A fascinating chronicle of the history of the sex toy. Yes, it's a niche topic, but you'd be surprised about the legality or - illegality - surrounding selling and using sex toys until the not-too-recent past in some locales - ahem, Texas. You may also be surprised at the origins of some toys, for example "revolving jewels" employed internally in 1800s Japan. What you may not be surprised at, however, is that the biggest dearth of information and research surrounding sex toys was in none other than the very forward-thinking US of A. A great resource on a heretofore unspoken topic!

I"m taking a moment to say that I absolutely adore the cover of this book, and it brings me joy every time I see it. Buzz tells the tale of the humble sex toy, from antiquity to the modern day, including a full examination of the major sexual revolutions between the 1950s and current day. The book is very American focused, but the examination of LGBT, feminism and sexuality issues are relevant in any western democracy. Though I've always been aware of sex toys and their place in modern sexuality, this book was a really brilliant chance to learn the history of sex toys- something that I had never given much thought to, having naively assumed that all sex toys popped into existence at some unspecified point in history!

Interesting history of sex toys! Definitely a must-read for anyone who wants a strange combination of a history, culture, and feminism lesson. We should spend more time acknowledging women’s sexuality and realizing the history that begat women’s sexual repression. Why don’t we spend more time talking about sex and sex toys?!

This was an interesting look at the history of sex toys, though it focuses primarily on their history in America rather than worldwide. I was fascinated to discover that dildos sprang from prosthetic penises that had been developed for men who were disabled.

Lieberman touches on legal issues surrounding the marketing and distribution of sex toys in the past, which are fascinating - particularly as some of the issues are still unresolved in certain conservative states. A lot of focus is given (as it should be) to sex-positivity pioneer Betty Dodson, as well as some other prominent feminist figures who were less inclined to celebrate the development of dildos and vibrators, seeing them as another tool of the patriarchy rather than a means to sexual liberation.

Lieberman does provide some analysis of modern-day sex toy stores and their intersectionality (and/or lack thereof) with feminist philosophy. I think I went in expecting a slightly more academic take than what I got, but the information was still fascinating and valuable for anyone who is interested in the history of human sexuality.

I received access to this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. While I appreciate the access, I did find that this particular galley copy was riddled with typos and grammatical errors, which slowed down my reading pretty thoroughly. I understand a few formatting/grammar/etc. issues in a manuscript, but I've never encountered 2-3 errors per page before now. That aspect definitely hampered my enjoyment of this title.

Loved this book! Lieberman has written a thorough, readable, and just awesome history of sex toys. I really appreciated her discussion of queer issues and disability issues within the sex toy world. Previous books I've read on similar topics barely covered queer issues and didn't even talk about disability issues.

Holy wow did this book cover a lot of material in so few pages! It’s a little under 300 pages, and a hefty chunk of that (I think something like 50-80, but I had to guess because I had an e-ARC) is notes at the end. Hallie Lieberman definitely knows her stuff about sex toys, which isn’t surprising considering she’s got a freaking Ph.D on the subject.

She talks about the obscenity laws that have made the selling of sex toys illegal, or at the very least quite difficult (I think there are some places in the US where it’s still illegal). That part was fascinating, but not really surprising. I mean, just think about all the personal things that have been illegal in this country (and elsewhere), from marriages to sexual positions, the government hasn’t been shy about getting between people and what they want to do in private. I think I actually remember when the selling of sex toys was still illegal in my state, because it really wasn’t that long ago (maybe within the last 10 years it’s been legalized…but I think there’s still a ban on the sale of “obscene materials” or something like that, so *shrugs*).

There’s so much in here about the feminist movement, too, especially with sapphic women. The big argument about sex toys being a break from and a middle-finger shown to the patriarchy, or being one more way women were tied down to phalluses, was mentioned a lot, and I honestly didn’t realize it went back as far as it did. I still see/hear arguments about that, or see lesbians writing online about feeling confused about using dildos and such because they don’t have sex with men, and have no desire to have sex with men.

I always wondered how we ended up with materials that are body safe, because I knew it hadn’t been around forever, and I knew there were artifacts that have been found and presumed to be rudimentary dildos. I assumed it was an accident, which it kind of was, but the actual story is way more interesting. (I’m not relating it here, because I couldn’t do it justice by summing it up.) This is where sex toys, the feminist movement, and the disabled movement intersect, thanks to Gosnell Duncan.

My mind is still kind of blown by how many different topics were covered in learning about sex toys. From the AIDS epidemic of the ’80s to the feminist movement to accessibility to the distribution of affordable birth control in other countries the porn industry. Ok, that last one I kinda expected to come up at some point. But the rest of it? Wow. And that’s just a few things Hallie Lieberman talks about in relation to sex toys throughout Buzz.

This was honestly one of the most engaging, thought provoking, entertaining, and informational books I’ve read in a long time. I came out of reading this feeling like I’d learned a lot about a lot of people, movements, and products. Some of it, I already knew (like how body massagers that were sold in department stores and graced so many homes, were actually being used as vibrators), but most of it, I didn’t. What really interested me, beyond learning about the actual sex toys and their evolutions, was the way they factored in to things like the feminist movement. I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but I can not think of the word (phrase?) I need to encompass things like feminism, LGBTQ+ lives and rights, accessibility for the disabled, etc. -_- (If you know the word/phrase, please comment. I’m just hoping it’ll come to me before I post this, but I’m doubting it will at this point, ugh.)

So, do I recommend it? Oh yeah, I definitely recommend it. But obviously not to anyone who doesn’t want to read about sex toys. I’ve already recommended this to at least three people, and I doubt they’ll be the last people I recommend it to.

This could have easily turned into a boring read, despite the subject matter, but Hallie Lieberman did a great job with keeping things interesting and moving along at a reasonable pace. I think if you like books like Mary Roach’s, or the Freakonomics kinds of non-fiction, you’ll like this if the topic sounds like something you’d be into.

I don’t want to buy every book I get an ARC of, but this is one I’m strongly considering buying. I’ll probably wait until it’s in paperback, just because most of my non-fiction is paperback, but who knows? (And I’ll honestly probably grab a copy for my mom, too.)

The first person to receive a PhD in the history of sex toys, Hallie Lieberman has written a fascinating book that tells you everything you wanted to know on the subject, and more. For example, did you know that until as recently as 2008, it was illegal to sell sex toys in Texas? Obscenity laws there (and elsewhere) set the stage for decades-worth of headaches and careful maneuvering for anyone involved in selling them. Regardless of the specific topic—whether it's about manufacturing, advertising, or selling—there is always a story to tell on how things were done, and how they evolved over the years.

If you enjoy learning the history of how commonplace items came to be, this is an interesting read.

I am not a prude (well, not ENTIRELY) but thank the lord this was a digital book because even reading this on the train had me blushing.

Sex toys, everyone's got them. Sex toys, no one talks about them. Sex toys, where did they come from, who came up with the idea and who was the first person to use them. Hallie Lieberman has written a in depth history on those little bullets and rabbits that are in most nightstands. Like she discussed topics such as obscenity laws and tax evasion, she does this with a lightness that made this an easy to read book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The history of sex toys, written by the first person to earn a PhD in sex toy history. That's enough of a reason to check out Buzz! Lieberman has written a fantastic overview of sex toy history, especially in the U.S., along with the role sex toys have played in feminist movements, LGBTQ culture, and societal conversations around sexuality. I really enjoyed how she opened the book by explaining her interest in sex toys and the complications presented by obscenity laws. Overall, the book is very readable and engaging throughout.