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Comella's Vibrator Nation shows how feminist sex-toy shops freed us from the confines of the patriarchy - rather than reinforced our role within it - and gave us the power to feel powerful using 'one conversation, vibrator, and orgasm at a time.' -- Annamarya Scaccia * Bust * Vibrator Nation tells one part of our country's feminist story, but it may just as well be a call to action to grab a vibrator - or whatever tool of liberation you choose - and resist. -- Nicole Guappone * Rolling Stone * It's equal parts social history, popular culture, business and psychology and, while amply sourced, reads like a novel populated by memorable true-life characters. -- John Przybys * Las Vegas Review-Journal * Vibrator Nation is an essential read for anyone interested in opening an adult boutique, or who already owns one and is looking for inspiration-and for anyone who is interested in the history of adult boutiques and what they might look like in the years to come. It's apparent Comella has a deep respect and admiration for the people she interviewed and for their missions. -- Sherri L. Shaulis * AVN Magazine * [A] worthy exploration into how women have orgasmed their way into sexual liberation. * Bitch Magazine * Vibrator Nation is an engaging expedition across more than 30 years of the history of feminist sex stores in the US. Comella provides a multilayered context, detailing the cultural climates, sex education histories and social positioning of female sexuality that the stores operated and flourished under.... An inspiring read, Vibrator Nation will engage those interested in the history of sexual pleasure as well as provide valuable information for those researching feminist activism and the broader field of female sexuality. -- Caroline West * Screening Sex * Vibrator Nation celebrates the cast of audacious women who led the lusty feminist revolution in San Francisco: Blank (who died in 2016), Susie Bright, Carol Queen and other sex-positive pioneers. A crash course in contemporary gender and sexuality studies, Comella's book could be a television series every bit as juicy as Sex in the City or Transparent. -- Laura Frost * Times Higher Education * [A] fascinating survey of the evolving culture of sexuality in America and of a small band of pro-sex feminists who were on the front lines of the sexual revolution. -- Vernon Rosario * Gay & Lesbian Review/ Worldwide *

Sex shops were my entry into a brazen new world of gender and sexuality, eventually channeling my career in adult film. Lynn Comella's masterful book documents the 'sex-positive' ethos of gender and sexual progress and its complex junctures within capitalism, feminism, and education. Recounting a pivotal moment, <i>Vibrator Nation</i> is a fascinating history lesson for the uninitiated, a gift to all who were there, and a love letter to those who call these sex shops home. --Jiz Lee, editor of Coming Out Like a Porn Star: Essays on Pornography, Protection, and Privacy

Sex shops were my entry into a brazen new world of gender and sexuality, eventually channeling my career in adult film. Lynn Comella's masterful book documents the 'sex-positive' ethos of gender and sexual progress and its complex junctures within capitalism, feminism, and education. Recounting a pivotal moment, Vibrator Nation is a fascinating history lesson for the uninitiated, a gift to all who were there, and a love letter to those who call these sex shops home. -- Jiz Lee, editor of Coming Out Like a Porn Star: Essays on Pornography, Protection, and Privacy No one is better placed than Lynn Comella to take us on a journey through the evolution of feminist-owned sex-toy stores. Through years of interviews and participant-observation, she brilliantly traces how the difficult conversations about race, class, and gender among feminist sex-toy owners, their workers, and customers created a new kind of sexual public sphere. Vibrator Nation will brilliantly inform all future efforts to address the difficulties of blending progressive politics and capitalism, social change and profit making. -- Constance Penley, coeditor of The Feminist Porn Book: The Politics of Producing Pleasure

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Lynn Comella is Associate Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and coeditor of New Views on Pornography: Sexuality, Politics, and the Law.

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