*See below for Goodreads review link, posted 5/8/24

3.75✨

Why Are People Into That?: A Cultural Investigation of Kink is actually my first ever nonfiction arc request, so I didn’t have much hope for an approval, but to my surprise I was approved pretty fast, and was excited to check it out!

Author Tina Horn, a former dominatrix, is no stranger to the industry of sex, nor to the medias that seek to encapsulate (and normalize) it; along with other books, Horn produces and hosts a sexuality podcast called Why Are People Into That?!, which in turn serves as the basis to Horn’s latest same name book release.

Why Are People Into That?: A Cultural Investigation of Kink is self-described as “a sex-positive, judgement-free cultural deep-dive into the world of kink” and while most of that is true, I will make a note that the book only covers ~9 areas of kink or sexual preferences, corresponding to chapter, so I wouldn’t necessarily consider it a complete deep dive. You also should consider that much of the content that fills these chapters are coming from the author’s own experiences with or perceiving them, versus a full historical literature study of these areas. Which isn’t a bad thing, necessarily. Horn is an immensely rich resource in this arena, and her perspectives are both comprehensive and interesting, but in terms of nonfiction, it translates into a more memoir or personal essay style of book, versus research-driven documentary.

Each chapter of the book offered different insights, whether from the author’s own experiences, as a participant or viewer, experiences of others, or gleaned from other modern works in this genre, but at its core, Why Are People Into That?: A Cultural Investigation of Kink is an open and free space to explore sex, kink, love, and gender, and how they can all interconnect; whether from a perspective of self-reflection, or simply to gain a better understanding on how people different from you live. Horn is also particularly cognizant of the experiences of women and marginalized communities in these areas.

It took me a few chapters to really get into the flow of reading Why Are People Into That?: A Cultural Investigation of Kink. The first few chapters struggled a bit with maintaining momentum; a topic, like the chapter topic, would be introduced, but instead of getting to the topic, there would be paragraphs of tangent into other somewhat unrelated topics, before moving back into the main discussion. This went on for the first few chapters, so it felt a little less solid structurally as a book; however, Horn seemed to hit her groove after those first few chapters.

There were also numerous instances of editorial mistakes like typos or missing spaces between words, so this could probably use one more good look before official publication.

To end, I would recommend Why Are People Into That?: A Cultural Investigation of Kink to anyone with an interest in learning more about the kink community and all its nuances and facets – Horn is a great, first-hand resource for this – or any reader who likes nonfiction-adjacent type books with a topic that is maybe new to them!

This was great- when telling these stories and doing this type of research I think its absolutely invaluable to have someone with first hand knowledge and community connections and it was a delight to get that perspective in this book.

There's a good mix of history, science, practical application and personal anecdote that felt really balanced and kept me engaged throughout (mostly).

I do think at some points, especially later in the book, there were some things that felt repetitive & dragged a little, but it wasn't enough to put me off too terribly.

The author brings an a wealth of personal professional experience to the book. The book reads as fairly anecdotal and a bit cursory, but you do have an insider take on each kink or fetish being explored. I had a hard time with the style jumps in between pop culture examples, psychological and academic text references, and personal interjections.

Thank you to Hachette Books for an ARC on NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

"At its best, though, BDSM communication is a transformative antechamber that desires pass through on their way to becoming embodied experience."

This book was a unique look through the lens of someone who has been a sex worker and educator with firsthand (no pun intended) experience for years. As someone who, as a teenager, watched Talk Sex With Sue Johanson on television when I couldn't sleep, and who started researching BDSM at probably a bit too young, I found it rather interesting.

I think it would be easy to expect a book being published to be about "palatable" kinks such as bondage or spanking (that is chapter two, however), this one delves deep into some kinks that make me a little uncomfortable, but that I was willing to read because knowledge is power and, of course, if there is consent from all sides, who am I to judge? However, please take note of the chapter titles as it will give you an idea of the basic theme of each chapter and whether or not those are hard passes for you. And although one is listed as cannibalism, she is not advocating eating humans, so please do your research before you go off. I also believe you could easily skip a chapter you couldn't fathom reading without losing anything of value from the book. But do know that just because the chapter title lists a certain item (say, for instance, sploshing), that doesn't mean you're getting a chapter completely and fully about that kink or any kind of "play-by-play" of how to do it. This isn't a how-to manual. This is a thought provoking book that uses specific kinks to explore the minds and try to answer the question: why are people into that?

