Dr. Romance: "Joan Price's book tells it like it is"

Many thanks to Dr. Romance -- Tina Tessina, Ph.D. -- for her review of my book, Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex After Sixty. Tessina, Redbook's "Love Expert," is a licensed psychotherapist in S. California, with over 30 years experience in counseling individuals and couples and author of 11 books. Here's what she said:

This book was better than I ever expected. It's a wonderful balance of memoir, others' personal reflections, and fact. A very enjoyable, well-written, and useful read, especially encouraging and supportive for older women.

We live in a youth-obsessed culture, and too many people are afraid of growing older. Joan Price's book tells it like it is -- sex can be great after sixty, long-term relationships are worth keeping, and even senior dating can be great! This book looks at real life as we age, and sex as a reality of senior relationships. With lively interviews, expert commentary and lots of valuable information, it's a must read for anyone who is getting older -- and none of us is getting younger! Younger women will enjoy knowing that the future is positive. I will be recommending it to clients.

Tina Tessina's latest book is Money, Sex and Kids, a guide for handling marital conflict and arguments over these hot-button issues.

Reader: "Thanks for having the courage to write this book!"

I love it when readers tell me their reactions to Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex After Sixty. I just received this from Nancy, age 72:

Received your book today and have already read through it once! Thanks for the frank, honest words. Believe me when I tell you that I have friends in the age range of 44 to 82 that have given up on "the Big One," as I call it. Some, like me, had complete hysterectomies early...others went through natural menopause. But vaginal dryness, bleeding, and the problems with taking hormones have done them in!

I went through using the "ring" and was most uncomfortable. Creams are messy and rule out oral sex. After reading your blog and website info, I decided to try something creative and crawled into bed naked and spooned up to my husband. We tried something new, which to him had previously been a no. If it wasn't the "normal" position, forget it. Well...we had a great time and he's been smiling all day! Thanks for having the courage to write this book!

Nancy, I wonder what "creative" activity you tried with your husband that led to his daylong smile, but you don't have to tell! Thank you for sharing this with us!

By the way, I'm surprised you find the estrogen ring uncomfortable. I don't even feel it once it's inserted, no more than I felt tampons or diaphragms in my youth. I agree that creams are messy and interfere with oral sex!

Readers: If you don't already have a copy of Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex After Sixty, you can order a personally autographed copy directly from me, or you can buy it from Amazon.com using this direct link. Enjoy! -- Joan

Autumn of Love: "We are having hot, fabulous sex after 60"

Freelance writer Mark L. Fuerst wrote a terrific article based on an interview with me which has appeared in several newspapers, such as The Missoulian, Florida Today, and others. I thought you'd enjoy reading it:

Autumn of Love

Birds do it, bees to it, even educated older couples can, too. Here’s some straight talk about sex after 60.

By Mark L. Fuerst
CTW Features

Society’s view of aging women as sexless is wrong. “Many of us are having the best sex of our lives. We are having hot, fabulous sex after 60,” says Joan Price, author of “Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex After Sixty” (Seal Press, 2006).

Some 70 percent of sexually active women over 60 reported being as satisfied or more satisfied with their sexual lives than they were in their 40s, according to a 1998 survey of nearly 1,300 Americans aged 60 or older, conducted by the National Council on Aging, Washington, D.C.

“My experience certainly supports that,” says Price, who also is a dance instructor, fitness professional, speaker and health writer. “In my 40s, I was unnerved by the realization that my sex life was being affected by undeniable signs and feelings of aging. Now I’ve grown past wanting to hold onto to youth in the bedroom, and as a result I feel truly present with my lover and capable of intense satisfaction.”

Changes after menopause make sexual enjoyment challenging, but “we’re using our creativity, our personal power, the joy and intimacy of our relationships, and useful tools of all sorts — from sex toys to a sense of humor — to tackle those challenges,” Price says.

The book is mainly about her intensely up-front-and-personal story of hot sex with her 68-year-old lover, Robert, whom she married earlier this year, along with snippets of interviews with other sexually seasoned women about their experiences.

