The most recommended books about non-monogamy

Who picked these books? Meet our 18 experts.

18 authors created a book list connected to non-monogamy, and here are their favorite non-monogamy books.
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Book cover of Polyamory in the 21st Century: Love and Intimacy with Multiple Partners

Kathy Labriola Author Of Polyamorous Elders: Aging in Open Relationships

From my list on polyamory and open relationships.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a nurse, counselor, and hypnotherapist in Berkeley, California, providing affordable mental health services to alternative communities for the past 30 years. I have been a card-carrying bisexual and polyamorist for fifty years. Because there were so few books for people in polyamorous relationships, I was frustrated by the lack of resources both for myself and my clients. This inspired me to write four books on this subject: Love in Abundance and The Jealousy Workbook, both published by Greenery Press, The Polyamory Break-up Book: Causes, Survival, and Prevention, published by Thorntree Press, and Polyamorous Elders: Aging in Open Relationships published by Rowman and Littlefield.  

Kathy's book list on polyamory and open relationships

Kathy Labriola Why did Kathy love this book?

By the time Dr. Anapol wrote this book, a mainstream publisher like Rowman and Littlefield was willing to publish on this controversial subject. The book explains why some people choose relationships where they and their partners have the freedom to have multiple sexual and/or love relationships, as well as providing a primer on how to conduct such relationships ethically and honestly. While Anapol’s first book provided guidance and tools for successful polyamorous relationships, this book benefits from being written 20 years later, when a lot more people were openly practicing polyamory. As a result, she was able to interview many people who had created happy and healthy open relationships and could offer their hard-earned lessons and advice. Many of her interview subjects tackle the tough subject of jealousy, which is the key obstacle for most people in making polyamory work. They offer some fresh perspectives and approaches to managing and…

By Deborah M. Anapol,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Polyamory in the 21st Century as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Unlike other books on this topic, Polyamory in the 21st Century weaves together research and facts to provide an informed and impartial analysis of polyamory as a lifestyle and as a movement, and to place it in a psychosocial as well as an historical context. Anecdotes and personal experiences allow the reader to develop a better understanding of polyamory and the people who practice and enjoy it. Anapol addresses the practical, the utopian, and the shadow sides of this intriguing, mysterious, yet often threatening lifestyle. It honestly addresses difficult issues such as the nature of commitment without exclusivity, balancing personal…


Book cover of The Polyamorists Next Door: Inside Multiple-Partner Relationships and Families

Kathy Labriola Author Of Polyamorous Elders: Aging in Open Relationships

From my list on polyamory and open relationships.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a nurse, counselor, and hypnotherapist in Berkeley, California, providing affordable mental health services to alternative communities for the past 30 years. I have been a card-carrying bisexual and polyamorist for fifty years. Because there were so few books for people in polyamorous relationships, I was frustrated by the lack of resources both for myself and my clients. This inspired me to write four books on this subject: Love in Abundance and The Jealousy Workbook, both published by Greenery Press, The Polyamory Break-up Book: Causes, Survival, and Prevention, published by Thorntree Press, and Polyamorous Elders: Aging in Open Relationships published by Rowman and Littlefield.  

Kathy's book list on polyamory and open relationships

Kathy Labriola Why did Kathy love this book?

Another book full of great information and fascinating people is Elisabeth Sheff’s The Polyamorists Next Door: Inside Multi-Partner Relationships and Families. Sheff has been engaged in a nearly 30-year longitudinal study of polyamorous families with children, studying how children fare in these very non-traditional families. Her conclusion? Kids do as well being raised by poly parents as they do in any other type of family: they thrive as long as the parents are providing a safe and nurturing environment for them and giving them adequate love and attention. I recommend this book highly, as it has such in-depth interviews with both the parents and children in these unusual families, and you really get to know these families!

Her findings are very similar to those done by scholars studying children raised in LGBT families, demonstrating the truth of that bumper sticker that says, “Love Makes a Family.” Sheff has continued…

By Elisabeth Sheff,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Polyamorists Next Door as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Marriage and monogamy are not what they used to be, and today many couples are opting to start families before getting married, or deciding not to get married at all. At the same time, gay couples in states that recognize same-sex marriage are getting married in droves. Some people prefer non-monogamy and have relationships that include swinging and polyamory. The landscape of American marriage and relationships is changing, and a variety of family systems are developing and becoming more common. The Polyamorists Next Door introduces polyamorous families, in which people are free to pursue emotional, romantic, and sexual relationships with…


Book cover of Polyamory in the 21st Century: Love and Intimacy with Multiple Partners
Book cover of The Polyamorists Next Door: Inside Multiple-Partner Relationships and Families

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