Customer Reviews

The Bear Book II: Further Readings in the History and Evolution of a Gay Male Subculture (Haworth Gay & Lesbian Studies)

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This is an interesting addition to BEAR BOOK I...with a broader range of articles. These range from lots of personal accounts of the politics of bear groups (which become a little repetitive after a while), to unreadable sociological tracts, to some interviews with "movers & shakers" in the bear movement. What the book lacks is input from some of the more obvious "movers & shakers" - like the guys running some of the bear magazines (Bear, American Bear, Gruf etc), or bars (e.g. Lonestar). Instead we are treated to a trite opening essay from Jack Fritcher who - according to him - singlehandedly began the movement. Well that's not really how I remember it....and I think it was a serious error to give this guy a platform for his egocentric views. That said, if you ignore the intro and get on to the other chapters, it can be a rewarding read. The book could have been more than it is - and I think that this is the great pity of it.

I'm a big bear myself, so I'm interested in this book. In it a diverse group of writers and experts go on about the glories of being a gay male bear which is the latest way to be gay when a man is no longer young or pretty. Some of the writers are pitch perfect. Some of them are, sorry, pathetic intellectually. But that's what diversity rather than excellence gets you. Contributors are the usual suspects--ever-present writers like Michael Bronski, David Bergman, Jack Fritscher who do the heavy-lifting in this bear-sized book. Gronski and Bergman interview each other which--while not so much writing--is lively Charlie Rose territory. Fritscher's foreword focuses the book. The foreword gives lots of bear history and spins some of the daffiness of the authors who've spent too much time in therapeutic groups and then try to intellectualize sex with vocabulary that should dare not speak. Writing throughout book is uneven. Some points of view are wonderful, like the fresh bear from Turkey, Mehmet Ali Sahin. Others are gratuitously shallow like the attempted health advice by Lawrence D. Mass who with his credentials could actually have used this opportunity to counsel bears about usafe oral sex, avoirdupois, etc, and used his income to have hired a ghostwriter. Evidence of the editor is minimalist other than assemblage. He could have come forward and exerted his clout intellectually as the college professor he is. All in all, even with these observations, this book is a welcome addition to the few self-help books on gay men and bears that are out there. With so many bears, why aren't there more bear books, and why does this one so need a professional editor to save the reader from material that would have been dated in a magazine much more so in a book which lasts longer. Conversational tone is breezy and okay, but too many writers spend too much time congratulating each other--something the editor should have cut out. But that hugginess is part of bearness. Overall, I'm glad this book is on my shelf.

This book is a fine read from start to finish. Of course, it has its ups and downs, but all the bears speaking are valuable voices. Editors Les Wright and Jack Fritscher dare to go bright and brave into the history and politics of bear identity--as do the other writers. The Bear History Project does itself proud, and I recommend this personable book, full of fact and opinion, for every dedicated bear's book shelf.

This book is a fine read from start to finish. Of course, it has its ups and downs, but all the bears speaking are valuable voices. Editors Les Wright and Jack Fritscher dare to go bright and brave into the history and politics of bear identity--as do the other writers. The Bear History Project does itself proud, and I recommend this personable book, full of fact and opinion, for every dedicated bear's book shelf.

I really like this Les Wright book which is real bearguys talking about bearness. It is authentic. I bought the first book in Les Wright's series also, and I enjoyed it just as much. Les Wright was thinking to get bear Jack Fritsher to write the introductory first chapter, because he writes nonfiction as well as he usually writes bear fiction in Bear mag--some which appears in a book collection of bear stories called Tails from the Bear Cult which while it doesn't include Les Wright it does include stories by several really good bear writers like Simon Sheppard, Jay Neil, Mike White and Ron Suresha, one of the foremost bearwriters who has his own book of bear fiction coming up, as well as Charles Eldredge who writes fictional bear history, but more erotic than the kind Les Wright publishes. Atually, it would really be interesting to see Les Wright get all these writers together to make his own collection of bear fiction. All these bearbooks sit well together on my shelf. The writers Les Wright gathers in this book are some of the best, particularly Laurence Brown, Ron Suresha (again!), and Laurence D Mass to name a few. The color photos in The Bear Book are great as are the black and white bear photos in Tales from the Bear Cult, coming close to the original Bear photos in the photo book The Bear Cult. (I like pictures.) What would a bear book be without pictures! It's good to see such well done bear books coming out it seems all at once with a diversity of writers' thoughts and styles and voices.

I have not read this book, but I will be buying it tonight. My Son just told me he was in it, that is THE BEST reason to buy this book. Thank You,A proud Mother,Kathy Furtado