I Had to Lose My Virginity is a compelling story of an extraordinary woman who emerges from obscurity to become one of the successful and influential women entrepreneurs in Africa. This truly amazing story, skillfully told in a mix of poetry and vivid prose, provides intimate and insightful glimpse into a life that has defied biting poverty, personal failure and tragedy to become a remarkable portrait of success. The reader will doubtless find this book provocative, motivating and inspiring.
Candid, funny, inspirational and often revealing about Branson's family, close friends and his personal philosophy on life and business, this long-awaited autobiography covers dramatic events such as the dirty tricks campaign and the balloon adventures.
"Wise and witty... Losing It is cringingly insightful about sex and dating and all the ways we tie ourselves into knots over both." --The New York Times Book Review A hilarious novel that Maggie Shipstead calls "charming... witty and insightful," about a woman who still has her virginity at the age of twenty-six, and the summer she's determined to lose it—and find herself. Julia Greenfield has a problem: she's twenty-six years old and she's still a virgin. Sex ought to be easy. People have it all the time! But, without meaning to, she made it through college and into adulthood with her virginity intact. Something's got to change. To re-route herself from her stalled life, Julia travels to spend the summer with her mysterious aunt Vivienne in North Carolina. It's not long, however, before she unearths a confounding secret—her 58 year old aunt is a virgin too. In the unrelenting heat of the southern summer, Julia becomes fixated on puzzling out what could have lead to Viv's appalling condition, all while trying to avoid the same fate. For readers of Rainbow Rowell and Maria Semple, and filled with offbeat characters and subtle, wry humor, Losing It is about the primal fear that you just. might. never. meet. anyone. It's about desiring something with the kind of obsessive fervor that almost guarantees you won't get it. It's about the blurry lines between sex and love, and trying to figure out which one you're going for. And it's about the decisions—and non-decisions—we make that can end up shaping a life.
Kaveri is thirty; single; knows seven languages; is an interpreter by profession; has read all the books about men and how to get a date. Yet; she has not been able to figure out the language of love. Since the ‘THE ONE GREAT LOVE’ of her life has eluded her for thirty years and might never show up; she decides to take matters into her own hands. On her thirtieth birthday; she makes a resolution—love or no love; she is going to lose her virginity. Life; however; has other plans! This is a story of a spirited woman who plunges into a rollercoaster ride filled with ideas; ideals and adventures—each new day competing with yesterday to make her rethink and re-evaluate life and love.
An intimate analysis of the first time Nervous, inexperienced, confused. For most, losing your virginity is one of life's most significant moments, always to be remembered. Of course, experiences vary, but Laura Carpenter asks: Is there an ideal way to lose it? What would constitute a “positive” experience? What often compels the big step? And, further, what does “going all the way” really mean for young gays and lesbians? In this first comprehensive study of virginity loss, Carpenter teases out the complexities of all things virgin by drawing on interviews with both young men and women who are straight, gay or bisexual. Virginity Lost offers a rare window into one of life's most intimate and significant sexual moments. The stories here are frank, poignant and fascinating as Carpenter presents an array of experiences that run the gamut from triumphant to devastating. Importantly, Carpenter argues that one's experience of virginity loss can have a powerful impact on one's later sexual experiences. Especially at a time of increased debate about sexual abstinence versus safe sex education in public schools, this important volume will provide essential information about the sex lives of young people.
