Your Subtitle text
Becoming A Woman - Patricia Ange
Becoming A Woman
Patricia Ange
AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1425916767
Reviewed By Cary Merriman
Official Apex Reviews Rating:
She plays games with men that always involve sexual favors...she judges the value of potential boyfriends based on their sexual prowess...she even picks up complete strangers in train stations and lures them home to have her way with them…
But, consider:
Her father had eighteen children...her entire family has a history of being oversexed...she struggled with deep-rooted insecurities as a child…
When all these factors - and more - are taken into account, one may gain a better understanding of exactly what goes into the makings of sexual predator, and Becoming A Woman does just that.
Patricia Ange's cautionary tale of a life lived with reckless sexual abandon is a jarring account of some of the deepest, darkest secrets regarding sex that many are uncomfortable discussing. Nonetheless, she lays out in great detail her step-by-step descent into the throes of promiscuity, highlighting many of the risqué behaviors from which many don't escape. In so doing, she provides the reader with incredible insight into the world of sex obsession, offering invaluable advice along the way regarding just how to avoid yielding to its grip.
Make no mistake, Ange pulls no punches in her graphic descriptions of the lewd and lascivious acts in which she engaged with former lovers; however, her depictions are not meant to serve as sensationalized erotica, but rather shed light on just how powerful the act of sexual pleasure is, as well as how difficult it is for the sex-obsessed to resist.
Peppered throughout her narrative are helpful "Woman To Woman" bulletins, lessons learned along her journey to sexual maturity that serve to advise readers in order to help prevent them from making the same mistakes she did. These include everything from tips on effective birth control to making your first time special to the folly of using sex as a balm in mending a broken heart. As more of Ange's insights are revealed throughout the book, one develops a profound appreciation for her selflessness in exposing her own vulnerability as a means of protecting that of others.
If Becoming A Woman doesn't soon become required reading in churches, youth organizations, and mentoring programs across the country, someone should start a petition...this book is unmatched in its ability to take the everyday experiences so common to us all and dissect them masterfully to discover the nuggets of truth contained within. Patricia Ange has created a timeless classic deserving of the utmost respect and consideration by generation after generation of women for years to come.
Official Apex Reviews Interview: Patricia Ange (Becoming A Woman)
Apex Reviews: Thanks for taking the time to join us for this interview, Patricia. We truly appreciate it.
Is Becoming A Woman a completely true account of your sexual past, or are there some fictionalized passages?
Patricia Ange: There are no fictionalized passages in the book. That said you must note that the book was written about events that happened some twenty or more years past. The book as a result is only as true as my memory of the events and men in my past. Being that my memory is not what it use to be it is possible that some of the details and time sequences may be a little off but it was never my intent to sensationalize nor fictionalize any of the events discussed in the book.
AR: How hard was it for you to write the book?
PA: Finding the time to write was the hardest part of the book because of my busy schedule. The book itself wasn't very hard to write at all. I think this was because when I first started writing the book I was not thinking about publishing it only writing a story of how much I had changed for my friends in Hawaii who had only known me for a few years.
AR: In the book, you mention that you attempted to lose your virginity at age 11 - why so early? What prompted that desire?
PA: The main force behind my attempting to lose my virginity at age 11 was my desire for a boyfriend. The all the older girls in the neighborhood all had boyfriends and since I was headed to junior high school I felt it was time for me to have one also. When I asked the older girls in the neighborhood how I could get a boyfriend they told me I should have sex with the boy. Since I really wanted a boyfriend I agreed and everything was arranged for me. At that time my desire for a boyfriend was greater than my value for my virginity.
AR: Why do you think women continue to seek boyfriends through sex?
PA: I think women continue to seek boyfriends through sex because our society has brainwashed the majority of women especially young women into thinking that a woman's value to a man is only in her physical desirability and sex appeal. That being the case I think young women get caught up in the hoax of proving their worth to a man sexually.
AR: The cover for the book is stunning, and a perfect fit for the subject matter. How did you come up with it?