This book definitely isn't for everyone, and it was a little dry and repetitive at times, but I think if you're interested in sex education, particularly of the kinky variety, it's worth a read.

I loved this book! Such a fun read and thoughtful exploration of kink. The information about the idea of Circlusion really rocked my world and I have incorporated it into my vocabulary immediately. I've already sought out the original essay on the topic and shared it with multiple friends. The cannibalism chapter was such a fun read of "Right?! I've been saying this for years!" in terms of how cannibalistic language has been used to describe (vanilla) desire in mainstream culture for EVER and it's so normalized until it's a kink! I can't wait to add this one to the library collection, and also make my friends read it so we can discuss.

I found this book overall quite interesting and informative. One of the most important aspects, especially regarding it's topic, was it really was judgement free when addressing various kinks that exist. This alone makes it a standout for me. Definitely an interesting read whether you're exploring your own kinks or just curious about something you might have heard about.

This was a revealing (har har) and surprisingly academic (at times) look into kink from a knowledgeable and friendly educator. Tina Horn examines various kinks from the perspective of someone who actively participates within the kink community, and also as a scholar. She strikes a good balance between the two, which made for a good read. The book itself was inclusive, and I appreciated the thoughtful way in which Horn presented concepts, perspectives, and behaviors that some are unaccustomed to even acknowledging or even considering. I didn't feel patronized or talked down to, but welcomed to this exploration.

5 out of 5 stars

Rep: Author is a queer, poly white woman with a background in sex work.

Content warnings: Rape culture; slut-shaming (internal and external); societal misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, fatphobia, and shaming of fetishes; mentions of the impacts of white supremacy, slavery, colonialism, and genocide; cheating; discussions about privilege as a means of oppression; discussions about literal (as opposed to erotic or imagined) cannibalism; bodily fluids; description of a stingray injury. And rather obviously, the entire book is essentially a frank conversation about sex, porn, and BDSM, including mentions of resulting injuries.

I wasn't expecting to love this book as much as I do! While I was looking forward to explore the whats and whys of kink, it was an unexpected delight to also learn about so much queer, trans, and sex work history. Tina Horn has an incredibly engaging writing style that feels like catching up with a friend over drinks. Perhaps most admirably, nothing related to sex is off-limits or shamed, including her own sex life. As she notes on one of the first pages, "everyday sex lives can be improved when we talk openly to even our most platonic friends about the hot, the awkward, and the downright weird."

As someone who grew up absolutely doused in purity culture, I feel weird sometimes reading about people who've had more sex than I have -- not because I still hold those beliefs, but because it can make me ruminate on everything I missed out on during my years in the church. But Horn doesn't go about it in brag-y or condescending ways. She focuses instead on sharing her wealth of knowledge, using her experience as a sex worker/educator to help her readers. I love that she takes the time to define each chapter's spotlighted kink rather than assume everyone knows what it is, and to give tips on how it looks in practice. Perhaps even more, I love how she uses studies and logic to tear down the biases people hold regarding some kinks.

This book is a must-read not only for people hoping to dip their toes into the world of kink, but for anyone who loves the social sciences. I learned so much about sex work, fetish culture and communities, queer and trans history, linguistics, the arts, psychology, and even more ways bigots have used pseudoscience to justify oppression. This book made me think about my own biases and made me excited to try things I'd never considered.

**HUGE thank you to Hachette Books for granting me an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!**

This was an interesting book for me. There were parts of it I really enjoyed, mainly because they answer the question stated in the title. The book seemed to ramble and didn’t stay on topic. The extra fluff added seemed to just be the author’s opinion on different sexual kinks and it did not add any additional insight. Maybe a 1/3 of this book was actually something I learned, answering the question as to why I picked up the book, the rest I could have done without. I found this rather unfortunate because I hopped this would have been an enlightening book to add to my library’s collection.

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion as a librarian.

This was such an interesting book, and I loved reading about the author's analysis of the origin of different kinks and other types of sexual deviance.

I requested this title on a whim, out of sheer curiosity - it definitely piques one. Sex and kink are often wrapped in layers of taboo and mystery lots of people want to unravel.