Whether stud or dud, hot dish or cold fish, you're never the same after you first “do the deed.” But how wild, weird, or earth shattering was it for your neighbor, the person next to you on the bus, or your veterinarian? In How to Lose Your Virginity… and How Not To, compiled from 1,000 face-to-face interviews across North America, Shawn Wickens makes us transfixed voyeurs in scores of others' seminal “coming” of age moments. From Kelsie Testa in Jerk Magazine: "A compilation of shocking yet heartwarming tales of orifices, secretions, and vulgarity that pleasantly ends in an orgasm. From condom follies to mixed-race orgies, Wickens proves that no formula exists when it comes to this seminal and 'ground-breaking' event…. One central message remains the same for all of these first-timers: losing your virginity is weird and exhilarating, whether you lost it with your middle-school bus driver named Frank at age 13 or you waited until marriage." Featured in the New York Daily News, The Huffington Post and Jezebel.com. Breakthru Radio calls How to Lose Your Virginity, "...an entertaining and enlightening read for virgins and non-virgins alike." A portion of the proceeds is donated to RAINN (Rape and Incest National Network)
The unusual, frequently outrageous autobiography of one of the great business geniuses of our time, Richard Branson. In little more than twenty-five years, Richard Branson spawned nearly a hundred successful ventures. From the airline business (Virgin Atlantic Airways), to music (Virgin Records and V2), to cola (Virgin Cola), and others ranging from financial services to bridal wear, Branson has a track record second to none. Many of his companies were started in the face of entrenched competition. The experts said, "Don't do it." But Branson found golden opportunities in markets in which customers have been ripped off or underserved, where confusion reigns, and the competition is complacent. In this stressed-out, overworked age, Richard Branson gives us a new model: a dynamic, hardworking, successful entrepreneur who lives life to the fullest. Branson has written his own "rules" for success, creating a group of companies with a global presence, but no central headquarters, no management hierarchy, and minimal bureaucracy. Family, friends, fun, and adventure are equally important as business in his life. Losing My Virginity is a portrait of a productive, sane, balanced life, filled with rich and colorful stories, including: - Crash-landing his hot-air balloon in the Algerian desert, yet remaining determined to have another go at being the first to circle the globe - Signing the Sex Pistols, Janet Jackson, the Rolling Stones, Boy George, and Phil Collins - Fighting back when British Airways took on Virgin Atlantic and successfully suing this pillar of the British business establishment - Swimming two miles to safety during a violent storm off the coast of Mexico - Staging a rescue flight into Baghdad before the start of the Gulf War And much more. Losing My Virginity is the ultimate tale of personal and business survival from a man who combines the business prowess of Bill Gates and the promotional instincts of P. T. Barnum.
It’s business school, the Branson way. Whether you’re interested in starting your own business, improving your leadership skills, or simply looking for inspiration from one of the greatest entrepreneurs of our time, Richard Branson has the answers. Like a Virgin brings together some of his best advice, distilling the experiences and insights that have made him one of the world’s most recognized and respected business leaders. In his trademark thoughtful and encouraging voice, Branson shares his knowledge like a close friend. He’ll teach you how to be more innovative, how to lead by listening, how to enjoy your work, and much more. In hindsight, Branson is thankful he never went to business school. Had he conformed to the conventional dos and don’ts of starting a business, would there have been a Virgin Records? A Virgin Atlantic? So many of Branson’s achievements are due to his unyielding determination to break the rules and rewrite them himself. Here’s how he does it.
In an increasingly sexualised world, how we lose our virginity remains an untold story. Inspired by her Cosmopolitan award-nominated blog, The Virginity Project, Kate Monro sets out to ask men and women from every walk of life, how did it happen for you? Losing It brings together an astonishing collection of stories. From the experiences of Edna, who lost her virginity in 1940 aged 25, to Charlie, a young, disabled punk rocker whose first-time experience many able-bodied people would envy, Kate reveals the poignant, funny and often surprising truth about other people’s most intimate sexual stories.
The United States is obsessed with virginity - from the media to schools to government agencies. This panic is ensuring that young women's ability to be moral agents is absolutely dependent on their sexuality. Jessica Valenti, executive editor of Feministing.com and author of Full Frontal Feminism and Yes Means Yes, addresses this poignant issue in her latest book, The Purity Myth. Valenti argues that the country's intense focus on chastity is extremely damaging to young women. Through in depth analysis of cultural stereotypes and media messages, Valenti reveals that powerful messages - ranging from abstinence curriculum to ''Girls Gone Wild'' commercials - place a young woman's worth entirely on her sexuality. Morals are therefore linked purely to sexual behavior, as opposed to values like honesty, kindness, and altruism. Valenti approaches the topic head-on, shedding light on chastity in a historical context, abstinence-only education, pornography, and public punishments for those who dare to have sex, among other critical issues. She also offers solutions that pave the way for a future without a damaging emphasis on virginity, including a call to rethink male sexuality and reframing the idea of ''losing it.'' With Valenti's usual balance of intelligence and wit, The Purity Myth presents a powerful and revolutionary argument that girls and women, even in this day and age, are overly valued for their sexuality, and that this needs to stop.
