Preview
  • The Pornography Wars

  • The Past, Present, and Future of America’s Obscene Obsession
  • By: Kelsy Burke
  • Narrated by: Kelsy Burke
  • Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (12 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Pornography Wars

By: Kelsy Burke
Narrated by: Kelsy Burke
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $23.99

Buy for $23.99

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Bloomsbury presents The Pornography Wars written and read by Kelsy Burke.

For listeners of Peggy Orenstein and Rebecca Traister, an authoritative, big think look at pornography in all its facets – historical, religious, and cultural.

In the 1960s, sex researchers Masters and Johnson declared the end of the fake orgasm. Nearly two decades later, in 1982, evangelical activist Tim LaHaye foretold that the entire pornography industry would soon be driven out of business. Neither prediction proved true. Instead, with the rise of the internet, pornography saturates the American conscience more than ever and has reshaped our understanding of sexuality, relationships, media, and even the nature of addiction.

Dr. Kelsy Burke has spent the last five years researching and interviewing internet pornography’s opponents and its sympathizers. In The Pornography Wars, Burke does a deep dive into the long history of pornography in America and then turns her gaze on our present society to examine the ways this industry touches on the most intimate parts of American lives. She offers a complete understanding of the major players in the debates around porn's place in society: everyone from sex workers, activists, therapists, religious leaders, and consumers. In doing so, she addresses and debunks the myths that surround porn and porn usage while showing how everything from the way we teach children about sex to the legal protections for what can be published is tied up in the deeply complicated battles over pornography.

Sweeping, savvy, and deeply researched, The Pornography Wars is a necessary and comprehensive new look at pornography and American life.

©2022 Kelsy Burke (P)2022 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about The Pornography Wars

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

deft

This is a fascinating and engaging look at porn's place in our society. Dr. Burke does an excellent job of presenting a thorough review of many perspectives and letting the reader experience the ambivalence of examining this complex and polarizing subject.

Burke presents all the myriad 'sides' with generosity to her subjects. She doesn't drive toward any foregone conclusion but presents the arguments and the people making them with deftness, situating them in an historical context--legally, religiously, morally, culturally. There are no easy answers and so much to think about.

Great narration of the audio as well. I'm looking forward to reading/listening to more from this author.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

fantastic history!

Truly sheds light on a topic that is deeply entrenched in the systems of American power.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

It’s a research paper, not a book.

While the author’s research was thorough and likely took many hours to compile, this felt more like a college term paper than a book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!