevent disease," Meeker advocates teaching teens to "postpone sex as long as possible" and, when they don't, to reflower themselves as "secondary virgins." In the end her advice to parents boils down to the age-old injunction to talk to their kids, with tips ("ask how he felt when he saw sex in a television show") that make this awkward task not much easier. On the other hand, forcing teenagers to read her unsparing and truly alarming descriptions of the ravages of venereal disease should kill their mood for quite a while. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
Sexually transmitted diseases among teens has become a full blown epidemic a national emergency that's killing our kids. In this groundbreaking book Dr. Meeker uncovers the story of this serious epidemic and the pattern of political correctness and marketing hype that has caused this tidal wave of disease.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

At This Very Moment an epidemic is invading our teenage kids. It's an epidemic that threatens their very lives, and often goes unnoticed until it's too late. It's an epidemic that is raging in every corner of the country, from rural towns to every major metropolis. Worst of all, it's an epidemic we helped create. The epidemic is the tidal wave of sexually transmitted diseases that, in some cases, have increased more than 500% in recent years. Right now, one out of every four sexually active teens is living with an STD! And these diseases have changed over the years. Used to be, we only had to deal with two "venereal diseases." Today, kids contend with some 50 to 100 strains of viruses that stay with them for life. Perhaps the biggest dread is HPV (human papilloma virus), which directly causes 99.7% of all cervical cancers, and is five times more common than all STDs combined.

Dr. Meg Meeker has lived on the front lines of this epidemic for more than twenty years. As a pediatrician specializing in adolescent medicine, Meeker now sees STDs affect one-third of her patients. In this groundbreaking book, she examines in detail the threat of these diseases, and the causes for their widespread advance among our teens. But there is hope. In the middle of a battlefield surrounded by disease, depression (the newest STD), injury, and death, we must arm our kids with knowledge, so that they can make the right choices. We must stay connected to our kids, so they understand how much we care. Victory won't come from wearing condoms or "exploring" sexual freedom, but from wisdom, maturity, and self-control. In this must-read book, Dr. Meg Meeker shows us how we can connect with our kids to help save them from this epidemic.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly