The chapters in this section are mercifully short — usually 2-5 pages — which shows that Kerner knows his audience. Chapter Two, for example, briefly instructs readers that the clitoris is more than a tiny love button; it's a "vast erogenous landscape" that has more than eight thousand nerve fibers that interact with 15 thousand nerve fibers in the pelvic zone. The basic gist: women are capable of sexual pleasure far greater than men can even dream of experiencing.

[How many more ways can women be superior to men? Not only can we create life in our bodies, but our main sexual organ has twice as many nerve endings than that thing in your pants that you're all so proud of.]

Occasionally, I thought the book was offering too much detail. For example, Part I covers all 18 parts of the clitoris. Not the vagina, or vulva, as Kerner correctly calls it, the clitoris. That's not exactly going to help dispel the stereotype that women are complicated, is it? Considering that the average person can hold only 7 +/- 2 things in short-term memory at one time, and that the average man can keep only two things on his mind — his dick and balls [whoops, make that three things] — during sex, describing 18 components of the clitoris seems a little like splitting the atom.

In fairness, Kerner does offer a "quick refresher of the top ten hot spots in the clitoral network," in Part II, so you could just skip to that section. In general, if you're in a hurry, you should jump to Part II because it focuses on the good stuff: technique.

Not Foreplay, But Coreplay

The central theme in Part II is coreplay, which Kerner defines as the phase during sexual play "in which sexual tension builds, culminates and then releases itself through the female orgasm," all of which is achieved by cunnilingus. Kerner considers anything that precedes the first vaginal kiss foreplay. But once you start lickin', the coreplay clock starts tickin'.

Kerner divides coreplay into six distinct stages:

• Stage 1: in which we transition from foreplay to coreplay with the application of the first clitoral kiss
• Stage 2: in which we establish rhythm and acclimate the clitoris to the persistent attention of the tongue
• Stage 3: in which we continue to build tension by focusing more of our energies on the clitoral head, as well as introducing appropriate manual stimulation
• Stage 4: in which we hypercharge the process of sexual response and escalate her level of arousal by internally stimulating the "clitoral cluster" in combination with the clitoral head
• Stage 5: preorgasm, in which we maintain the optimum balance of rhythm and pressure as she approaches orgasm
• Stage 6: Orgasm, in which we maximize the number of pelvic contractions and help her to realize the full potential of her climax

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