The Bottoming Book

An ENE Review of the novels
The Bottoming Book by Dossie Easton & Catherine A. Lizst

 

Reviewed by JZ Sharpe

 
Those who like to play in the darker world of BDSM are often said to be participating in "erotic power exchange". That is, one partner (the "bottom") gives complete control over to the other (the "top"). To those not familiar with this type of play, or those who are interested but inexperienced, it might seem that the bottom is a wimp, lying there limply and taking whatever the top dishes out.
 
Ah, but those of us who have played such roles know that this just ain't so. Believe it or not, the bottom actually has a subtle power all his/her own. After all, just as it takes two to tango, it takes two to participate in an erotic exchange of power. For those who would like to be bottoms, or those with experience who would like to serve their tops even better -- this book is for them.
 
Dossie Easton and Catherine A. Lizst, seasoned BDSM players themselves, offer lots of first hand, anecdotal guidance in a friendly, easy-to-read format. They take it all in easy steps, from defining what submission is, to finding a suitable partner, negotiating limits and safewords, and then getting exactly what you want. The illustrations, by San Francisco illustrator Fish, add to the fun-loving, creative atmosphere. (I especially love the cover, a bottom with hands cuffed overhead and a great big smile!)
 
I must admit that, in all the many books on this topic that I've read (and I've read a lot of them), I've never read one that is so self-affirming. I'd always been reminded that as the bottom, I had a power all my own -- but I never believed it until I read this book. The Bottoming Book should be required reading for anyone interested in the paradoxical world of D/s, not just submissives, but their Doms and Dommes, too. Don't play without it!
 
The Bottoming Book

 

The Bottoming Book or, How to Get Terrible Things Done to You by Wonderful People by Dossie Easton & Catherine A. Lizst is available for purchase at Amazon.Com

For the past five years, JZ Sharpe has been making up for the time she lost in a 20-year writer's block. She lives in the Pennsylvania mountains, where most of her friends and coworkers would be shocked and amazed by her secret life as a writer of erotica and science fiction. JZ Sharpe is a regular contributor to ENE. You can also find her work at About's Amateur Erotica, Adult Story Corner, Biblio Eroticus, Blood Moon Zine , Dare , Erotica Readers Association, HotErotica.Com and Scarlet Letters . Get lashed by the Sharpe Tongue.

 
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