Editorial Review

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Reviews (18)

Reviewers Trash Classic!!!
Who is Kerry Fried, and why is s/he reviewing this classic? I read this book several years ago. As a story of a female shepherd and her owner, it is brutally honest, to the detail. Ackerley as a dog person, seems so indulgent and feeble. While reading, one must be mindful that the events took place in the 40's and in Briton. Perhaps he never had a dog before, and knew no better. Pups, off leash adventures, pooping issues. As subject matter, who but another shepherd lover would care. Who but a post modern dog lover would be appalled at the old fashioned beliefs and attitudes. But, and this is critical, but, the language is beautiful, the sentiment expressed is pure. And the final chapter, and final paragraph, are exquisite. I feel the passing of her life from his own, his long life stretching out so far beyond her sweet existence within it. I love my dog Olk as dearly, and dread his eventual loss. Superb form, distressing content.
Being a dog lover but not a dog owner who believes that it is cruel to keep most dogs in an urban environment, and especially a large dog in a flat as the author did, I found this memoir not to be my cup of tea.Humans are portrayed in it as curious, rather unsympathetic creatures, whilst the dog at the center of his love, is romanticised despite the loving detail with which the author describes the bodily functions of the animal.I can understand though, its appeal to those with an obsession with their dog who find humans too argumentative, contrary or difficult.An instance of "horses for courses" so to speak.

A Real Dog of a Book ... and Not in a Good Way
If you want to be immersed in a definitely 1960's I'm-obsessed-with-Freud take on dog ownership from someone who should never have been allowed to own a dog ... if you're dying to discover in ad nauseum detail the fecal and urinary habits of an animal whose owner lacks the least understanding of training a dog ...if you yearn for all the details of the miseries this animal goes through whenever she's in heat, this is the book for you.Read more

Subjects:  1. (Joe Randolph),    2. 1896-1967    3. 20th century    4. Ackerley, J. R    5. Anecdotes    6. Authors, English    7. Biography    8. Biography / Autobiography    9. Biography/Autobiography    10. Dog owners    11. Gay Studies    12. General    13. German shepherd dog    14. Great Britain   

Subjects:  1. Christianity    2. Christianity - Christian Life - Social Issues    3. Church And Social Problems    4. Church work with gays    5. Counseling    6. Gay Studies    7. Homosexuality    8. Lesbian Studies    9. Religion    10. Religion - Ministry & Pastoral Resources    11. Religion - Pastoral Care / Counseling    12. Religious aspects    13. Religion / Counseling   

Subjects:  1. Gay Studies    2. Photo Techniques    3. Photography    4. Subjects & Themes - Erotica    5. Subjects & Themes - Nudes    6. Erotic art   

Reviews (5)

A CRYING SHAME -- A PUBLIC SCANDAL
Scholarship of this magnitude deserves to be, and should have been, published by one of ourmajor university presses -- Oxford University Press, Yale University Press, Harvard University Press -- the list is long.That is was not so published is a public scandal.After numerous, unconscionable rejections by major publishers JESUS AND THE SHAMANIC TRADITION OF SAME-SEX LOVEfinally found the light of day through Suspect Thoughts, a "press for connoisseurs of transgressive, intelligent literature."What it transgresses is the massive, unconscious -- or semi-conscious -- conspiracy of silence about the recent discoveries of the origins and errors of Christianity.That conspiracy prevail because the churches are unable to cope the truth. "You shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free" said Jesus.The truth is making men free, but it is scaring the churches to death.What scares them is the truth about the connections between sex and religion that recent scholarship have uncovered, and they cling to untenable dogma like drowning men clutching at straws. The sound of revolution are in the street, and the churches cannot shut it out. The revolutions brought on by the 18th century Enlightenment pale by comparison with the revolution now underway.One of our more level headed leaders of that revolution is Will Roscoe, and what he tells us leaves the establishment frighten out of its wits.The pews stand empty.The churches are going out of business.The very fabric of Western civilization, as my book BE DONE ON EARTH demonstrates, is decadent and under stress.And the establishment cannot save itself by sticking its collective head, ostrich like, under the sands of media babble.Another Bastille Day is dawning.Right on Roscoe!

