Where was this book ten years ago?! Seriously! Normally I don't advocate for abstinence only education (stats prove that a well rounded sex-ed class decreases teen pregnancy drastically, schools that teach abstinence only generally have more pregnant teens and rampant STDs), but if this were the required reading I would definitely reconsider my stance. Unlike a lot of other books in this sub-genre, author Josh McDowell, doesn't just tell teens not to have pre-marital sex because God doesn't want them to, he talks about the science why. Now that is a way to get kids listening. Some of the statistics on STDs, birth control, and condoms were scary, even to me! I can't imagine what a teen would think (hopefully to wait a bit). Most teens aren't motivated solely by the bible, sometimes they need an extra push to do the right thing and this book definitely provides that. While their is a lot of Biblical tie-ins (this is a Christian sexuality book) that is the sole research McDowell uses. He sites studies from Planned Parenthood, the Kaiser foundation, Dr. Ruth, the CDC, and hundreds others. He really did his research and that shows! 19 out of 25 STDs aren't prevented by condoms, 80% of all woman will have HPV by the time they are 50, couples who co-habite before marriage have a higher chance of divorce than those who don't, and so on. Some of the statistics were really shocking!

If this book doesn't change your teens mind it will at least force them to think about the consequences of pre-marital sex. A must read for Christian teens, youth groups, and abstinence only education.

I received this book for free from Moody Publishing in return for my honest, unbiased opinion. ( )

In college, I studied to teach sex education. As a parent of a teen male, I am constantly looking for good resources for him to learn to make healthy choices. The Bare Facts toted 39 questions your parents hope you never ask about sex. This book was right up my alley.
However, that was not the case. This was not a bad book but the title does not prepare the reader for the Christian feel of the book.
I was thoroughly impressed with Josh McDowell's view of the bible, saying that he believe God wants us to have sex but wait until we are married. There's a lot to be said for taking that viewpoint.
The book did fall flat for me, though. There was a lot of discussion of STD's, especially HPV. I understand the transmission rates have increased but over half of the book focused on why sex out of marriage leads to STDs. I think that's a naive approach and one that will turn readers away. But then again, reading the book in bits and pieces might be how the author intended it to be used. I sat and read it cover to cover and in the end, I no longer cared that the premise was awesome.
I did like the start of the book and the argument for waiting to have sex. I prefer that concept to "just say no". There was some great stuff at the end as well when Josh McDowell starts talking about peer pressure and how it's never too late to live God's original design.
As someone who's not a Christian, I was torn. There may be Christian reviewers out there who love the message in this book. I was left uninspired even though I felt that way early in the book. ( )