What an education it was

During an interview on the BBC, well-known British journalist Lynn Barber cheerfully admitted to having slept with more than 50 men during her terms at Oxford. The listening public was shocked, but they shouldn't have been; Barber had already confessed all in a brisk little book called An Education.

In this memoir, Barber describes her lonely childhood and how, when she was still in high school, she was picked up by a charming and sophisticated older man. The flirtation developed into a two-year relationship with a man whose real name she didn't even know. Not only was the young Lynn seduced by him, but her parents were as well; the whole family was devastated by his betrayal.

This portion of the book was made into a very good movie, starring Carey Mulligan.

The movie ends when Lynn's relationship does, but the book goes on - to her adventures at Oxford, her years working for Penthouse Magazine, her unconventional marriage, and the journalism work that eventually landed her the nickname The Demon Barber.

It's a fascinating look at a young woman coming of age during a time when opportunities for women were blossoming - not just career opportunities, but personal ones as well. Lynn Barber certainly took advantage of them.