
The Tragedy of Heterosexuality
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Narrated by:
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Dara Rosenberg
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By:
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Jane Ward
About this listen
A troubling account of heterosexual desire in the era of #MeToo
Heterosexuality is in crisis. Reports of sexual harassment, misconduct, and rape saturate the news in the era of #MeToo. Straight men and women spend thousands of dollars every day on relationship coaches, seduction boot camps, and couples' therapy in a search for happiness.
In The Tragedy of Heterosexuality, Jane Ward smartly explores what, exactly, is wrong with heterosexuality in the 21st century, and what straight people can do to fix it for good. She shows how straight women, and to a lesser extent straight men, have tried to mend a fraught patriarchal system in which intimacy, sexual fulfillment, and mutual respect are expected to coexist alongside enduring forms of inequality, alienation, and violence in straight relationships.
Ward also takes an intriguing look at the multi-billion-dollar self-help industry, which markets goods and services to help heterosexual couples without addressing the root of their problems. Ultimately, she encourages straight men and women to take a page out of queer culture, reminding them "about the human capacity to desire, fuck, and show respect at the same time."
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What listeners say about The Tragedy of Heterosexuality
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- Rachel B
- 01-25-23
Life-Changing!
This book is so important. Everyone should read it, but most especially straight identifying women!
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- Jonathan Rosales
- 03-24-23
Fantastic
This book is a fantastic read and has an interesting view in heterosexual culture, I was captivated the entire time.
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Overall
- Jaclyn Reyes
- 12-25-22
Truest story ever told!
I listened twice! It definitely explained everything I felt went wrong in my marriage. never again.
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- Bit
- 06-30-23
life changing
a celebration of queer life. an honest, deep, historical look at heterosexual life. an invitation to live a happy, fulfilling, less straight life.
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- Hannah
- 12-29-22
Validating
I think this book should be read by everyone no matter their identity. Straight people are not okay!
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- Isichel Perez
- 06-07-23
Opens up my eyes
As a queer male identifying person, This book helped me or at the very least brought awareness to the heterosexual lenses in wish I saw relationship with a partner and my self.
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-27-23
The tragicomedy of heterosexuality
An excellent, incisive and witty perspective that my queer friends and I have discussed at length but haven’t seen portrayed often enough in all our years of enduring a painfully straight culture. Highly recommend!
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- Mickey
- 04-22-25
This book was an instantly liberating and healing read.
This was an immediately engaging and transformative read for me. It not only validated my lived and observed experiences of the very toxic heteronormative culture that engulfes society, but it challenged my assumptions for the root causes. Then the author went on to provide a detailed solution to a problem most of us have resigned ourselves to enduring or avoiding by choosing to live a queer life. That is all I can say without spoilers so I'll stop here.
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- Anonymous User
- 01-31-22
Most definitely worth it
Totally worth reading/listening too. Highly recommend. You really get the understanding of heterosexuality and the way that it is forced in our society.
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- Ganesh Murthy
- 06-16-24
Would be a great book for straight men to read!
I think it has great observations that would be very helpful for straight men to learn more about themselves and how the patriarchy dictates so much of straight culture.
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