Want Me

A Sex Writer's Journey into the Heart of Desire

By: Tracy Clark-Flory

Narrated by: Tracy Clark-Flory

Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times "New & Noteworthy" Book

A Bustle "Most Anticipated Book of 2021"

One of PureWow’s “Books We Can’t Wait to Read in February”

Vanity Fair’s “The Best Books to Buy This Valentine’s Day”

"Want Me is complicated, fun, shocking, and heart-warming all at once." (Jessica Valenti, New York Times best-selling author of Sex Object)

"Intimate, challenging, and so very smart. Want Me is a gift." (Rebecca Traister, New York Times best-selling author of Good and Mad)

Tracy Clark-Flory grew up wedged between fizzy declarations of "girl power" and the sexualized mandates of pop culture. It was "broken glass ceilings" and Girls Gone Wild infomercials. With a vague aim toward sexual empowerment, she set out to become what men wanted - or, at least, understand it.

In her moving, fresh, and darkly humorous memoir, she shares the thrilling and heartbreaking events that led to discovering conflicting truths about her own desire, first as a woman coming of age and then as a veteran journalist covering the sex beat. Tracing her experiences on adult film sets, at fetish conventions, and during an orgasmic meditation retreat (to name just a few), Clark-Flory weaves in statistics and expert voices to reckon with our views on sexual freedom.

Want Me is about looking for love, sex, and power as a woman in a culture that is "freer" than ever, yet defined by unprecedented pressures and enduring constraints. This is a firsthand example of one woman who navigated the mixed messages of sexual expectation, only to discover the complexity of her own wants and our collective need to change the limitations of that journey.

©2021 Tracy Clark-Flory (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

One of NPR's Best Books of the Year

"Luminous, funny, big-hearted...this is a book of insight, both cultural and personal. It is majestic to behold." (San Francisco Chronicle)

"A fun, intimate and honest look at how modern women can and do approach their own sensuality." (PureWow)

"[Want Me is] a rallying cry for the generations of women coming up behind [Clark-Flory].” (The Los Angeles Times)

A peek into another world.

An interesting journey into a different realm. It never occurred to me to fake an orgasm, or to watch porn as a teen. At last, Tracy recognized her genuine feelings and there was a satisfying ending.

Stick with it

I enjoyed this book as it detailed one woman’s evolution through sec and womanhood. Definitely stick with it even if it is challenging in places. My main criticism is the reading. It is slow and dull, I listened at 2x speed to keep it from plodding along. It was like she way trying to speak as slowly as possible.

Fantastic!

I loved this book. So relatable and fascinating. I already recommended it to a handful of friends because I want to be able to talk with others about the ideas so eloquently and thoughtfully conveyed.

Relatable.

I have never felt more seen and validated. Thank you for sharing your epic journey.

Authentic Narrative

Highly recommend this authentic narrative. Entertaining...captivating...real! Wow! The best book I've read in years. Read it now!

Thought provoking and relatable as a millennial woman

This book was very engaging, thought-provoking, and relatable as a millennial woman. Tracy speaks to a lot of feminist theory contextualized with cultural influences from the last 20 or so years.

Elucidating

The authors life mirrors mine in so many ways. I've always put my sexuality forward so no one could use it against me.

Well written and read, Want Me is thought-provoking, entertaining, and poignant

Read by the author, Want Me describes the psychosexual coming of age journey of a gifted sex writer who is curious, intrepid, honest, and human. Tracy Clark-Flory's memoir captures the internal conflicts, ambiguity, and messiness of anyone who wants to live an authentic sexual life in our world where performance and profit obscure that path. Well done, and many thanks for sharing, Tracy!

Funny, Honest & Brave

While not the most talented orator her performance was easy enough to listen to and to have such a personal memoir read in her own voice was the best way to receive it - much better than simply reading it on my kindle.

Amazing!!

This book was recommended to me by a friend and I will continue to recommend this book to every woman in my life lol. As someone in their early 20s who just started working in the sex industry I found it so reliable.