A LIBRARIAN’S ORIENTATION
What this book explores
Psychologist Camden Morgante examines five myths of American evangelical purity culture and their effects on bodies, relationships, faith, and sexual self-understanding. Drawing on clinical experience, personal narrative, research, and guided exercises, she offers a way to question shame-based teaching and develop a more deliberate sexual ethic.
EDITORIAL NOTE
Why it’s in the Library
Pure documents lived harm and recurring patterns; Morgante's book gives a different next step: practical reflection and reconstruction for readers who may still value Christian faith. It makes room for agency rather than assigning one recovery path or treating a book as therapy.
Good starting place if…
Purity teaching shaped your sense of worth, sexuality, marriage, or faith, and you want structured help examining what to keep, revise, or leave behind.
Know before you begin…
The book addresses sexual shame, coercive gender roles, trauma, marital expectations, and difficult sexual experiences. It is rooted in American evangelical Christianity and largely addresses women. Morgante personally favors a marriage-centered Christian sexual ethic while inviting readers to reason through their own values; it is not a comprehensive guide to LGBTQ experiences or every sexual ethic. Reflection exercises are not individualized clinical care.