Where the book succeeded is talking non-judgementally about various kinks without trying to scandalize or sensationalize them. It covers a wide range of subjects from common kinks like foot fetish to more obscure subjects like bimboification to even controversial subjects like cannibalism that I feel is gaining popularity in horror and literary fiction, but is it really something people enact in real life like age play or consensual non-consent? I feel the selection of kinks debated was fairly narrow and arbitrary, for example the was no chapter about bondage, edging or furries - and probably many other kinks I'm not aware of.

The chapters about various kinks are informative but felt a bit repetitive to me. While it was great to bring up various anecdotes, quotes and examples, I often felt like the author was hammering the point way too much. In the end, I felt the discussion was exhaustive, but not super deep, mostly talking about 2 biggest motivations for kinks: taboo / forbidden fruit factor and "letting go" (of responsibility, of shame, of control, of your every-day persona, etc.) There was a lot of discussing, but in the end I'm not sure I've learned a whole lot of a new perspective.

Also sometimes the tone of the writing sounded like the author wanted to show off how much of sex and kink connoisseur she is, with a thinly veiled tone of superiority. But I guess working in this field you have to develop a bit of ego and pride to combat constant society's shame and disgust thrown at sex work. And also, isn't every artist, whether writer or bdsm performer or everyone in between, a part exhibitionist to be able to show intimate pieces of themselves to the wider world?

This book could have been better, but I'm glad we have it - we need lots of those to destigmatize sex, especially the "naughtier" versions of it. Books like these that talk about sex and kink matter-of-factly, unashamedly, exhaustively, help combat the still prevalent hush-hush or "morally outraged" tone arising time and time again in the light of rising purity culture, moral panic, and anti-educational tones.

Thank you Hachette Books for the ARC.

This was an absolutely fascinating read. Part research, part memoir. I definitely learned a lot.

I loved the way information and experience help to bring really divisive topics to the reader’s level so that curiosity can lead instead of fear, as sometimes happens in kink text.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, Tina Horn, and the publisher Hachette Books for the ARC of this book.

This book was a bit up and down for me and I will admit not having read each of the chapters. Overall, I think the intent is important, the author's voice was authentic, and the personal stories added a lot, and much of the information was useful . . . But somehow I feel like the book just made a lot of these topics seem boring. The almost academic, but not quite academic, prose became tiring and redundant. I never had a chance to listen to the podcast that gave impetus for this book, but I suspect it was more enjoyable, likely because it would have been more free flowing and natural than the prose here that often feels a little like it's working too hard.

I definitely think it could be great for people who have certain of the kinks discussed, and for those with a cerebral interest in sex and kinks, but I'm not sure how approachable it is for an every day reader.

Tina Horn explores, as the title suggests, why people are into the kinks they are into through analysis of psychology, media and her personal experiences as a dominatrix and general sex haver. While this was informative, Horn’s narration made me want to dnf on multiple occasions. Not my cup of tea but thanks anyway to NetGalley and Hachette Books for the e-ARC.

Tina Horn's "Why Are People Into That" is an approachable and honest reflection on different desires. I appreciated how the author incorporated personal experience as well as psychological information while trying to dispel shame and judgement. I didn't read all of the chapters because I found some of the topics to be more than I wanted to read about, but I appreciated what I did read. Recommended for those who want to understand more about these topics. Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Hachette Books for an advanced copy of this book that looks at what excites and delights some people, the history and cultural changes that make it easier, or more accepting to try new things, and the importance of being true to who we are, no matter how others try to shame.

Space to some is the final frontier, others talk about the seas being last great mysteries left for humans to explore. To me, sex is the great undiscovered county. There is so much bad information, so much fear, so much stigma attached to an act that can be about procreation, recreation, and a sign of what one really is. With all the misery we find ourselves in, in life, politics, jobs we hate, imagine finding something that makes us feel good. Connected for the first time. Other might call what something finds exciting wrong, and that shame could stop a person from even thinking about it. However for a person to realize others think, feel and even more practice what was only a thought, that is the true gift of exploration. Discovery. And maybe even an acceptance, from oneself, and from others. That to me is the final frontier. Why Are People Into That?: A Cultural Investigation of Kink by podcaster, educator and sex worker Tina Horn is a look at a world many have only seen portrayed in movies, a world many might want to be a part of.

