Men Like Us : The GMHC Complete Guide to Gay Men's Sexual, Physical, and Emotional Well-Being (Paperback)

by Daniel Wolfe (Author), Gay Men'S Health Crisis (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Can't find your frenulum? Can't interpret your insurance? Can't name the major herbal remedy for prostate problems? Daniel Wolfe's amazing, enlightening, and physically weighty compendium on gay men's health can usher anyone through the major crises of life--grief, illness, bad hair--and offer sane advice on gay-specific issues, from coming out to harassment to spirituality within mainstream and alternative religions. Readers will expect a great deal of attention to HIV--and won't be disappointed--but may be surprised by the comprehensiveness of the section on recreational drugs, for example, or the attention devoted to the pharmacological treatments of depression. Passages on anal eroticism will help the reader chart new territory. Sections on exercise and nutrition are necessarily less complete. The text is supplemented with charts and sidebars (one of the best lists necessary legal documents for single or coupled men), as well as quotes from hundreds of gay men who were interviewed in person by Gay Men's Health Crisis or who responded to surveys ("My mind said I was walking home, but my body was walking to the sex club"). An essential resource for health care providers, therapists, and educators, Men Like Us also makes for lively casual reading, as in this word on allergies to latex condoms: "Although it sounds like a bad gay joke, don't eat bananas or nuts. They're among the foods, along with papaya and avocado, that can make a latex allergy worse." --Regina Marler

From Library Journal
The former director of communications at the Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), Wolfe models his encyclopedic guide on the classic Our Bodies, Ourselves, as did his former colleague Robert Penn, author of The Gay Men's Wellness Guide (LJ 2/1/98). As might be anticipated, the topics addressed range widely (including, e.g., anatomy, sex, relationships, illness, spirituality, aging, and diet), emphasizing both the vast varieties and basic commonalities of gay men. Appendixes provide contact information (including web sites) for a wide variety of organizations, listings for "transgender, transvestite, and intersex resources," and citations and references to supplement each chapter's endnotes. The refreshingly witty and nonjudgmental prose, numerous illustrations, and easy-to-read format make this appropriate for all collections. (One caveat: neither the table of contents nor the index was available to this reviewer, so the ease of finding specific information is unknown.)DJames E. Van Buskirk, San Francisco P.L.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 656 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1 edition (April 18, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345414950
• ISBN-13: 978-0345414953
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,012,452 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful, informative and even entertaining, May 1, 2000

By	Allen Smalling "Constant Reader," (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

It's hard to think of a group that has amassed more information about gay men and their health problems than New York's Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC). Now nearly twenty years old, the group has just published a comprehensive guide to gay male health, Men Like Us: The GMHC Complete Guide to Gay Men's Sexual, Physical and Emotional Well-Being. The result is a snappy, savvy, and indeed almost encyclopedic look at our sexual, physical and emotional health, with common-sense language and lots of information.

Part One of this book is called "Sex Basics." This involves the penis, anal pleasures, mutual masturbation, how to use condoms and so on. Our attention is flagged any time a disease risk is involved. Barely a page goes by that the book doesn't use a sidebar, or a quote from an expert, or testimony from one or another gay men who's been there and done that, which keeps things on a light tone. There's even a self-help guide for

deformalities and abnormalities of the penis and which ones need medical attention (there are actually a couple that don't).

"Body Basics" is Part Two of the book. It introduces the basics of healthy exercise (both the aerobic and the body-builder type), tells how to deal with digestive problems, find a good doctor, investigate alternative health (if you so desire), monitor things like cholesterol and blood pressure, and understand the aging process. The presumed audience is a male in his late thirties or early forties who is just starting to notice that things like cardiac health and abundant vitality can no longer be taken for granted.

Part Three, "Major Medical," has two sections. The first deals with the realities of AIDS in a very sophisiticated yet easy-to-follow format. This section really shines, and here it's worth remembering that the Gay Men's Health Crisis was the first group ever formed to deal with AIDS (before it even was called that). The second section is a very knowledgeable "user's guide" to getting the most out of a hosptial stay.

Part Four has a section on therapy and mental health, one on friendships, and one on spirituality. Of the three, the spirituality section is the weakest because it lumps spiritual and religious topics together and treats them superficially. (Remember, too, this is not GMHC's forte here.) Men Like Us is a great book for any gay owner of a male body who wants to keep it in good shape. And it's wonderful when it comes to the ins and outs of AIDS. The books is probably best suited for someone age 35 or older who lives a relatively "out" gay life and is comfortable finding bias-free resources: a gay or sympathetic doctor, say. Indeed, Men Like Us book seems to make the assumption that its readers have been around the block a time or two, as when it reiterates that the rules for oral hygiene are "the same rules you've heard since you were a little homosexual-in-training." While this would still be a good book for a 22-year-old if only for the safe-sex guidance, it might not be as useful as for someone older.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The gay bible is here!, April 24, 2000

By	Gregory Lugliani (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

Daniel Wolfe's "Men Like Us: The GMHC Guide to Gay Men's Sexual, Physical and Emotional Well-Being" is a book I can't recommend enough. More than "Our Bodies, Ourselves" for gay men, this is a clever, entertaining and comprehensive user's manual that any man who likes/loves/lusts after men -- HIV-poz, HIV-neg, don't know, whatever -- should read. I've read it cover-to-cover, and learned -- and laughed -- the whole way through. It's a must-have!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for the young,middle-aged,&older gay man !, July 14, 2001

By A Customer

I can truthfully say that most every question that I had regarding issues ranging from the widest range of topics imaginable were answered in a professional & very informative manner. Some of the topics ranged from "The Anatomy Of Pleasure", "Sex Acts And Facts","Sex Troubles",& much more in chapter one. Through 13 chapters of fact filled up to date info.this encyclopedic book keeps your attention in high gear, gets you thinking about what really matters, and is written in an entertaining manner as well. This all-inclusive "COMPLETE GUIDE TO GAY MEN'S SEXUAL, PHYSICAL, AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING" is a must read, and a great reference I refer to very often. If there is one book on gay men's info. this is the ONE!!!