(Reviewed by JD Jung)
Horny: Sex Without Scruples is not your typical memoir; it’s mostly commentary. It’s also raw, unfiltered, and unapologetically blunt, focusing on human sexuality, power dynamics, exploitation, and the complexities of modern relationships.
Author Brad Deep, a self-proclaimed sex addict, once a client of illicit massage parlors, opened his own to fund his filmmaking career. However, what he also received was a “raw, unfiltered education in what people really do when no one’s watching.”
The book covers a staggering range of topics. —from male non-monogamy to the psychology of open relationships, from sex tourism, love scams and online dating to the hypocrisy of organized religion and politics. He talks about how power both corrupts and seduces, and how the “Me Too” movement didn’t destroy men, it challenged them. He gives examples of sexual predators in the fashion, film industry and even the boardroom. He spends significant time condemning predatory behavior and emphasizing the importance of boundaries.
Though most is geared towards straight men, he includes a bit about gay, trans, and bisexual men. There is a lot of repetition, and I wish he focused more on his experiences managing a massage parlor, with a candid description of the clients and their sordid behavior (of course, without naming names). I guess that is for another book.
There’s also a bit of a contradiction at play: Deep says “If some men had an ounce of self-control, I wouldn’t have had to write this book” yet maintains that writing this was therapy for him. In any event, he maintains that a portion of the book proceeds will go to organizations that help sexual assault survivors.
Still, Horny: Sex Without Scruples is provocative and thought-provoking. Though some parts may cause you to cringe, others will make you laugh. Whether you agree with what he has to say or not, you’ll be engaged to the very end.