Restless Virgins: Love, Sex, and Survival in Prep School - Softcover

Jones, Abigail

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0061192066 ISBN 13: 9780061192067

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks, 2008

Synopsis

Established in 1798, Milton Academy had always had a proud history of achievement, integrity, and pride—until a sex scandal rocked the campus and made headlines in the spring of 2005. Written by two Milton graduates who know this world—and these students—like no others, Restless Virgins follows a group of seniors who were there as the "incident" (as it came to be called) unfolded. Startling, riveting, important, and true, it offers an honest, intimate look at the real lives of today's teens—an eye-opening yet sensitive depiction of normal kids with normal struggles that no teen, parent, or educator can afford to ignore.

About this title

About the Author:

Abigail Jones graduated from Milton Academy and has degrees from Dartmouth College and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. She has worked for the Atlantic and lives in Boston.

Marissa Miley is a graduate of Milton Academy and the University of Pennsylvania and has worked for Harvard University and the Atlantic. She lives in New York City.

From Booklist:

In 2005, a student sex scandal marred the reputation of Milton Academy, an elite prep school located near Boston. Rather than focusing on the specifics of the incident, the authors, both Milton alums, try for a broader view of the school's sexual culture in this intimate account that follows a handful of seniors through their academic year. Bystanders to the scandal rather than participants, the profiled students face the ubiquitous concerns of privileged teens: college applications; the difficulties of balancing extracurricular activities, social life, and academics. What may seem startling, though, are the politics of the students' casual hook-ups and the language both sexes use to describe their attitudes and encounters. The unfocused narrative is weakened further by excessive detail that's often more mundane than revealing. Still, the authors, who base their telling on extensive personal interviews with their subjects, emerge with an honest portrait of contemporary teen sexual life that may prompt discussions across generational lines. For more insight into the sexual pressures affecting young adults, suggest Deborah Toman's Dilemmas of Desire (2002). Engberg, Gillian

About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0061192066
• ISBN 13: 9780061192067
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352