Did you know that only 22 states require their public schools teach sexual education?

And even in the states that do provide it, the curriculum can be woefully underwhelming and leave out important topics like queer sex and HIV prevention.

So where do teens turn when they aren’t getting the information they want and need from their schools (or often parents)? For many, it’s their local bookstore or library.

In this episode of The Huffington Post’s Love+Sex Podcast, co-hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson explore how young adult (YA) literature — from classics like Clan of the Cave Bear to more recent favorites like Twilight – is providing many teens with information about sex and sexuality they aren’t getting anywhere else.

Kolodny and Michelson chatted with Emily M. Danforth, the author of The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Megan McCafferty, the author of the New York Times-bestselling Jessica Darling series which includes Sloppy Firsts and Amy Lang, the founder of Birds And Bees And Kids, which helps parents figure out how to approach that important — and often intimidating — talk about sex with their kids:

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This podcast was produced and edited by Katelyn Bogucki and edited by Nick Offenberg. Like Love + Sex? Subscribe, rate and review our podcast on iTunes.

Have an idea for an episode? Find us on Twitter at @HuffPostPodcast or email us at loveandsexpodcast@huffingtonpost.com.

Also on The Huffington Post:

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