“Sexual response is in our brains. I’m in love with the man I’ve been looking for my whole life, whom I met when I was 57 and he was 64,” says Price, age 61 when she wrote the book. “We’re as turned on by each other as a couple of teenagers, but with the juicy addition of decades of life experience, self-knowledge, communication skills and a sense of humor. We’re also willing to experiment and stretch our boundaries.”

Kaycee, age 66, says, “Keep an open mind. Remember that there is always something new to try and so many men out there. Sex after 60 could be the best time of your life if you play it right.”

Price adds that “we overcome the physical challenges by being inventive and resourceful. We take advantage of the lessened urgency by slowing things down, taking more time.”

You call that ‘older’?

Unfortunately, society has not become more accepting of older-age sexuality. “One day I watched some television talk shows about the sexiness of older women. They dressed sexy, pole-danced, and taught the audience how to strip. But these so-called ‘older’ women were probably in their 40s! I’d like to see women who admit and look like they’re over 60 on these talk shows, rousing other older women to assert their sexuality. We need to accept that women can and do stay sexy through the decades, and it doesn’t stop when we no longer can hide the wrinkles or saggy skin.”

Claire, age 66, says, “I think my body is great. I have all the wrinkles and brown spots, and that’s fine, that’s who I am. And the body works better than it ever has. The woman I’m with thinks I’m the most beautiful woman she’s ever seen in her life, which makes me feel great. I wish women could just learn to love their bodies like I have done, and refuse to buy the social stuff that’s out there about youth and beauty. We are all beautiful.”

Phoebe, age 64, says, “Generally my life is easier, less driven, so sex is a part of it rather than a driving force. It is easier not being controlled by my hormones and sex drive. Also, I feel very self-confident about my sexuality and attractiveness, pleased that I am attractive to others, even younger men.”

One of Price’s major messages is that boomers are redefining aging and sexuality. “We’re the Love Generation; we practically invented sex,” she says. “We’re not about to shut the gates now!”

The article also includes my tips for keeping sex vibrant and fun as we age, which you can read here.

Many thanks to Mark L. Fuerst and to CTW Features for permission to reprint this article here.

-- Joan

Book Review: "Lighthearted, titillating and informative... inspiring... arousing...."

I was thrilled by the review of Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex After Sixty in the North Bay Bohemian, October 18-24, 2006, by Patricia Lynn Henley, who really understood (and enjoyed!) my book. Here's what she wrote:

Old age doesn't have to be dull, at least not according to 'Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk About Sex After Sixty' (Seal Press; $15.95), the lighthearted, titillating and informative new book by Sebastopol fitness professional, dance instructor and health writer Joan Price.

This isn't a stodgy or academically oriented self-help book; it's a bright, witty, let's-get-the-gals-together-and-just-gab look at keeping the home fires burning when some of the parts have shifted or sagged. It's inspiring. It's a bit arousing. And it's definitely worth reading, either by women who refuse to believe their senior years have to be asexual, or by men who want to understand what's happening in an older woman's mind and body, as well as what excites and satisfies her.

Price shares her personal experiences along with thoughts and anecdotes from a wide range of older women who revel in their sexuality. The book covers the challenges of post-menopausal love-making together with creative and loving solutions.

"There's nothing hotter than sex between people who know their own bodies, are crazy about each other, relish taking lots of time and honor sex as extremely spiritual and physical," writes Price. "I just don't think people can get there without a whole lot of life experience and a hefty dose of relationship mistakes along the way!" --P.L.H.

(Reprinted with permission of The North Bay Bohemian)

You can order Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex After Sixty directly from me for a personally autographed copy, or from Amazon.com using this direct link. Enjoy!

-- Joan

Healthy Life: "a celebration of sex"

I was interviewed by Jennifer Margulis, author of Why Babies Do That and editor of Toddler: Real-life Stories of Those Fickle, Irrational, Urgent, Tiny People We Love. She turned the interview into a marvelous feature story for Healthy Life, a quarterly health supplement to the Greenfield Recorder which circulates to about 50,000 readers in Massachusetts and Vermont.

The article is not available online, but here are some excerpts:

Fitness writer and former high school English teacher Joan Price has finally found her calling. At 62, Price now identifies herself an “ageless sexuality advocate.” What’s that? A spokesperson for the sex life of aging Baby Boomers.

