Netflix’s Sex Education is making the news and for all the right reasons. Netflix has just released its third season and the reviews are gushing about the impactful storylines and not-disappointing character arcs. The show has also given the fans a debate, one which I think will not dull down for a very long time, with a love triangle that is a well-balanced tug of war at best.
The third season paved the way for Ruby, Adam and Mr. Groff and gave them the center stage, but it also lengthened my Need-To-Read Book List. Apart from starting necessary conversations about S-E-X and removing the taboo surrounding it, the show is also very popular for book recommendations.
Maeve Wiley is a character on the show who is known for her smart comments and independence which she credits to the extensive literature she has consumed. She mentions several strong and great female writers through the three seasons and I am all for her and her reading dominance.
There are many scenes of her and other fellow characters reading (as there should be, they are in high school; education is equally important to this show as is the sex). So, book recommendations are inevitable. Here are 3 books mentioned in the series that you need to read.
Book Recommendations
- Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski
The first book in this list is actually a recommendation given to Aimee by Maeve in Season 3 when Aimee mentioned her revelation of all vulvas being unique and beautiful. The book is about how the female gender feels about their desirable parts and the author expresses her views on body image, intimacy and many other factors of a woman’s experience of sex.
- On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
One of my favorite characters in the show is Jean Milburn. She is a sex therapist and Otis’s mother. The show mentioned the book in regards to the relationship shared between the mother and son, as this book is about such a bond. It is in a form of a letter that a son writes to his illiterate mother telling about the life he has kept hidden from her. Though his life differs greatly from Otis’s, but the part of secrecy and confusion is something that is very common between them.
- Twenty Love Poems and A Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda
In the midst of all the plots of the show, there is praise-worthy representation. The show does not portray the LGBTQ+ community to fulfill some kind of obligation and this unforced representation is what we all love and appreciate. They do not confine Eric to society’s view of how a teenage gay boy should be and he is unapologetic of his life. His very nature drew Adam and Rahim to professing their feelings for him. While Adam is the who we all rooted him with, Rahim, with his poetic self and brooding self, was also a pretty suitable match.
He gave Eric poetry and books to show his love and A Song of Despair was one of the many. It is about love and is intensely sensual that has a taste for the melancholic too. For, the hopelessness of emotions and to cherish lost love, this book is a must-read.
These are just 3 out of the countless number of books that can be seen through the show, so along with these book recommendations, I also recommend this fabulous show and hope for its long run!
Featured Image Via Netflix