RITUAL NOTIONS OF ONE FLESH, ONE SPIRIT
A great read for anyone willing to court the notion of a shamanic healing ritual that involves passing spirit from one person to another through nudity and touch to become one flesh before separating into two bodies.This is NOT a gay tantric sex manual.It is a study of Jesus in history, religion, and literature in the light of shamanistic healing.It explores the implications of historical scripture version suppression...as in the suppressed version of the Gospel of St. Mark. It suggests a hierarchy of mystical baptisms...implying what Catholic and ProtestantChurches have to offer are ...if not lacking... at the very least, fundamental. Seek ye the Truth and the Truth shall set you free.

Earliest Baptisms and Their Possible Effects
In "Jesus and the Shamanic Tradition of Same-Sex Love", Will Roscoe suggests that baptism is a Christian adaptation of some shamanic rituals in which a spirit passes from one person to another.There are cults in which the two individuals, one with a spirit, are nude and touch, with or without sex, to become one flesh with one spirit, before separating into two bodies with two spirits.
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Subjects:  1. Christianity    2. Christianity - History - General    3. Early church, ca. 30-600    4. Gay Studies    5. Gender Studies    6. History of doctrines    7. Homosexuality    8. Love    9. Religious aspects    10. Sexuality & Gender Studies    11. Social Science    12. Sociology    13. Gay & Lesbian studies    14. Religion / General    15. Religious social & pastoral thought & activity   

Editorial Review

It is wonderful and weirdly fitting that one of the jacket blurbs for this work of social anthropology is by sex educator and former porn star Annie Sprinkle. Just as there is nothing dry or remote about Annie Sprinkle's delivery, there is nothing dry or remote about Don Kulick's. In fact, this may be the most readable and engaging study of transgenderism to surface in years. For seven months in 1994, Kulick lived in a household of "travestis"--Brazilian male prostitutes who live as women. He constantly tape-recorded their casual conversations, whether on the street soliciting customers or in their small rooms in the ghettos of Salvador, and has been able to trace the motivations behind their behavior and body modifications with plausibility and compassion. So absorbing are the details of the travestis' lives, as recounted by Kulick, that the reader can easily miss the author's equally acute analysis of their often bizarre transformations and of what travestis, with their exaggerated performance of "femininity," suggest about the construction of gender in Brazil. Read more

Reviews (7)

very graphic
I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up Travesti. All I knew was that I would be in for a treat just by looking at the cover.Kulick who is an anthropologist who studied the lives transvestites in Brazil as he became friends with them he got all of the inside scoop and included it in his book.He talks about the travestis that come from Italy to do business in Brazil where these things are more acceptable.Some of the people he interviews talk about how they started in the business, they talk about the ups and downs of their jobs. I found some of the stories to be very graphic.The lives of these men are sometimes beyond their choice of living. Some of them believe they were born into it.The stories are very realistic and in some cases tragic.I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone whose clsed minded.However if you find it initeresting to read about the harsh realities of the world then this is the book for you.

O bicho pegou!
I found this book to be very well written and, in several instances, it made me long to return to my anthropological studies at NYU.Had I only been a curious reader I probably would have found this book brilliant, but my reading was shaded by the fact that I personally know many travestis in Salvador (Peruco, Xuxuca, Kit Mahoney, Angelica) and therefore found the exclusion of several things to be particularly odd.
An Excellent Anthropological Work -- Worth the Read
Don Kulick provides an excellent example of anthropologists dealing with the tough issues of gender and sexuality research. He demonstrates how connected anthropologists become to those they study; and further challenges us to consider closeness, concern, and friendship with our informants as methodologies that speak not only to our own humanity as anthropologists but also to the humanity of our communities of study.I have used this book to teach introduction to cultural anthropology course and it is a perfect blend of theory, narrative, and insight which keeps students engaged and asking the difficult questions of conducting cultural anthropological research. I applaud Kulick and thank him immensely for his work!GET A COPY :) ! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Brazil    2. Case studies    3. Gay Studies    4. Gay/Lesbian Nonfiction    5. Gender Studies    6. Human Sexuality    7. Male prostitutes    8. Popular Culture - General    9. Salvador    10. Social Science    11. Sociology    12. Transvestism    13. Transvestites    14. Anthropology    15. Social Science / Gender Studies   

Reviews (15)

