Sophie has already done a review of this book and a little summary of the author event she attended (you can find that HERE), however i loved it so much i cannot help but write up my own thoughts on Doing It.
Title: Doing It
Author: Hannah Witton
Genre: Non-Fiction, Sex, Relationships
Publication Date: 6th April 2017
Publisher: Wren and Rook
Pages: 320
Summary: Sexting. Virginity. Consent. The Big O … Let’s face it, doing it can be tricksy. I don’t know anyone (including myself) who has sex all figured out. So I’ve written a book full of honest, hilarious (and sometimes awkward) anecdotes, confessions and revelations. And because none of us have all the answers, I’ve invited some friends and fellow YouTubers to talk about their sexuality, too.
We talk about doing it safely. Doing it joyfully. Doing it when you’re ready. Not doing it. Basically, doing it the way you want, when you want. So. Let’s do this …
Before Sophie purchased this non-fiction book, i honestly had very little idea who Hannah Witton was. I had heard the name floating around on YouTube and in my ‘suggested videos’, but i had never really come across her. When Doing It magically appeared on book shelves in Waterstones, i passed it off as another ‘YouTuber book’ because of where it was placed and automatically wasn’t interested. Sophie talked me through her channel and the event she attended and what the jist of the book was, and to be honest, it sold me. I went away and watched a few of Hannah’s videos and decided to get myself a copy of her book.
Doing It is a collection of information about sex, relationships, sexuality and anecdotes that Hannah has collected over the years and learned about through her studies at college, university and in to adult life. She describes herself as someone who is interested in sex and wants to teach others about the ins and outs of sexuality. There are chapters on orgasms, consent, sexting, LGBTQ+, healthy relationships and loads more good stuff that i’m sure everyone could use to know a little more about.
The one excellent thing i’ve found about this book is that if Hannah doesn’t feel like she has the correct information about something, or even not enough knowledge, she wasn’t afraid to approach someone else and say ‘hey, will you write this section of my book.’ She states in her LGBTQ+ section (especially ‘coming out’) that she’s never had an experience with it, so hands us over to other writers and friends of hers that have to tell their stories. It was so lovely to get so many options on one thing in one book. I feel like it’s very brave as a YouTube author to hand your book over to others (especially now with so much controversy) but Hannah did exactly the right thing, and it paid off.
You can tell whilst reading that Hannah knows a lot about the topics she was writing about, and i generally learned a lot more than i thought i would whilst reading. I found the LGBTQ+ section the most interesting, however she also teaches about anatomy, orgasms and contraception, sex shaming and porn. The porn chapter was very interesting and i learned a lot i was not aware of in the porn industry.
The one thing i will say negatively about this book is that i think some of the topics are above the age range it is aimed at. Hannah says herself in the introduction that it’s aimed at readers aged 14 and above, however if you feel ready when you’re younger to read it, go ahead. And for the most part i think yes, this is true. We cannot hide the fact that people aged 14 and possibly younger do have sex, it happens. However, i don’t know if some of the topics covered within the book are actually a little too adult. For example the porn section, i believe shouldn’t be read by anyone under the age of 16. Yes, she creates a safe place for children of this age to read about it and learn about it, however there is an extent of what children should be learning. I’d definitely check out the age of a person and how necessary it is for them to read about these topics before introducing them to the book.
Doing It is a very informative and wonderful collection in my opinion. Reading it as a 22 year old woman has opened my eyes a lot to sex and especially contraception. There were a lot of points made that even i wasn’t aware of. I’d just be careful letting younger people read this book as some information seems a lot more ‘tame’ than others. Defintely don’t shy away from Doing It because it’s a ‘YouTuber book’.
The Little Contemporary Corner 