Customer Reviews

Bi Guys: Firsthand Fiction for Bisexual Men and Their Admirers

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The "firsthand" in the title means "one-handed" or "left-handed." This is not for readers sensitive to erotic matters. The entries are short stories, so there's no space to build to the erotic; the authors hand this to the readers immediately.

Brett Beemyn previously wrote two books on male bisexuality: one was sociological and one focused on cultural studies. Ron Suresha follows that path. This book contains fiction while his last book consisted of personal narratives. He doesn't say the books should be read together, as Beemyn did. However, his introductions to both books are quite similar.

One thing that stood out to me is the utopian, idealistic spaces the authors developed here. There is no biphobia against which the main characters must struggle. Stories include men whose wives accept their relations with other men or bisexual men who connect with each other and form bonds. No straight person or gay person forces these men to choose an identity. The characters aren't pressured to proverbially "pick a team." Honestly, erotica for monosexually gay males may lack homophobia too. Still, these stories on a minority group where oppression doesn't happen stands out.

I really think this book is for readers who are tired of absolutely straight erotica or its absolutely gay counterpart. This book just glues straight and gay together. It's like much of the genre, but has men desirous of both genders, rather than just one. Like the editor's other bisexual male book, I found the absence or paucity of men of color as main characters to be problematic. Don't let the book's cover deceive you.

The contains many bisexual pornographic stories, most of which are either M/M (when the bisexual part comes from one of the guys being married to a woman, "off-screen"), or M/M/F, where the guys also have have sex with each other.

It's enjoyable, well-written, but not that much better then what you can find readily on the Internet. If anything, I expected stories that are longer, more emotional and involving considering the title. I think most authors just didn't want to expose themselves; but reading about the real sexual exploits of acutal bisexual men would have been, I think, more interesting then just regular porn. Even good porn.