Assumptions, Lies, Deliberate Reality Gaps and Wishful Thinking
The stuff contained in this book ranges, as the saying goes, from the ridiculous to the sublime. Mr. Miner states a great deal of what he says as if it is fact, rather than merely his (very wishful) opinion. He says, for instance, that "Lot knew the men of Sodom much better than any of today's fundamentalist preachers do. And it's obvious he believed the crowd outside his door was predominantly heterosexual. Why else would he offer his daughters?" It is NOT "obvious" at all that the crowd was predominantly heterosexual. The author conveniently leaves out the very distinct and far MORE obvious possibility that a great many of the people of Sodom were BIsexual, in which case, offering them his daughters, despicable as it was, would have made plenty of sense. Note, please, that even though my argument makes far more sense than what the author says, I am here using the terms "could have" and "possibility," whereas the author of this book states his case as if everything he is saying isfactual. Mr. Miner says elsewhere that "Since the Middle Ages, Christian theologians have viewed this story as a blanket condemnation of homosexuality. They have perpetuated the idea that Sodom was destroyed for its sexual wickedness and that the proof of this wickedness was the desire of the men of Sodom to have homosexual sex." Mr. Miner is again stating his opinion as if it is fact. In fact, Sodom was not destroyed only because of sexual perversion, but rather, as Paul says in the New Testament, because the Sodomites TOOK PRIDE in their perversions. Note, please, for instance, that today's homosexuals are participating in yearly "Gay Pride" Parades. It is true the Bible does not say that homosexuality is a worse sin than adultery, incest or murder, but nowhere in the world that I know of is anyone yet holding yearly "Adultery Pride" or "Incest Pride" or "Murderer Pride" parades.
Encouraging, sound review of Scripture
This book was a Godsend for me. I grew up in a faith that was very condemning of the feelings I quite naturally experienced. As a result, I was very unhappy for years, even marrying and divorcing as a result. After my divorce, while searching for guidance, I happened upon this book and found the answers I had sought for so many years. The authors make a logical, reasoned argument for their affirming position that addresses common points of contention for people of faith. My only complaint is the somewhat hoky writing style that seems to be a way of making the book as casual and conversational as possible. However, this is a vast improvement over the other books that I have read, which are so steeped in intellectual dissection and examination that they confused me and left me with no "ammo" for later discussions. This book lays out understandable evaluations of Scripture that are easy to understand and even easy to recall during later discussions. Thank God for this book! It said all the things I knew but couldn't articulate.

God loves and blesses us all
This is a detail review of both the condeming and affirming references to Same-sex Relationships in the bible.
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Subjects:  1. Bible - Study - General    2. Christianity - Christian Life - Sexuality    3. Religion    4. Religion - Biblical Studies    5. Religion / Christian Life    6. Sexuality & Gender Studies    7. Social Science / Gay Studies    8. Bisexuality    9. Christian life    10. Christianity    11. Gay Studies    12. Homosexuality    13. Homosexuality and Christianity    14. Religious aspects    15. Social Science   

Subjects:  1. Current Affairs    2. Gay Studies    3. Gays in popular culture    4. Gender Studies    5. Homosexuality    6. Homosexuality in art    7. Homosexuality in motion pictur    8. Homosexuality in motion pictures    9. Lesbian Studies    10. Mass Media    11. Public opinion    12. Sociology    13. Cultural studies    14. Current Events / Mass Media    15. Film theory & criticism    16. Gay studies (Gay men)    17. History of specific subjects   

Editorial Review

In a dizzyingly short period of time, homosexuality has gone from being the love that dare not speak its name to the one that shouts it. Refreshingly, in this wide-ranging discussion of the moral and political status of homosexuals, Sullivan, the gay former whizbang Read more

Reviews (15)

Stimulating and enjoyable, but don't forget the salt
In this book, Sullivan divides and defines the political views on homosexuality into 4 views - the prohibitionists, the liberationists, the conservatives, and the liberals (the other reviewers have adequately summarized the 4 views, so I shall not add my own). He goes on to posit his view that all public (as opposed to private) discrimination against homosexuals be ended, particularly in the areas of marriage and the military.
Very poignant
Homosexuality has been been getting a lot of publicity in the last few years - and even more so in recent weeks, with the election of a gay bishop to the Episcopal church, and the subsequent discussion of gay marriage.With so much talk nowadays, it is important to be informed. Gay and Normal
Author Andrew Sullivan's book is a breath of fresh air in the field of gay studies.Mr. Sullivan present different viewpoints on the subject of homosexuality (Prohibitionist, Liberationist, Conservative and Liberal) To present any argument you must understand the position of your opponent and I welcome the chance here ( in this book) to do that.Read more

Subjects:  1. Gay Studies    2. Gay/Lesbian Nonfiction    3. Gender Studies    4. Homosexuality    5. Lesbian Studies    6. Social Science    7. Sociology    8. Social Science / Gay Studies   

