Overview

Unsexed examines the role that sex plays in the life of one woman with two mothers who introduce her to polarized frameworks of female sexuality. Born in Greece to a violent prostitute and then adopted by a cold and unloving virgin from New York, Marina inherits a sexual identity steeped in fear and shame-one that, as she grows older and becomes a wife and mother, trickles into her marriage and the parenting of her children. Without the tools needed to understand her complex mothers or to unpack the lessons they taught her, Marina relies on self-erasure to survive relationships that silence and define her-until she finally becomes fed up with those old patterns and begins to stand in her own power. A memoir that unearths the layered emotional and sexual lives of women and exemplifies the satisfaction that comes when they assert their voices and power, Unsexed speaks to millions of women who have different narratives but face similar struggles in reclaiming their voices, bodies, and sexuality.

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9781647426941

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Reviews

“From its opening pages, we know Unsexed is going to offer us vulnerability and wisdom mixed with tragedy, which is a particular kind of unflinching honesty: one that has set aside fear in favor of truth. In this raw and gritty memoir, DelVecchio reveals what it means to be a daughter longing for nourishment, a lover wanting to be respected, and a mother who has unwittingly learned exactly how to love. She never claims to have come out on the other side all shiny and happy, only renewed. Sometimes another person’s story reminds us of the will and strength we all have running deep inside—Unsexed is one of those stories.” —Shuly Xóchitl Cawood, author of the memoir The Going and Goodbye “Unsexed is a searingly honest, painful, beautifully expressed and ultimately transcendent story about the damage caused by the absence of love, and the healing that becomes possible with truth and courage.” —Adrienne Moore, author of Seven Tears in the Sea “Unsexed is an amazingly honest memoir that's hard to put down. DelVecchio’s ability to render her story with no exaggerations or evasions makes it a page-turning book. The author doesn’t attempt to hide the damage to her own psyche caused by these experiences, and readers will find themselves rooting for her as the book reaches its end. Highly recommended for book clubs, who will find a great deal to discuss.” — Gabi Coatsworth, author of Love’s Journey Home and A Beginner’s Guide to Starting Over “A searing memoir that carries the reader from trauma to triumph. Marina's struggle to reconcile her past, her sexuality, and her own agency will resonate with any reader from the early ’70s second wave of feminism to the more recent #MeToo movement.” — Pamela Stockwell, author of A Boundless Place

“…an eye-opening take on sexuality and the intractably complicated politics of a woman’s body.” —Kirkus Reviews “. . . exquisite and earthy . . . a brave, brilliant memoir about holistic self-reclamation after childhood abuse.” —Foreword “From its opening pages, we know Unsexed is going to offer us vulnerability and wisdom mixed with tragedy, which is a particular kind of unflinching honesty: one that has set aside fear in favor of truth. In this raw and gritty memoir, DelVecchio reveals what it means to be a daughter longing for nourishment, a lover wanting to be respected, and a mother who has unwittingly learned exactly how to love. She never claims to have come out on the other side all shiny and happy, only renewed. Sometimes another person’s story reminds us of the will and strength we all have running deep inside—Unsexed is one of those stories.” —Shuly Xóchitl Cawood, author of the memoir The Going and Goodbye “Unsexed is a searingly honest, painful, beautifully expressed and ultimately transcendent story about the damage caused by the absence of love, and the healing that becomes possible with truth and courage.” —Adrienne Moore, author of Seven Tears in the Sea “Unsexed is an amazingly honest memoir that's hard to put down. DelVecchio’s ability to render her story with no exaggerations or evasions makes it a page-turning book. The author doesn’t attempt to hide the damage to her own psyche caused by these experiences, and readers will find themselves rooting for her as the book reaches its end. Highly recommended for book clubs, who will find a great deal to discuss.” — Gabi Coatsworth, author of Love’s Journey Home and A Beginner’s Guide to Starting Over “A searing memoir that carries the reader from trauma to triumph. Marina's struggle to reconcile her past, her sexuality, and her own agency will resonate with any reader from the early ’70s second wave of feminism to the more recent #MeToo movement.” —Pamela Stockwell, author of A Boundless Place

Author Information

Marina DelVecchio, Ph.D. is a college professor and writer. In addition to her online publications in MS Magazine, Huffington Post, and The New Agenda, her book publications include Dear Jane, The Professor’s Wife, and The Virgin Chronicles. She teaches women’s studies and literature through the lens of bibliotherapy, guiding her students to connect with literary heroes who write for power and self-assertion. She lives in North Carolina with her children and three feral cats.

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