Customer Reviews

Men Like Us : The Gmhc Complete Guide to Gay Men's Sexual, Physical, and Emotional Well-Being

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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.

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!

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!!!

Do not pass up this one. A comprehensive guide to modern gay life! Covers a range of topics that even surprised me. I guarantee you will learn something from this book as I did.

Men Like Us is the complete guide to a gay man's life. The operative word is COMPLETE. This book had absolutely everything!
From anatomy (and yes, sexual pleasure), to exercise and diet, relationships and intimacy, medical care (which included lengthy passages on HIV), mental health and therapy, and on a deeper note, spirituality and community.
While the book does deal with some hard topics, it never loses it's fun feel. On nearly every page you will find funny, helpful diagrams or cartoons, depicting different aspects being discussed.
While, obviously, this book isn't for everyone (it'd probably give old Grandma a heart attack with it's vivid descriptions of anything from oral pleasuring to the "toys and tools" section) it is just right for that special man in your life. Uncle, brother, nephew, friend, etc.
This is a positive, clever, and helpful guide to gay living. No gay man's library would be complete without it.

This book covers the entire range of gay life - advice on relationships, the dynamics of attraction, and aspects of sexual, physical, emotional and spiritual health that address everything from religion to party drugs to intimacy to 'gay hair through history'. The writing is honest, easy, and fun; the content is thorough, accurate and informative. It's a great read, a must-have accessory for every gay man, and should be mandatory reading for every doctor, public school teacher, therapist, and parent. Buy this book!

This book is a great achievement. It is an extremely well researched and thorough resource. What distinguishes it from other health books is the craft with which it is written. The prose is witty and accessible. It is a pleasure to read. Reading it one gets the feeling that it is written by an intelligent, caring and trustworthy friend. Men Like Us focuses specifically on the needs of gay and bisexual men in ways that recognize the great diversity within these categories. Men Like Us covers an enormous amount of material often overlooked in general men's health books, and so it provides valuable information for all men, regardless of how they identify themselves.

Many books celebrate being gay, but few offer guidance into particular sexual activities, the physical and emotional health of actors, and some of the challenges many of us gay men encounter. While little or no moral judgments are proffered, healthful preferences are cited vis-a-vis the unhealthful. "Just because we 'can,' does not means we 'should.'"

Without insisting gay is a "lifestyle," it highlights those activities and circumstances often associated with being a gay man, and it discusses them honestly and candidly. No other published book offers such excellent information on such a broad array of issues in an intelligent and "whole earth catalogue" sort of way. I've had occasion to recommend it, and every recipient appreciates the referral.

Until it is surpassed, which seems unlikely, it's the best "handbook" to acceptance, adaptation, adjustment, approval, and analysis of most concerns we gay men face. Very highly recommended.

This is the best one-stop-shop book on gay men's health I have ever read. Informative, funny, full of real-life problems and answers, he does a terrific job of really talking about the realities of gay life, and going beyond the surface and superficial stuff. The sexual chapters alone are worth the price. It already answered some qurestions I had wondered about for years. Every man should read it, not just gay guys.

I was always fascinated and horrified by books on health--remember the freakish descriptions of gay men in Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid To Ask? This book literally has everything I always wanted to know about all kinds of gay subjects, but it's funny and accessible and doesn't make us out to be freaks. In fact, the opposite--whatever the issue--from marriage to adoption to crabs or public sex--it seems open and honest and reasonable and informative. And it's the first time I've ever seen a decent discussion of gay spirituality in a health book.