Her advocacy has come in the form of a 269-page book, just released from Seal Press, “Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk About Sex After Sixty.” The book is divided into 15 chapters—everything from “Plug In, Turn On: The Quick Version of Everything You Need to Know about Sex Toys” to “When You or Your Partner Can’t.” Price also includes advice for spicing up long-term relationships, reentering the dating scene, fitness over 60, and other topics.

The book is a celebration of sex by a woman who writes frankly about her own sexual awakening over the years... “Juicy is an attitude,” Price writes in a chapter entitled, “It Ain’t Easy After Menopause,” “… based not on the flow of our vaginal secretions but on physical well-being, emotional state, mental attitude, and love of sex. Here’s to post-menopausal zest—and understanding lovers!”

The idea for the book came out of the relationship she was having with an understanding lover....

“I went looking for good sex books, both fiction and nonfiction, specifically aimed at my age group. I was surprised - and turned off! - by how few of these books existed, and how dry and unsexy most of them were,” she says. “Some were much too academic to bring into the bedroom, many were outdated, and some were supposed to be titillating but weren’t—at least to us.”

So Price decided to write the book she wanted to read.... And her book—which is full of exclamation points and positive affirmations about ageless sex—reads like it was written by a woman on a mission.

Price’s mission is to celebrate, enhance, and affirm the sex lives of women (and men) over 60.

...Of course, sex after 60 isn’t always easy, as Price is the first to admit. In Better Than I Ever Expected Price includes a chapter about when one partner or the other is not able to be sexually intimate. She also talks honestly about the changes wrought on women by menopause and on men by aging, gravity, and prostate dysfunction.

... “Our hormonally deprived bodies challenge us with less lubrication; thinner, less resilient vaginal tissues; and often less physical sensation,” she admits. “Our bodies are slower to respond, and we may have more trouble reaching orgasm.”

Some of Price’s solutions to our body’s changes? Lubricants, vibrators, a sense of humor, and a very patient, loving partner.

“Sexual response is in our brains more than our genitals,” Price insists. “My lover and I are as turned on by each other as a couple of teenagers, but with the juicy addition of decades of life experience, self-knowledge, communication skills, and a ense of humor.”

She says sex over 60 has made her both adventurous and accepting: “We’re willing to experiment and stretch our boundaries. Men will be relieved to learn how accepting most women are about men’s changes and how to have great sex even when some parts aren’t cooperating.”

Throughout the book Price includes quotes from women who took her survey—women in their 60s who are having great sex. It’s a pre-selected group, which Price herself points out. When she sent out a call for interviewees she stated she was looking for “sassy, sexy women, age 60+ to share feelings and experiences openly and anonymously” so any women who didn’t fit that description would not have responded.

...If you’re looking for great sex over 60 but not yet having it, this book might make you feel rather alienated and depressed (wow, all those folks out there getting their groove on, where’s mine?). But maybe, just maybe, it’ll get you into your first sex shop purchasing your first sex toy. After all, it’s never too late to start.

For more information about Price, visit: http://www.joanprice.com/.

Anne Rodgers: Better Than I Ever Expected is "both uplifting and horrifying"

Anne Rodgers reviewed Five books on midlife sex for Cox News Service. Here's what she said about Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex after Sixty:

I found this book both uplifting and horrifying. Uplifting because of author Joan Price's frank optimism and practicality; horrifying because of the challenges to successful coupling that most of us are apparently going to face. In addition to the normal aches and pains associated with aging, Joan covers loss of libido, catastrophic illness, impotence, painful intercourse and the post-menopausal issues of vaginal dryness and thinning of the vaginal walls (which can result in tearing). Yikes!

While the glimpse into the future was daunting, I was again and again heartened by Joan's grace and courage as she delved into the particulars of traditionally awkward subjects, addressing each with the comforting light of acceptance and education. Her observations are interspersed with comments from women she interviewed on topics such as using sex toys, the challenge of finding a partner, spicing up a long-term relationship, solo sex and more. Of the six books, this is the most specific, the most upbeat and perhaps the most helpful.

