The Gay Men's Wellness Guide: The National Lesbian and Gay Health Association's Complete Book of Physical, Emotional, and Mental Health and Well-Bei [Hardcover]

Robert E. Penn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1998

Produced in consultation with 25 leading health professionals who specialize in gay health concerns, this landmark manual covers physical and psychological well-being, substance abuse, HIV and AIDS, aging, steroids, and much, much more. Sure to become as important to the some four million gay men in America as OUR BODIES, OURSELVES has to women. 20 illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In the past decade gay men have been deluged with books about AIDS, safe sex, and HIV prevention. And while many of these books have been useful, their emphasis on AIDS often precluded discussion of other aspects of physical and mental health. There are many specifically gay male health issues that are never discussed in health books written for the general public, from the pleasures and pitfalls of anal sex to living in a subculture that emphasizes the idealized body to dealing with the homophobia that confronts gay people every day. Robert E. Penn, under the auspices of the National Lesbian and Gay Health Association, has written a complete guide to gay male health that, along with supplying complete information on HIV and AIDS, deals with nutrition, aging, common physical ailments, abuse issues, body building, and sexual health. Penn's style is readable and his medical information is clearly explained and up-to-date. The Gay Men's Wellness Guide is an important addition to the ever-growing literature on AIDS and health issues.

From Library Journal

A former assistant director of the Gay Men's Health Crisis Center, Penn aims to provide a complete wellness book for gay men analogous to the classic Our Bodies, Ourselves (1971). While his work doesn't quite live up to its subtitle, it comes extremely close. Three tenets form the basis of the book: "gay men are natural, not an abomination, deserve life, are innately healthy, don't need anyone's permission or approval to be alive, and can unlearn the negative self-image they have been taught"; "living long, healthy lives is the predominant health concern of the gay community"; and there is an "infrastructure in which North American gay men live." From these premises grow topical coverage of finding gay-affirmative health professionals and clinics; mental health issues; ailments, diseases, and conditions; alternative medicine; safer sex; HIV and AIDS; younger, middle-aged, and older men; self-image; violence and abuse; diversity; and much more. Penn takes care to address all aspects of men who have sex with, or a sexual attraction to, men: gay men, bisexuals, transsexuals, and transvestites. Written in plain, frank, and at times humorous language, this work focuses heavily on attitude and outlook. For all larger public and academic libraries.
-?Lee Arnold, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 736 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company; 1 edition (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805047719
• ISBN-13: 978-0805047714
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.7 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,774,495 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The First Stop for Any Man Who Is Exploring His Sexual Identity or Health, January 15, 2006

By 

Earl R. Sutton "earlsutton" (Detroit, MI, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gay Men's Wellness Guide: The National Lesbian and Gay Health Association's Complete Book of Physical, Emotional, and Mental Health and Well-Bei (Hardcover)

"Gay men are disproportionately affected by certain ailments, and in addition, diseases often take on different manifestations in gay men than in straight men. In some urban gay comunities, hepatitis B is in epidemic proportions; one in two men are HIV-positive; 54 percent are taking care of a seriously ill friend; and a third of gay men have sought the advice of a therapist. Few comprehensive resources exist today to give the 14 million gay men in America general information tailored specifically to our sexual, physical, mental, and emotional well-being. 'The Gay Men's Wellness Guide,' a definitive and first-of-its-kind book, is full of reference information and plain talk about our bodies and minds. It is meant to be the first stop for every gay man--or any man--who is exploring his sexual identity or health."--© zebraz