A review by i_read_big_boucs
Playing Well with Others: Your Field Guide to Discovering, Exploring and Navigating the Kink, Leather and Bdsm Communities by Lee Harrington, Mollena Williams

informative medium-paced

3.0

I don't think I was necessarily the best audience for this book since I've read about kink on the internet and read other books before. I had the expectation of hearing maybe something new or more maybe personal opinions on how to get started, but it stayed very much in the realm of "things you should consider" rather than spilling out any controversial opinions. It can be a strength, but I prefer something a bit more opinionated to trigger my own reflection. Otherwise, it felt like a lot of advice was common sense to me – but would recommend to someone who is maybe not as anticipating and reflective by nature, or maybe someone who feels really safe being able to anticipate all the etiquette. It did demystify kink spaces a bit for me and showed especially that it's not just all sexy stuff everywhere, but also just normal people with a snack table to chat about the weather to.

I did enjoy the advice given in the book to not only look for partners but also for friends and mentors in the kink scene. I also liked the emphasis on having a continuum of options when it came to doing things in private/public.