This groundbreaking book recounts a phenomenon that is sweeping the nation among single women: choosing abstinence or celibacy. The reasons for this choice varies from woman to woman-- from abandoning the treadmill of dating and relationships, to focusing on a career or lifelong dream, to returning to core values, to exploring spirituality more deeply, to achieving a sense of inner balance. Whatever the reason, the choice inevitably results in her taking better care of herself and reclaiming her innate personal power. The author interviewed a number of single women, all under the age of forty-five, reasonably attractive and intelligent, and, for the most part, highly educated and particularly successful in their individual careers. Instead of expressing bitterness, loneliness or despair, these "Born-Again Virgins" (as the author has termed them) embody and exude personal power, confidence, fulfillment, contentment and joy. While this book is not about not having sex, it is about showing readers that they have the right to choose whether or not to have sex, that they have the right to choose to abstain for a day, a week, a month, a year or a lifetime-- and that they are not alone in exercising this right. This book will show readers why becoming "Born-Again Virgins" is the right choice for so many single women. Whether they initially choose abstinence in response to STDs and AIDS or to the low value often placed on marriage and monogamy, as a result of the choice, these women find themselves healing the residual pain of past issues and discovering what brings them true fulfillment and inner peace. The Cult of the Born-Again Virgin will provide countless readers with the support and encouragement to make a life-affirming choice that will permanently transform their lives and themselves-- for the better. Through firsthand accounts of real-life "Born-Again Virgins", readers will learn the events that acted as catalysts for choosing abstinence, the repercussi