Most people know Dr Melissa Kang as the longest-serving expert behind the iconic Dolly Doctor column, but she's also a practising medical doctor for marginalised young people and has academic roles at the University of Technology Sydney and the University of Sydney. She is fifth-generation Malaysian-Chinese Anglo-Australian, which makes specialising in adolescent sexuality and sexual health all the more interesting. She continues to speak about these topics in the mainstream media. Yumi Stynes is a second-gen Japanese-Australian TV and radio presenter. She's currently the host of Ladies, We Need to Talk, an award-winning podcast that explores all the trickiest topics and taboos about women's health, including periods, discharge, difficult motherhood, and whether or not your vagina is weird. Together, they are the best-selling authors of Welcome to Your Period, Welcome to Consent, and Welcome to Your Boobs.
'A fearless, frank and important resource for young people, Welcome to Sex is meticulously researched and comprehensive in its representation of sex and sexual experience. The text is very inclusive in its language and the content can be read by all young adults regardless of sexual orientation, identity, gender or culture. Kang and Stynes’s combined voice is warm, friendly and approachable—brooking no awkward silences in what can be a difficult conversation between young people and adults ... An informative, entertaining, and potentially life-saving book that should find a place in every home (even ones that don’t contain a teenager).' –Judges' comments, Prime Minister's Literary Awards ‘Welcome to Sex [offers] comprehensive information, alongside playful illustrations and a welcoming tone of acceptance, providing better relationships and sexuality education than most of us ever had.’ – Sydney Morning Herald ‘When I saw the kerfuffle about Welcome to Sex [online], the first thing I did was go online and order a copy for my children. I'll let them read it, and I'll talk to them about what they've learned, and what questions they may have. Porn will not be the only sex education my children have … sex is fun and healthy and normal, and that they have every right to decide what happens to their own bodies.’ –Nine Honey ‘It’s a glorious thing that a book like this exists.’ –Pedestrian ‘Welcome to Sex [reached] the top of the Amazon charts on Thursday, two months after its release on May 17. It overtook global hits such as Rebecca Kuang’s Yellowface and James Clear’s Atomic Habits and has also temporarily sold out on Amazon.’ –Sydney Morning Herald ‘The moment the internet was easily accessible on handheld devices, our children lost their innocence, and what control parents had over their kids was diminished … Welcome To Sex, to me, seems like a healthy book for a parent to have on their shelves.’ –Geelong Advertiser ‘Stynes and Kang's book treats sex as something natural to be enjoyed, and it treats its readers like real people. [Young people] are going to have sex, and if the adults in their lives are only going to talk about birth control – or refuse to discuss sex at all – then they will learn from unrealistic and awful depictions in porn and on social media. A book offering unashamed answers therefore sounds like a handy aid. After it skyrocketed up bestseller lists, it seems plenty of families agree.’ – Herald Sun‘ 'A brilliant and accessible book … Giving young people information about their bodies, their emerging sexuality, how to understand and communicate in intimate relationships, is vital. Sexual abusers and predators [rely] on shame to silence them. The more information we can give children and teenagers about their bodies, and how eventually to form consensual intimate relationships in age- appropriate ways, the better.’ –The Age ‘This is such an important book for all of us. It is the essence of what a good non-fiction book should be all about. Accurate, reliable, and accessible information and advice about an issue that is so important to young people. Dr Melissa Kang and Yumi Stynes provide advice in a non-judgemental and well-written style that resonates with teenagers and young adults. If you are looking for an educational, accessible and accurate source of information on this important topic then this is the book. This information is way more accurate and reliable than anything your mates will tell you at the shops or on Facebook.’ –Indie Book Awards