Title: Crotch Thinking: A Memoir of Lust & Damage
Author: David Thomas
Publisher: LitFire Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-64674-095-6
Pages: 119
Genre: Fiction/Memoir
Reviewed by: CC Thomas
Hollywood Book Reviews
At first glance, David Thomas’s Crotch Thinking: A Memoir of Lust and Damage is a light-hearted look at a typical American male, the story of a sexually-repressed baby boomer who starts his narrative as a toddler and ends it as an old man. A deeper glance will show the real power of the story comes through the analysis of his actions with nearly every female he encounters.
Crotch Thinking begins with showing how “penis-centric” our society is, even from a young age. The narrator’s family was typical for the 1950s, a culture that eschewed physical contact and celebrated TV shows like “Leave It to Beaver” as defining appropriate behavior. The list of socially acceptable avenues for sexual information or circumstances was very limited. Most sexual issues were “untalkaboutable” and the narrator soon learned that normal biological responses, such has innocently touching himself, was treated as taboo.
The author sprinkles in factoids which add to the power of the narrative, such as the fact that 54% of us think about sex every day. Readers will likely find humor at the biological realities, yet also wince knowingly when many of the behaviors hit close to home. The narrator receives mixed messages from adults and struggles to understand his own body’s reaction to those around him. Lack of foresight ensures unplanned teenage pregnancy with his first sexual partner followed by a hasty, shotgun wedding.
The wedding and subsequent birth of his children didn’t derail the narrator from his life goal. While that would ordinarily be impressive, his continued stunted growth as a father and husband might have readers wincing. He seems to have genuine affection for his family, but doesn’t understand how to balance his life—a business professional, a romantic partner, and a role model for his kids.
The narrator fully understands this about himself, though, and explains that “crotch thinking” is compartmentalized thinking, best explained as an attitude and simply summarized as: “men are willing to engage in risky behavior to achieve orgasm.” Eventually, thinking with his crotch leads him to abandon his family and take a younger, “trophy” wife. The fallout for the other women in his life, predictably, is harsh. The daughters internalize the abandonment and suffer from alcoholism and depression as adults. The ending, predictably, isn’t a happy one which is ironic since the narrator focused only on his own happiness to the bitter end.
In the introduction, the author explains he wanted to shift the cultural focus away from celebrities and into the private lives of regular people. While the book has some harsh realities to think about, the importance of the story is that it will cause some great conversations and reflections on the topic. Readers will likely shake their heads and nod in recognition of the attitudes of the characters in the book, connecting with their own experiences. It’s hard to turn on the TV or open a magazine without blatant sexuality seeping out. Yet, it’s also an issue that is infrequently discussed openly and honestly. Thomas hits these issues head on, unapologetically. The topics brought up are so important in our modern culture and this book is timely. And, Thomas does it in a way that breaks down taboo barriers, not ascribing blame necessarily, yet also taking blame where it is due.
The book would be great to use in a sexual exploration or gender studies class, or even as a springboard in a sexual education class. It opens a discussion long overdue and leaves the right questions unanswered.