Porn Nation: Conquering America’s #1 Addiction (BOOK REVIEW)
March 11, 2009 – 7:54 pm
Who is Michael Leahy? I’ve never heard of him. His bio says little about him. The “About Us” section of his website says nothing about him, or his organization, “BraveHearts” (is there really an organization?). While he mentions Oprah in his Bio, it’s a bit of a farce because as far as I can tell he’s never met her. I received no response to my online inquiry about him (there was no phone number listed on his website). However, after reading his book, I feel like I know him. If his book is true, he is a sex addict with a good story.
What It Is:
This is a book that takes courage to write. Porn Nation is a story about one man’s descent into sexual addiction, and then ascent to recovery. It seems to be an honest, non-sugary account. Michael describes, in good conversational prose, how he went from seeing a naked playing card as a child (queen of hearts, I think it was), to cheating on his wife.
What It Isn’t:
Even though the book is titled Porn Nation, I would not recommend it to clients dealing with pornography addiction. I suppose the target market for this book would be Christian, married men who are finding themselves somewhere on the road toward a sexual addiction broader than pornography, and considering adultery.
Some Criticism:
The book begins by listing a number of vignettes about rape, child molestation, incest, etc.—dramatic stuff, but it doesn’t fit. Is the reader to assume that those who watch pornography, or cheat on their wives, are also child molesters? Also, the book is not about pornography addiction, as the title would suggest—it is actually about sexual addiction. This is an important distinction because persons dealing specifically with pornography use are going to be dissatisfied with the book’s focus. Moreover, regarding sexual addiction, the book does not educate the reader to the extent I would expect of a self-improvement book. For example, it does not define or differentiate between common paraphilias: exhibitionism, voyeurism, sadism, masochism, pedophilia, frotteurism, etc.
Mixed Online Reviews:
A look at online reviews shows that some persons love, and others are disappointed by, the book Porn Nation. Here are a few reviews borrowed from Amazon.com.
“I just finished reading a new book. Michael Leahy’s book Porn Nation is hands down the single-most compelling book I have ever read. Ever.” –Peter Cantelon
“Leahy is a good writer that captures the readers [sic] attention with the use of realistic language and humor.” –D. Speaks
“As someone with a spouse that has a porn addiction, I did not find anything useful to help me cope with the issue.” –ComicFreak
“The only problem is that not everyone’s experience is the same as his. He assumes that we will all meet the dangerous consequences of lust because it affects all people the same way. He does not avoid sweeping generalizations and this book did not provide anything insightful or new or thoughtful.” –Southern Cali Reviewer
Deciding Factor
If you’re looking for a first person account of sexual addiction development and recovery, this is a good book. If you’re looking for help overcoming pornography addiction, or something written by someone with professional training helping persons recover from sexual addiction, you’ll be disappointed.
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