With the death of Sister Marie Frances Burgess, the last remaining Shaker community, in Sabbathday Lake, Maine, is reduced to its last six voluntarily celibate members. New York Times

Here’s a review of Celibacy, Culture, and Society: The Anthropology of Sexual Abstinence ed. Elisa Sobel and Sandra Bell: “…offers an in-depth examination of the

anthropology of sexual abstinence. This edited volume includes

chapters by a variety of individuals, using diverse perspectives. The

goal is ‘to explore . . . examples of the occurrences, perceptions, and

meanings of celibacy.’ ” Journal of the American Medical Ass’n