Making Chastity Sexy

Book excerpt: “Students of rhetoric should appreciate Making Chastity Sexy for the sophistication of its argument about 'counter-public' advocacy. Others will welcome it for keen insights about the recent history of American evangelicals and, even more, Christine Gardner's striking comparisons between chastity rhetoric in the United States and in East Africa.”—Mark Noll, author of The New Shape of World Christianity: How American Experience Reflects Global Faith “Christine Gardner has written a terrific book that moves beyond tired survey research-based studies to give us a rich and engaging in-depth analysis of the language through which evangelical abstinence movements attempt to persuade teenagers to refrain from having sex. We learn not only about programs in the United States but also in Africa where abstinence has been advocated to prevent HIV/AIDS. Making Chastity Sexy shows clearly the power of rhetoric – and its unanticipated consequences.” —Robert Wuthnow, Princeton University "Written in an engaging, often journalistic style, Making Chastity Sexy offers compelling insight into the rhetorical strategies of contemporary evangelical sexual abstinence campaigns and illuminates a remarkable variety of responses to these campaigns by teens and young adults." —Angela G. Ray, Associate Professor of Communication Studies, Northwestern University