Ottawa Sun: "right into the nitty-gritty"

I love this article by lifestyle columnist Ann Marie McQueen in the Ottawa Sun today!

Ageless Sex Advice
Author touting the benefits of nookie after 60 during stop at local adult shop
By Ann Marie McQueen, Ottawa Sun

After I suggest to California author Joan Price she seems to have landed the world's greatest sixtysomething man -- scratch that, the greatest man of any age -- she launches right into the nitty-gritty.

They're out there, says the author of Better Than I Expected:Straight Talk About Sex After Sixty, who is coming to Ottawa this weekend to give two workshops on the topic at downtown sex shop Venus Envy.

The men she speaks of, like her Robert, came of age in the 1960s too, and many of them want to be with their female contemporaries, want to find ways to make sex good with them, no matter what their aging bodies say about it, says Price.

She gathers steam as she describes such men, who will listen as women say things like, "let's see what we can do about my thinning vaginal tissues, about my lack of lubrication."

She stops suddenly.

"This may be too frank for you."

"No, no,"I say, realizing I had starting chuckling out loud right about the time Price said "thinning vaginal tissues."

"It's fine."

"You all right?"she says once more, sweetly, before forging ahead " -- what can we do about my slow arousal, what can we do about the time it takes to reach orgasm?"

If you are below 50, and before you start going 'ewwww' at the priceless Price, it might be time to think about where your own life is headed. That's right. Straight to 60, and beyond. Might be time to pay attention. And ditch the attitude, such as the kind embodied in Louise Rafkin's article for the San Francisco Chronicle magazine, headlined "Now that Baby Boomers have discovered there's sex after 60, could they please stop writing about it?"

It's not very likely Price is going to do anything of the kind. In fact, she's made it her mission to speak on it as much, and as frankly, as possible.

"If you want to be a sexual person, you've gotta really make a commitment to it, you've really gotta say, 'I'm gonna love my wrinkles, I'm gonna love my sags, I'm gonna love my partner's wrinkles and sags and we're gonna find ways to rejuvenate the relationship,' " she said.

While the one-time English teacher, fitness professional and author was penning Better, Gail Sheehy would be building on the success of her book Passages 30 years ago with Sex and the Seasoned Woman, which was all over the morning TV shows, Internet and newspapers when it came out in January.

Fitting, really, considering Price blames the media for the dim light cast on aging women.

"It has never portrayed the older woman as sexy, understanding herself, self-confident, self-knowledgeable, self-affirming and that that's a good thing," says the California-based Price.
If women are shown as sexual when they are older, it's either perceived as ground-breaking (Diane Keaton in Something's Gotta Give) or predatory and pathetic (a turn by actress Holland Taylor on Boston Legal's predecessor The Practice). They are invisible in magazines, says Price, who is determined to build on the current wave of awareness.

"I want it to seem normal for one," she says, "and I want people who have not come out of the woodwork to talk about it, and they are."

Price's perky, inspirational book offers not academic theories but practical expertise. It is filled with concrete tips -- say, instructions for how to use a vibrator -- and she's-been there-anecdotes about everything from exercise, to hormone replacement therapy.

She's even delighting in holding her Straight Talk About Sex After Sixty workshops in new-generation adult stores like Venus Envy. Drawing people who've never visited them, helping them realize the sex-related treasures they hold, is another of Price's goals.

"They are places filled with joy and laughter, and the attitude that sensuality and sexuality are great pleasures for us," she said. "And they are just showing us ways we can enhance those pleasures."

Price will give two workshops this weekend, each from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday's is open to women and men, while Sunday's is limited to women. The cost is $25. For information, call the store at 789-4646.

Ottawa XPress: "the book'll whip your skull"

In an article titled "Check the Expiry Date" in the Ottawa Xpress, Sylvie Hill wrote about Better Than I Ever Expected:

I always wanted a book of nude photographs of older ladies to help me grow accustomed to what I'll become. I haven't found that book, but I have checked out Joan Price's Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk About Sex After Sixty (Seal Press, 2006). Price is priceless... As a collection of testimonials about sex from gay, straight, married and single 60-plussers, the book'll whip your skull over yonder toward the future, and alert you to some sizzling possibilities!