PA: I talked with a friend of mine who was a graphic artist who designs CD album covers about my book and vision of the cover. He came up with the design based upon our discussion.
AR: In the book, you mention that you eventually developed a "male classification system." Please share more about that with our readers, including what inspired you to create that.
PA: When I talk of my male classification system I talk of the way I (I think we all do it to some degree) use to sum men up and place them in the categories of associate, friend, lover or boyfriend upon first meeting them. The associates were generally classmate, study partners etc while the friends were they buddies, the pals, the guys who you may hang with on a platonic level and the lover were the guys in which I had a sexual interest and lastly the boyfriends were the guys I considered good relationship material. Looking back with the wisdom of time it is obvious that I created this system as a means of compartmentalizing my dealings with the various men in my life and thus keeping men at an emotional distance.
AR: In this day and age, it is critically important to educate young women about the dangers of sexual promiscuity, yet many still remain unresponsive to the best efforts of teachers and mentors. How do you reach the ones that are shut off to the message?
PA: One of the first things you have to realize is that you can't help someone who doesn't want your help. The best we can do is present the information and hope that someday, before it is too late, the individuals will wake up to the risk of their behavior and make a change.
AR: We noticed in your bio that you're a professional counselor. Have you shared the book with your clients? If so, what have their reactions been?
PA: I myself have not shared the book with any of my clients as I do not want it to be seen as a conflict of interest but I know other professional counselors who have.
AR: What's the main message you want readers to take from Becoming A Woman?
PA: The main message I want readers to take from the book is regardless of the images and messages we may receive from the media and others becoming a woman is not based sexual conduct.
AR: What's next for you?
PA: I am currently working on several projects; a book of poetry dealing with relationship issues, an advice book for you women also dealing with relationship and sexuality issues and the sequel to Becoming A Woman, which will discuss living without sex (sexual intercourse).
AR: Any final thoughts for our readers?
PA: I would encourage the readers not just read and then placed on the book on bookshelf to be forgotten. I would hope that the book's readers would share the book with family and friends, young and old, women and men, in order to spark a dialog on the issues discussed in the book.
AR: Thanks again, Patricia, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!
Patricia Ange
AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1425916767
Reviewed By Cary Merriman
Official Apex Reviews Rating:
She plays games with men that always involve sexual favors...she judges the value of potential boyfriends based on their sexual prowess...she even picks up complete strangers in train stations and lures them home to have her way with them…
But, consider:
Her father had eighteen children...her entire family has a history of being oversexed...she struggled with deep-rooted insecurities as a child…
When all these factors - and more - are taken into account, one may gain a better understanding of exactly what goes into the makings of sexual predator, and Becoming A Woman does just that.
Patricia Ange's cautionary tale of a life lived with reckless sexual abandon is a jarring account of some of the deepest, darkest secrets regarding sex that many are uncomfortable discussing. Nonetheless, she lays out in great detail her step-by-step descent into the throes of promiscuity, highlighting many of the risqué behaviors from which many don't escape. In so doing, she provides the reader with incredible insight into the world of sex obsession, offering invaluable advice along the way regarding just how to avoid yielding to its grip.
Make no mistake, Ange pulls no punches in her graphic descriptions of the lewd and lascivious acts in which she engaged with former lovers; however, her depictions are not meant to serve as sensationalized erotica, but rather shed light on just how powerful the act of sexual pleasure is, as well as how difficult it is for the sex-obsessed to resist.
Peppered throughout her narrative are helpful "Woman To Woman" bulletins, lessons learned along her journey to sexual maturity that serve to advise readers in order to help prevent them from making the same mistakes she did. These include everything from tips on effective birth control to making your first time special to the folly of using sex as a balm in mending a broken heart. As more of Ange's insights are revealed throughout the book, one develops a profound appreciation for her selflessness in exposing her own vulnerability as a means of protecting that of others.
If Becoming A Woman doesn't soon become required reading in churches, youth organizations, and mentoring programs across the country, someone should start a petition...this book is unmatched in its ability to take the everyday experiences so common to us all and dissect them masterfully to discover the nuggets of truth contained within. Patricia Ange has created a timeless classic deserving of the utmost respect and consideration by generation after generation of women for years to come.
