Why women should talk about desire, according to an author who knows

For her debut, Lisa Taddeo wrote one of 2019’s most talked-about books, blurring the line between fiction and non-fiction and looking closely at female desire.

Lisa Taddeo: "I was telling deeply personal stories about these women's sex lives and desire and emotions."

Nicole Abadee

Mar 20, 2020 – 10.06am

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Not many first-time authors enjoy the kind of success – not to mention notoriety – that Lisa Taddeo has. But not many authors – veteran or debut – dedicate close to 10 years to their efforts, let alone embed themselves, gonzo journalism-style, with their subjects the way Taddeo has.

The longtime journalist – she has contributed to the likes of Esquire, ELLE and The New York Times – scoured the United States for real women to lay bare the details of their sex lives. It sounds like an impossible task, but Taddeo pulled it off.