Good Vibes: "the book that we’ve been waiting for"

Good Vibrations has posted a terrific review of Better Than I Ever Expected:

The best sex of your life is yet to be- if Joan Price has her way! She offers upbeat, comprehensive, explicit advice for [post]menopausal women about body image, changing physiology, cultural expectations, relationships, partner sex, masturbation, and sex toys. Acknowledging in a chapter heading that “It Ain’t Easy After Menopause,” she addresses the complications of hot flashes, HRT, and painful intercourse on the way to becoming a sexually seasoned woman. By including her own and other women’s personal perspectives, Price has written the book that we’ve been waiting for. Heterosexual focus.

I love the review, but I question "heterosexual focus." Although I happen to be heterosexual, as are many--but not all--of the women I interviewed, I also include the lesbian perspective, and most of the tips and techniques are not orientation-specific at all. Just wanted to make that point!

Thank you, Good Vibes, for the enthusiastic review!

-- Joan

"Encouraging advice, and a great love story, too"

Toni Goldfarb, medical writer and co-author of the American Lung Association's 7 Steps to a Smoke-Free Life, wrote such a stirring customer review of my book on Amazon.com that I asked her permission to reprint it here. Thank you, Toni!

Encouraging advice, and a great love story, too

If you're trying to decide which of the new "sex over 60" books to buy, definitely choose this one. It is not a step-by-step "how to" book that might offend people, although it does cover every aspect of sexual activity--married, single, solo, gay, straight, young, old, one-night, long-term (50 years and even longer). Instead, the book provides practical, encouraging advice from experts and from ordinary women about the joys of loving relationships, dealing with sexual problems of menopause, loss of interest in sex (or your partner's loss of interest and/or ability), how to approach sex with a new partner, helpful exercises, and even a detailed discussion of sex toys and assistive devices. (I thought these were only for "adventurous" couples, but the book explains how they can make sex possible and more enjoyable for older people).

Plus, this book is also a beautiful love story which could stand on its own, even without all the excellent sex information. The writer chronicles her many relationships, from her first teenage romance (You'll be furious to learn how her father broke up what might have been a lasting relationship), to a succession of sexual affairs, including a short failed marriage. It's easy to see why she had given up on finding true love. But she never gave up on having an active, fulfilling life as a dance and exercise instructor, despite two devastating auto accidents that left her with many scars and lasting injuries.

And then, magic! In the form of a trim, gray-haired, older man she spots in one of her dance classes.

These are true-to-life 60-plus people, not wrinkle-free, gorgeous-body super models, but the story of how their love and sexual relationship blossomed is a real page turner. And be prepared for a few tears when you come to a troubling revelation near the end of the story.

This is a thought-provoking, informative, encouraging book you'll definitely want to share with friends.

Pacific Sun: Tips for Older Lovers

I was interviewed about love in later life by Jill Kramer for the Pacific Sun (Marin County, CA), Feb. 10, 2006, under the title "Tips for Older Lovers":

I think later-life love is the best. We come to each other with decades of adult life experience, including many relationships that may have helped us grow to the next stage when that person doesn't fit any more -- so then we're ready for someone who can match us at that next level of growth. So I think it's natural for us to grow into and grow out of relationships until we get to the point where we really know who we are and what we're looking for and what we have to give.

It's harder when you're older to find the right person. And it's hard to hold out for someone who's got everything you're looking for. So sometimes people get into relationships that are only partially fulfilling because they figure, "Well, I'm not going to do any better." Yeah, you are! Don't settle! Do the things you love to do and look around at who else is doing them. Be yourself, don't put on any kind of an act. Be the person you hope to find.