Official Apex Reviews Interview: Patricia Ange (Becoming A Woman)
Apex Reviews: Thanks for taking the time to join us for this interview, Patricia. We truly appreciate it.
Is Becoming A Woman a completely true account of your sexual past, or are there some fictionalized passages?
Patricia Ange: There are no fictionalized passages in the book. That said you must note that the book was written about events that happened some twenty or more years past. The book as a result is only as true as my memory of the events and men in my past. Being that my memory is not what it use to be it is possible that some of the details and time sequences may be a little off but it was never my intent to sensationalize nor fictionalize any of the events discussed in the book.
AR: How hard was it for you to write the book?
PA: Finding the time to write was the hardest part of the book because of my busy schedule. The book itself wasn't very hard to write at all. I think this was because when I first started writing the book I was not thinking about publishing it only writing a story of how much I had changed for my friends in Hawaii who had only known me for a few years.
AR: In the book, you mention that you attempted to lose your virginity at age 11 - why so early? What prompted that desire?
PA: The main force behind my attempting to lose my virginity at age 11 was my desire for a boyfriend. The all the older girls in the neighborhood all had boyfriends and since I was headed to junior high school I felt it was time for me to have one also. When I asked the older girls in the neighborhood how I could get a boyfriend they told me I should have sex with the boy. Since I really wanted a boyfriend I agreed and everything was arranged for me. At that time my desire for a boyfriend was greater than my value for my virginity.
AR: Why do you think women continue to seek boyfriends through sex?
PA: I think women continue to seek boyfriends through sex because our society has brainwashed the majority of women especially young women into thinking that a woman's value to a man is only in her physical desirability and sex appeal. That being the case I think young women get caught up in the hoax of proving their worth to a man sexually.
AR: The cover for the book is stunning, and a perfect fit for the subject matter. How did you come up with it?
PA: I talked with a friend of mine who was a graphic artist who designs CD album covers about my book and vision of the cover. He came up with the design based upon our discussion.
AR: In the book, you mention that you eventually developed a "male classification system." Please share more about that with our readers, including what inspired you to create that.
PA: When I talk of my male classification system I talk of the way I (I think we all do it to some degree) use to sum men up and place them in the categories of associate, friend, lover or boyfriend upon first meeting them. The associates were generally classmate, study partners etc while the friends were they buddies, the pals, the guys who you may hang with on a platonic level and the lover were the guys in which I had a sexual interest and lastly the boyfriends were the guys I considered good relationship material. Looking back with the wisdom of time it is obvious that I created this system as a means of compartmentalizing my dealings with the various men in my life and thus keeping men at an emotional distance.
AR: In this day and age, it is critically important to educate young women about the dangers of sexual promiscuity, yet many still remain unresponsive to the best efforts of teachers and mentors. How do you reach the ones that are shut off to the message?
PA: One of the first things you have to realize is that you can't help someone who doesn't want your help. The best we can do is present the information and hope that someday, before it is too late, the individuals will wake up to the risk of their behavior and make a change.
AR: We noticed in your bio that you're a professional counselor. Have you shared the book with your clients? If so, what have their reactions been?
PA: I myself have not shared the book with any of my clients as I do not want it to be seen as a conflict of interest but I know other professional counselors who have.
AR: What's the main message you want readers to take from Becoming A Woman?
PA: The main message I want readers to take from the book is regardless of the images and messages we may receive from the media and others becoming a woman is not based sexual conduct.
AR: What's next for you?
PA: I am currently working on several projects; a book of poetry dealing with relationship issues, an advice book for you women also dealing with relationship and sexuality issues and the sequel to Becoming A Woman, which will discuss living without sex (sexual intercourse).
AR: Any final thoughts for our readers?
PA: I would encourage the readers not just read and then placed on the book on bookshelf to be forgotten. I would hope that the book's readers would share the book with family and friends, young and old, women and men, in order to spark a dialog on the issues discussed in the book.
AR: Thanks again, Patricia, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!