[.ca] Cougar: A Guide for Older Women Dating Younger Men (ISBN 1552636984)

Amazon.ca:
Sex and the single older woman is a topic that, traditionally, hasn't gotten much play. And the concept of older women dating younger men? It's borderline taboo. After all, one of society's most infamous double standards tells us it's perfectly OK for older men to date much younger women (it's a mark of virility or the seductive power of money). But when a woman pushing 50 snags a thirty-something guy, those who don't accuse her of senility or foolishness assume she's spending quality time with her son. Until now. Valerie Gibson, the sex and relationship columnist at the Toronto Sun, tells the naysayers where to stick it in Cougar, a deliciously, scandalizingly upfront how-to guide to dating for the sassy, independent, "hot-as-a-chili-pepper" woman who's not about to go revealing her age. The cougar, writes Gibson, is someone whose "social and emotional life just happens to match up with what many young men want--hot, satisfying sex with someone who won't be a lifetime or live-in partner. It doesn't hurt if this (young man) is a pleasure to look at, fun to be with, interesting to talk to, and good for the ego. Someone who can handle more than one martini without falling over is an asset, too. If she can't get any of that, plenty of steamy sex will do very well." Yes, Cougar is very much about steamy sex and the excitement and freedom that can come along with hitting one's stride after 40. But it's also about the pros and cons, the drawbacks and challenges of dating someone at least six to eight years younger. Take stretch marks, for example. Or meeting his mother. Add technology gaps, generation gaps, and the almost inevitable breakup. Still, Cougar remains a mostly positive reminder that feeling good and having fun is often a matter of taking control of one's life--smart advice for women of all ages. --Svenja Soldovieri