Library Journal: "wealth of insightful information"

Martha Cornog reviewed Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk About Sex After Sixty, along with other new books about sexuality and older women, in "The Go-Go Golden Libido" in Library Journal, February 1, 2006:

Our third senior sexpert, health writer Price focuses on a smaller number of women of the 1960s “love generation” who are still having happy and wonderful sex. Drawing on data from emailed questionnaires and telephone interviews, the author shares personal stories and a wealth of insightful information about having good sex; dating; staying sexy; coping with hormonal, physical, and medical problems (including vaginal atrophy); and keeping erotic warmth alive in a long-term arriage. Many of these women have been adventurous and continue to be—their stories are not for the monogamy-at-all-costs crowd. Yet this is the book's strength: reassuring senior-aged women who feel abandoned by the numerous “coupled through life” books (and perhaps distanced from “vanilla” friends) that they are not freakish or alone. One quibble: it could've been more inclusive about safe(r) sex, though there's an excellent reading list and even footnotes.

Press Democrat: "I met the man of my dreams at 57."

Sara Peyton's spicy "Book People" column in Sonoma County's Press Democrat today talked at length about me, my relationship with Robert, and the journey that led to writing Better Than I Ever Expected. Following are a couple of excerpts. (Click here to read the article.)

"I had met the man of my dreams and the love of my life at age 57 when he was 64," said Price. "Not only did we enjoy a wonderful, romantic relationship but also really hot sex. I considered it the best sex of my life, physically fulfilling and emotionally high. We were bringing to the relationship wisdom and knew what we wanted to communicate - all in one sexy package."
...
Just consider the irony, Price adds. "We went through our youth wishing men would give us more foreplay and now they're doing it. Sex is no longer a rush to the finish line.

(from "Female authors offer advice on sex later in life: 'Straight talk' about intimacy from Freestone fitness guru" by Sara Peyton, The Press Democrat, 1/29/06)

RebeccasReads: "original book that needed to be written"

Better Than I Ever Expected is an original book that needed to be written ... Joan Price demonstrates the kind of courage rarely shown by writers, particularly on the topic of sexuality.

Alma Bond's review of Better Than I Ever Expected was posted on RebeccasReads.com today. I was moved by how strongly and insightfully Dr. Bond responded to my book. The review is too long to reprint here fully -- and I'd like you to visit Rebecca's Reads and enjoy this website filled with book reviews -- but I can't resist posting a few more excerpts. (Click here to read the full review.)

Joan circulated the following: "Wanted: Interviews with sassy, sexy women, age 60+, who are willing to share feelings and experiences openly and anonymously in a candid, woman-to-woman book." To her surprise, women responded abundantly, & were hungry to share their experiences & reveal the most intimate details of their bodies, fantasies, & relationships. Price uses quotes from these women's responses to illustrate her findings throughout the book.

The book is also helpful in giving advice about certain problems of aging, such as hot flashes, the generation's HRT dispute, painful intercourse, exercises to strengthen muscles to enhance sexual pleasure, preparations to establish intimacy before having sex, the use of sex toys, & solo sex.
...
[H]ighly recommended for young people on the verge of discovering the paradise of sexuality, for older couples who have been brain-washed into thinking sex is only for the young, & for those happy lovers of all ages who wish to believe that the bliss of lovemaking will continue as long as they live.

Seasoned Women Spicy in New York Times

The Weekend Arts section of the New York Times, 1/13/06, featured a cover story titled "Post-Salad-Days Women Agree: They Want 'What She's Having'" by Dinitia Smith about books and movies that "echo the message that seasoned women can be sexually spicy."

Better Than I Ever Expected was quoted twice:

Also arriving this month, from Seal Press, will be "Better Than I Expected: Straight Talk About Sex After Sixty," by Joan Price, who spices the book up with her own experiences. ("I rub moisturizing lotion gently into Robert's skin," she writes. "I love seeing him standing naked before me.")
....
By and large, the books carry an optimistic message -- that despite age, menopause and wrinkles, women can continue to enjoy sex. "We are having hot, fabulous sex after sixty," Ms. Price writes. "Society's vew of aging women as sexless is wrong, wrong, wrong." Her book includes advice on fitness and remedies for those who can't achieve orgasm.

The article discusses Gail Sheehy's Sex and the Seasoned Woman at length, references movies like "Something's Gotta Give" and "Under the Sand," and quotes Jane Juska (author of A Round-Heeled Woman and the upcoming Unaccompanied Women: Late-Life Adventures in Love, Sex and Real Estate), historian Linda Gordon, and NYU professor of psychiatry Leonore Tiefer. I'm happy to be in such company in this well-written, provocative article.

