Not as much POP as you'd think

I recently came into possession of a curious little book titled Pop-up Book of Sex. I think it goes without saying that this is quite possibly one of the most brilliant ideas ever, and the person who got it for me must be pretty special in her own right. This is not unlike a Reece's Peanut Butter Cup--two great tastes that go great together. How could they go wrong?

Alas, despite the genius of the concept, the execution never, ever lives up to its potential. You'd think that if someone was going to publish a book a tawdry as The Pop-up Book of Sex, then it'd be a raunchy, X-rated riot. And you'd be wrong. Talk about setting the bar low. If it is possible for a book with this subject matter and format to be prudish, this one is. Sure, there's nudity here, but it's that kind of self-conscious high-school tittering stuff that litters the screen in teen sex comedies. That means lots of naked boobies and not much else. My wife, somewhat annoyed by the sexist undertone, pointed out the irony of a sexual pop-up book that didn't feature a single penis. Pop up, indeed. Simply tossing ideas back and forth between us, we came up with a book's worth of pop-up action that was far more engaging than this tease of a book manages--reruns of Sex in the City are far more explicit.

Still, the virtue of being first is that you're still the best there is. Kees Moerbeek and Balvis Rubess did manage to put this book on store shelves when nobody else had done so, and deserve credit for that. A half-assed pop-up book of sex is better than no pop-up book of sex at all (which pretty much goes without saying). But I can't escape the feeling that this was a private joke they never took seriously. A novelty as amusing as this is obviously a joke on multiple levels, but even the best comedians treat their jokes seriously. I just wish the authors had done the same here.

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