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Table of Contents
About The Book
A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE WEEK PICK
Equal parts investigative reporting and cultural criticism, this is a look at the sex lives of young adults in post-Roe v. Wade, post-#MeToo America—and how the challenges they face are harbingers of what’s coming for the rest of us.
As a college student, award-winning journalist Carter Sherman, along with several members of her sorority, was interviewed by a writer looking for salacious details about their sex lives. But the sex the girls were having—or the lack thereof—seemed disappointing, and their stories didn’t make the book’s final cut. A decade later, young Americans are having less sex than past generations, and the sex they are having is infinitely more complicated. Sherman, who has spent years traveling the country reporting on gender and sexuality, wanted to find out why.
Based on more than one hundred interviews with teenagers and young adults, activists, and experts, The Second Coming reveals how (mis)education, the internet, and politics have not only reshaped relationships but also unleashed a nationwide power struggle over the future of sex. From abortion clinics crowded with young patients, to “Dating with Dignity” seminars at the National Pro-Life Summit, to school board battles over what students should read, think, and feel, we meet folks from both sides of the aisle who are well-informed, empowered, and active (even if not always sexually). And as measures are taken to limit Americans’ access to rights and resources, they are fighting back.
In the tradition of Rebecca Traister and Lisa Taddeo, The Second Coming explores how the ballot box has infiltrated the bedroom, and the breaking point as a nation we’ve reached as a result.
Equal parts investigative reporting and cultural criticism, this is a look at the sex lives of young adults in post-Roe v. Wade, post-#MeToo America—and how the challenges they face are harbingers of what’s coming for the rest of us.
As a college student, award-winning journalist Carter Sherman, along with several members of her sorority, was interviewed by a writer looking for salacious details about their sex lives. But the sex the girls were having—or the lack thereof—seemed disappointing, and their stories didn’t make the book’s final cut. A decade later, young Americans are having less sex than past generations, and the sex they are having is infinitely more complicated. Sherman, who has spent years traveling the country reporting on gender and sexuality, wanted to find out why.
Based on more than one hundred interviews with teenagers and young adults, activists, and experts, The Second Coming reveals how (mis)education, the internet, and politics have not only reshaped relationships but also unleashed a nationwide power struggle over the future of sex. From abortion clinics crowded with young patients, to “Dating with Dignity” seminars at the National Pro-Life Summit, to school board battles over what students should read, think, and feel, we meet folks from both sides of the aisle who are well-informed, empowered, and active (even if not always sexually). And as measures are taken to limit Americans’ access to rights and resources, they are fighting back.
In the tradition of Rebecca Traister and Lisa Taddeo, The Second Coming explores how the ballot box has infiltrated the bedroom, and the breaking point as a nation we’ve reached as a result.
About The Author
Photograph by Mustafa Mirza
Carter Sherman is a podcast host and reporter at The Guardian. Her work covering gender, sexuality, and reproductive health has garnered numerous awards and nominations, including a National Press Club Award, a Scripps Howard Awards, and four Emmy nominations. Previously a senior reporter for VICE, Sherman has written for publications such as ELLE, Ms. Magazine, and Los Angeles magazine. She has also been interviewed by outlets including The New York Times, NPR, and CNN. Sherman lives in New York with her husband and two very good cats.
Product Details
- Publisher: Gallery Books (June 24, 2025)
- Length: 352 pages
- ISBN13: 9781668052471
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Raves and Reviews
"What Sherman documents is not, after all, a revolution, but a tortured dance between backlash and progress. She takes the Gen Z sex recession as her primary subject and explains it, convincingly, as a result of Zoomers being caught in the middle of 'enormous and oppositional forces, powered by changes in politics and technology, that no birds-and-the-bees talk can fix.'"
– The New Yorker
"Carter Sherman is like a modern-day explorer, navigating terrain that we desperately need to discover, uncover, and illuminate. The Second Coming exposes profoundly necessary conversations around human sexuality, and Sherman is a guiding light for how we can all be more brave, educated, open-minded, and compassionate in building a more hopeful future."
– Chelsey Goodan, youth empowerment speaker and bestselling author of Underestimated: The Wisdom and Power of Teenage Girls
"If you’ve ever read one of the countless internet think pieces on the Gen Z sex recession and thought, “I wish someone would talk to Gen Z about what they really think,” look no further than this deeply researched nonfiction book.”
– Bustle
"Finally, a book that does young people and sex justice! Carter Sherman has written a timely and thrilling examination about the intersection of politics, culture and sexuality that will surely become a classic."
– Jessica Valenti, New York Times bestselling author of Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win
“Guardian journalist Sherman debuts with an in-depth look at how sociocultural shifts, political upheavals, and technological advances have upended Gen Z-ers’ sex lives.”
– Publishers Weekly
"If you think you know how politics and technology are changing sex and relationships in America, think again. Carter Sherman's The Second Coming adds precision to what the latest research data shows. Combining powerful personal testimonies and thoughtful cultural analysis, Sherman masterfully guides us as she uncovers the startling precarity and potential of sex, love, and relationships in our lives today."
– Dr. Justin Garcia, Executive Director of the Kinsey Institute and author of The Intimate Animal
“Sherman concludes that today’s youth are remarkably informed, involved, and motivated to advocate for the sexually progressive beliefs that are now under siege.”
– Booklist
Resources and Downloads
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Book Cover Image (jpg): The Second Coming
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Author Photo (jpg): Carter Sherman Photograph by Mustafa Mirza(0.1 MB)
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