Getting Off

“Erica Garza has written a riveting, can’t-look-away memoir of a life lived hardcore…In an era when predatory male sexual behavior has finally become a topic of urgent national discourse…Getting Off makes for a wild, timely read” (Elle). A fixation on porn and orgasm, strings of failed relationships and serial hook-ups with strangers, inevitable blackouts to blunt the shame—these are not things we often hear women share publicly, and not with the candor, eloquence, and introspection Erica Garza brings to Getting Off. What sets this courageous and riveting account apart from your typical misery memoir is the absence of any precipitating trauma beyond the garden variety of hurt we’ve all had to endure in simply becoming a person—reckoning with family, learning to be social, integrating what it means to be sexual. Whatever tenor of violence or abuse Erica’s life took on through her behavior was of her own making, fueled by fear, guilt, self-loathing, self-pity, loneliness, and the hopelessness those feelings brought on as she runs from one side of the world to the other in an effort to break her habits—from East Los Angeles to Hawaii and Southeast Asia, through the brothels of Bangkok and the yoga studios of Bali to disappointing stabs at therapy and twelve-steps back home. In these remarkable pages, Garza draws an evocative, studied portrait of the anxiety that fuels her obsessions, as well as the exhilaration and hope she begins to feel when she suspects she might be free of them. Getting Off offers a brave and necessary voice to our evolving conversations about addiction and the impact that internet culture has had on us all—“a profoundly genuine, gripping story that any reader can appreciate” (Vice). “In reading Garza’s insight into her own experiences, we better understand ourselves” (The New York Times Book Review).

JJ is certain he’s got everything figured out. He’s straight, right? He’s just not into the hookup culture prevalent on his college soccer team. But he’s trying to hide that to avoid getting on his team captain’s bad side. Kade is anything but straight. Out and proud, he’s curious about how the “other half” lives… even as his best friends remind him there’s more to the LGBTQ+ community than just the “G.” Curious, Kade texts JJ a simple question: do straight guys ever get off together? When JJ’s reply leads to a head-spinning sexual spark, he starts questioning everything he knows about his sexuality, both in terms of who he’s attracted to, and also why hookups have never been his thing. But when JJ endures trauma that confuses him more, he starts pushing Kade away. Kade has to learn how to be a supportive friend, and more than that, a supportive partner, or risk losing JJ altogether. And JJ? He has to fight for his team to be team players, even when they suspect he’s “playing for the other team.”

Does porn make the man?

Masturbation is like tuning a radio -- you don't know what frequencies you'll enjoy until you play with the knobs. Masturbation has a complicated stigma attached to it; everybody is doing it, but not everybody talks about it. Some were told that touching oneself would cause cute kittens to die, some were told masturbation led blindness. Getting Off: A Woman's Guide to Masturbation is here to debunk those masturbation myths, and reinforce the truth. Masturbation is a totally natural and normal way for women to connect with and find pleasure in their bodies. Fun, informative, and illustrated, Getting Off provides women with a wealth of masturbation knowledge -- its history, the mechanics of it, the joys of sexy toys -- plus clear, concise tips on getting off. Foreword by Betty A. Dodson

SO THIS GIRL WALKS INTO A BAR... ...and when she walks out there's a man with her. She goes to bed with him, and she likes that part. Then she kills him, and she likes that even better. On her way out, she cleans out his wallet. She keeps moving, and has a new name for each change of address. She's been doing this for a while, and she's good at it. And then a chance remark gets her thinking of the men who got away, the lucky ones who survived a night with her. She starts writing down names. And now she's a girl with a mission. Picking up their trails. Hunting them down. Crossing them off her list...

Today, the training of American astronauts is almost taken for granted, but prior to 1961 no one knew whether humans could function in space at all. Space suits, working in free fall, and surviving the punishing accelerations of launch and re-entry were all complete unknowns. It was well recognised that if we were to send men into space, they would first have to be extensively trained. But what was that training to consist of? And exactly who would provide the training? As it turns out, the training was, at times, as dangerous and demanding as the space flights that followed -- for the training experts as well as the astronauts. At the forefront of the effort to train America's astronauts was Dr Randall Chambers. Over the course of a long and distinguished career he turned his mind (and body) to a wide variety of disciplines, in order to best prepare our astronauts for space flight. It was not unusual for Dr Chambers to put himself in the astronaut's position, literally -- before he would put the astronaut there. Dr Chambers and his co-workers not only had to be the very best in their profession, they had to define and refine that profession as they went along -- pioneers in the truest sense of the word. As the requirements and demands of human space activities increased, the lives of the astronauts were completely dependent on their trainers always being one step ahead of them. Career journalist Mary Jane Chambers has witnessed her husband's career first hand, and has worked with him to present a story that non-scientists will enjoy -- no equations, no charts; but rather a human tale of amazing people. This book is the story of a dedicated man of science, a friend of the astronauts, and an unsung hero of the space age. Behind every successful space program there are special people with the dedication of Dr Randall Chambers.

A psychotherapist and motivational speaker’s “powerful and practical” guide to overcoming negativity and self-sabotage—with a foreword by Anthony Robbins (Publisher’s Weekly). “This book will show you how to move beyond your limitations and begin to experience and share your gifts at the highest level. . . . Read this book in its entirety, follow the lessons closely, and watch as your life transforms into a masterpiece filled with an abundance of bliss, passion, and gratitude.” —From the Foreword by Anthony Robbins In addition to presenting Sean Stephenson's unbelievable life story, Get Off Your “But,” offers anyone who needs to conquer fears and insecurities a hands-on guide for overcoming the forces of negativity and self-sabotage. Sean—a successful psychotherapist—shows what it takes to overcome the big bumps in the road, eliminate excuses, end insecurities, and ultimately stand up for happiness and success in life. As Sean explains, anyone can fall victim to the “Buts”: “But” Fears (BUT what if I fail . . .) “But” Insecurities (BUT I’m not good enough . . .) “But” Excuses (BUT there’s no time . . .) Get Off Your “But” offers a practical guide for putting fear behind you and building the inner resources to become self-confident at work and at home. It's time to get off your “but” and start leading the life you dream.

In Timothy Murphy's Getting Off Clean, the one thing that Eric Fitzpatrick wants is to escape--both from his family and the racially tense town in which he lives. The only son of an Italian-Irish family in a working class suburb of Boston, he intends to go away to college and leave his old life far behind. But all his plans are set askew when he meets Brooks, a mysterious, wealthy, black student at a local prep school. As their relationship grows ever deeper and more complicated, Eric must come to terms not only with his family and community, but with his warring ambitions and desires.