There are worlds out there that many of us will never know, experience, or even contemplate exist. Tina Horn, has spent much of her life exploring these worlds, learning much, changing for the better, and educating people on what she has discovered. The book begins with a meeting of old loves from high school, and the realization that people really fear that which they don't understand, or in some cases shame what they don't understand. Horn discusses life as a sex worker, and what that has taught her, as she involved herself in all sides of different scenes. This is a very sex positive book, with safety stressed, and making sure that one understands the limits one is willing to do, or have done. From there the book is broken into different chapters, with Horn sharing stories from people in the scenes, her own reflections of being there, and research an university studies when needed. The are the usual suspects, some really unusual ones, and I few I knew only from legend.

A book that peels back the curtain in many ways, getting past the shame, the naughtiness, and the public stance on some different extremes in sex. Shame is the biggest problem Horn shares, in that people are so used to admitting to pleasure that if one gains pleasure from something that seems odd to people, people react like humans do. Not well. Humans don't do acceptance well, and any nail that stands out has to be battered back into place, and the reasons why it was sticking out ignored. This might not be the book for everyone. And here I am using shame, but there are some extremes that people might feel uncomfortable with. So flip the pages until I feels safer. This is a good book, with a lot of positive stories, told by a person who cares about people, and even better is comfortable with the person she is. That is rare.

Recommended for people trying to figure out who or what they are. There is a whole world out there, some might be accepting and loving, some might be jerks. Life is too short to be miserable, and life is too short to not let a part of you, be the best part of you.

I'm the type of person who wants to know why people tick, and I was really interested in discovering why people have the kinks that they do. Everyone is different, and has their thing they're into, and sometimes it's wildly different than someone else. I enjoyed getting to learn about the history of certain kinks, such as feet, spanking, orgies, etc. However, I draw the line at the mention of - and an entire chapter dedicated to - cannibalism. That's NOT a kink. In fact, it's quite the opposite. It's just wrong and illegal and a long list of other reasons why this should NOT have been included in a book that's not only about exploring the history of kinks, but trying to garner acceptance. In what world would we be condoning or accepting cannibalism? I'm not sure how this author got away with a whole chapter on cannibalism and how it is a perfectly normal and acceptable kink, but it's in there. I wanted to vomit, reading her try to justify this horrid act, and she used Armie Hammer and his disgusting deeds to further prove her point. Newsflash... he hurt people with his "cannibalism kink" and this is so not okay and nor is her writing about it and trying to pass it off as something lots of people are into for funsies. Absolutely NOT. Also, her only "credentials" are that she herself was/is a sex worker and she hosts a podcast talking about kinks. She really has NO authority to be speaking on kinks, their history, or anything else in this realm.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tina Horn, and Hachette Books for an eARC of this book.

“You don’t owe anyone an explanation of why you’re into that”

This book dives into the world of kinks. It discusses various kinks from spanking, fisting, CNC to orgies. It explores people’s different tastes in a non judgmental way.

The author being a sex worker definitely gives a different perspective into the world of kinks. This is an insider’s view. Someone who has experienced so many different scenarios and situations in the BDSM/sex world.

I actually learned about some kinks I have never heard of. I also got more insight into kinks that I have heard of but didn’t know much about. Then I felt less embarrassed of ashamed of some of the kinks I do have or want to try. It’s completely non judgmental, a safe space and educational.

Also, I love how sex positive it is. Especially sex work. Because “sex work is REAL work”. There was still an air of feminism without straying away from the fact that women can also enjoy sex and all the kinky things without losing their feminist side.

My one and only “negative” (I wouldn’t even call it that) feedback is that I felt some parts were slightly redundant. Some things were repeated throughout the chapter that I didn’t think needed to be.

Otherwise, I really enjoyed reading this. I have a whole new insight and outlook into the world of sex, BDSM, kinks, etc.
The author has opened my eyes and allowed me to feel less ashamed of trying new things and talking to my partner about them.

I really liked this book. I love reading nonfiction books about things I don't know a lot about so I can learn about different things and I think this book was a great way to learn because the information was provided in a way that was easy to follow and understand but also was informative.

I’ve always been fascinated by kink and its history, and this book is a great dive into that. Written well and answering all my questions.