Sextrology

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 1 FEB 2004

Juicy, gossipy and occasionally titillating, this astrology guide by New York authors Starsky & Cox explores the zodiac signs"from the perspective of gender, sexual identity and sexual behavior." The authors contend that each astrological sign actually contains two signs--one male and one female--and that men and women of the same sign often manifest their sign's energy in opposite fashions. Thus, a Capricorn man may be"an unadulterated sybarite who puts the pursuit of pleasure and laughs first in life" while his female counterpart usually sees life as"a long, hard road that requires pacing and careful negotiation." Determined to give each sex its due share, the authors divide their book into 24 chapters (Aries Man, Aries Woman, Taurus Man, etc.). Each chapter contains a psychological profile of the sign, an analysis of the sign's physical attributes and expressions and a description of the sign's sexual attitudes and behavior. This last section can often be quite explicit, describing not only romantic ideals and compulsions but also specific positions and fetishes. In discussing Scorpio's sexuality, for example, the authors declare that"of all the women in the zodiac, Scorpio may be the most open to anal sex." In addition to the usual lists of famous sign natives, Starsky & Cox pepper their chapters with allusions to movies and books, artists and writers--J.D. Salinger, Matthew Barney, Sylvia Plath--making this book a good choice for stargazing bookworms and artists. Also notable is their decision to consider both straight and gay relationship matches. In their introduction, the authors declare that the zodiac is"a mandala of human existence," and their book gives readers a chance to contemplate that mandala in all its variations.