HOLDING OUT

In a love story that goes to the very heart of male-female relations, Anne O. Faulk updates for the nineties the tale of Lysistrata -- who persuaded the women of Athens to withhold sex from their husbands to end a war. Not since Erica Jong's Fear of Flying has a novel been as stunningly sexy as it is smart. Like millions of American women, Lauren Fontaine, thirty-six-year-old Atlanta financial wizard and single mother, was outraged when the wife of a top government leader committed suicide after enduring years of spousal abuse. Worse, the abuser stayed in office, no blame, no shame. But it was Lauren's brilliant idea to stage a protest that would hit men where they live: no sex. Nada, zip -- until justice was done. A majority of women across America agreed. Then all hell broke loose. The male power structure -- and Lauren's new boyfriend -- are miserable about women holding out. Now someone is using dirty tricks, underhanded tactics, and outright terror to stop Lauren and her movement. The eye-popping results make for the wisest, funniest, and most provocative book you'll read this year. Holding Out is a call to arms you won't soon forget.