Newsday: "Sex after 60: It's good news"

Here's Peter King's 12/31/05 review of Better Than I Ever Expected at Newsday.com:

Sex after 60: It's good news

Guys, leave the room.

"Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk About Sex After Sixty" (Seal Press, $15.95) by Joan Price is for women only. The book is part motivational memoir, part self-help guide and part sex manual in which Price asserts, "Society's view of aging women as sexless is wrong, wrong, wrong."

Price, 61, writes from experience. The book sprang from her own bout of "post-menopausal angst" when she thought her sex life was over. It wasn't, although she writes that "changes after menopause make sexual enjoyment challenging." Even so, Price says her sex life now is better than ever.

"Better Than I Ever Expected" gives older women advice on how to date and how to love. Price, who has written several books on health and fitness, also includes many tips on how exercise makes sex better.

Price recognizes the challenges of older sexuality but revels in the rewards. "We're the Love Generation - we practically invented sex," she writes. "We're not about to shut the gates now!"

A Woman's Touch: "truly straightforward resource"

A Woman's Touch Sexuality Resource Center has posted a review of Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex after Sixty. I have their permission to reprint it here:

What really happens in the bedrooms of older adults? Are people over the age of 60 still having sex? According to author Joan Price, many women over 60 find themselves in the prime of their sexual lives. This book does a great job of addressing the needs, concerns, and realities of women over 60 and their partners.

Price does a great job of touching on physical, mental, and emotional aspects of sexuality. Expect information on physical fitness and health, dealing with the challenges that accompany postmenopause, how to keep your libido going strong, how to keep your sex life with a long-term partner interesting, what to do if you don't have a partner or have lost your partner, what to do if you or your partner can't have sex, and much more.

There are also helpful appendices including when and how a therapist can be helpful, a list of resources, and the interview questions given to the women who shared their experiences in the book.

Overall, this book is very comprehensive, filled with helpful real-life anecdotes, and a truly straightforward resource for those of us who are past 60 and still going strong.

Reader Reactions to Book

Women aquaintances who have bought the book and read it already (everyone says they can't put it down!) are walking up to me and talking freely about their own sex lives and relationships. It's as if we're continuing a conversation in progress. I love this!

I feel like I've opened up a topic that women were hungry to discuss. So many women are already telling me, "It's about time!" And it's not just the older women -- younger women are saying, "I don't plan to give up sex when I'm 60... or 80!"

I'm looking at what women say as clues to what they'd like to see in the next book. As I travel and promote the book, I'll be noting what women ask and tell me, and when their eyes light up when I discuss something.

If you know what you would like to read in my next book, please post a comment here!

Kirkus reviews Better Than I Ever Expected

Better Than I Ever Expected just got a fabulous review from Kirkus! Here's what Here's what Kirkus Reports: Health & Fitness said on December 2, 2005:


Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex after Sixty
By: Joan Price
Publisher: Seal Press
Pub Date: January 2006
ISBN: 1580051529
Media Contact: Krista Rafanello, 510-595-3664, x 334, krista.rafanello@avalonpub.com

Price wants to bring sexual pleasure and freedom back to the Boomers. “We're the Love Generation,” she says proudly. “We practically invented sex!”

A long-time fitness guru, Price brings an exercise instructor's upbeat tempo and infectious energy to this empowering and straightforward guide to sex for the older woman. Covering everything from sex after menopause to “how to spice up a long-term relationship,” she celebrates the pleasures of sex, but also confronts age-specific sexual issues head-on. Written for both married and single women, there are lots of practical tips for sparking intimacy inside and outside the bedroom. But it's not all instructional, and the inclusion of real-life experiences is what makes this a fun and engaging read. The author's deeply personal memoir as well as the smattering of candid stories she's collected from “sexually seasoned” women will help the 60+ set re-conceptualize themselves as more sexual beings. Chapters on body-image and fitness play a supporting role by helping teach how to feel more comfortable and confident in their skins.

Any older woman who knows sex isn't just for the young will appreciate this fun and frank guide from the self-described “advocate for ageless sexuality.”