THE FIRST TIME
The First Time: True Tales of Virginity Lost and Found (Including My Own)
Kate Monro
UK & Commonwealth rights: Icon
UK publication: June 2011
All other rights available
"A revealing insight into modern sexuality" - Tatler (Must Read for May 2011)
"The book is incredibly rich in its insights and observations on human sexuality and the recognition of how we become sexual ... masterful, lovely, and absolutely thrilling" - TheBookishOwl.com
There's a first time for everything. Losing our virginity…it happens to almost all of us, no matter who we are or where we come from. How did it happen for you? Ever wondered what other people think and feel about this never-to-be-repeated experience? And how much more do we learn as we grow up?
In February 2007, Kate Monro went on a mission to find out. She set off on a journey to collect stories from as wide a selection of people as possible. Men and women, old and young, gay, straight, Christian and Muslim; from the funny and the sad, to the happy and occasionally, the unbelievable. Thus was born her much reviewed blog, The Virginity Project. The desire to make sense of the stories she had collected was a natural consequence, and thus began The Virginity Dialogues. How do we define the loss of our virginity? How do we know for sure when that moment has occurred? After all sorts of conversations with all sorts of people, Kate discovers that the answer is not as straightforward as you might think. How has this changed over time, and how does it affect both women's and men's lives? Is it truly a loss – or a gain? Throughout this fascinating journey, Kate Monro addresses questions which will have relevance to everyone and provide a fantastic hook for marketing and publicity.
Kate Monro was born the daughter of a diplomat and a housewife on a farm in Yorkshire. An unremarkable education preceded a career that has taken in spells with the rock band Blur, with the publishing mavericks Dazed & Confused and, most recently, with marketing & PR agency, Cunning. Whilst feeling that she had achieved her ambition to work for companies with stupid names, it wasn’t until she completed a copywriting course, that she discovered a love of words and editing text. A light bulb moment on a Californian beach followed and as a result, she set out to ask men and women to reveal their most intimate truth - their virginity loss stories. The response was overwhelming and the result is a groundbreaking and very personal insight into the beating heart of modern sexuality.