Reviews (6)

Weaknesses and Problems, but overall, not too bad...
Mondimore's book, now rather dated as it was published in 1996, is ambitious and manages within the space of such a short volume to cover a great deal of content.It provides both a survey of the history of homosexuality and homoeroticism as well as an exploration of its biological and psychological roots, delving into the construction of homosexual identities as well.Accessible and well written, it is in general, a very good primer on the matter.Such praise notwithstanding, several problems in Mondimore's treatment require attention.
An agreable discovery of facts
I've just finished reading Dr. Mondimore's book. Since I am more familiar with literature and the arts there was a large spectrum I was quite ignorant of. I am Mexican and eventhough I was quite aware that the Aztecs really hated what we now call homosexuality, I was pretty ignorant of other othre views of this pehenomenon in other pre-Hispanic cultures.
The Best General Work on Homosexuality I've Encountered
As a lesbian fascinated with lesbian and gay studies and history--and having participated in the making of some of it--I was more than interested in reading Dr. Mondimore's book.What I found was a book with overall balance, an excellent general source of information.I would recommend this book highly to heterosexuals, especially family members striving to deal with the homosexuality of a loved one.I would recommend it to the lesbian or gay seeking a better, broad-based understanding of themselves, their history, and the things which shape and influence them.Above all, I would recommend it to the person or group harboring an antihomosexual prejudice, be it from religious, cultural, or personal beliefs.Read more

Subjects:  1. Gay Studies    2. Gay/Lesbian Nonfiction    3. Gender Studies    4. General    5. Homosexuality    6. Psychiatry - General    7. Sex (Biology)    8. Social Science    9. Sociology    10. Architecture / General    11. Cultural studies    12. Gay & Lesbian studies   

Reviews (13)

History at its Finest

A treasure chest of forgotten lore
This book was preceded in my conciousness by high critical praise and so I approached it with great expectations. And in great part it met these expectations. Fresh Thinking About Gay History
Chauncey's book offers serious and original thinking about queer history and about general urban history as well.Freed from the myths that have persisted about the place of homosexuals in U.S. society, the author paints a new portrait of what transpired just before the turn of the last century and into the early decades of the 20th century.Read more

Subjects:  1. Gay Studies    2. General    3. History - General History    4. Men's Studies - Masculinity    5. Sociology    6. 20th century    7. Gay studies (Gay men)    8. Social history    9. USA   

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Customs & Traditions    3. Gay Studies    4. Human Sexuality    5. Intimacy (Psychology)    6. Love    7. Psychology    8. Social Science    9. Social structure    10. Sociology    11. Anthropology/Ethnography    12. Cultural Studies    13. Gay & Lesbian Studies/Queer Th    14. Gay & Lesbian studies   

Reviews (10)

A Passion for Soap Operas
The Q Guide to Soap Operas is an enjoyable ride through the world of soap operas. Author, Daniel R. Coleridge, has a lifelong passion for television, particularly daytime dramas, and he enthusiastically shares it with the book's readers. Filled with facts and fun quizzes to test one's knowledge, I found this book to be an informative, seductive look at the soaps.

Soaps with a raised eyebrow...
Just finished Daniel Coleridge's book, The Q Guide to Soap Operas, and found it lots of fun. I'd always thought I wasn't much of a soap fan, but I got a kick out of the cover and decided to indulge. Mr. Coleridge's style is funny, sassy and very well informed. He made unfamiliar subjects come to life, pointed me in the direction of some hunks and divas worth getting to know, and made me realize that in spite of my doubts, I AM a soap fan... Now how do I tell my friends and family?

It is great you should all buy a copy
I thought it was a great book. Very funny and informative. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cinema/Film: Book    2. Film & Video - General    3. Gay Studies    4. Performing Arts    5. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    6. Popular Culture - General    7. Television - Guides & Reviews    8. Gay & Lesbian studies    9. Performing Arts / Film / General    10. Television   

Reviews (2)

Amazing resource for building family
When I was writing the first edition of my "Choosing Single Motherhood" book, I wasn't aware of the earlier version of this book. Now that I am, I am making a special effort to include mention of it in the newest edition of my book. It's an amazing resource for women who want to understand the ins and outs of donor insemination, including an excellent chapter on what is involved in using a known donor: what sperm tests reveal and why it's important, the fact that fertility can be enhanced, the questions and conversations both parties need to have, and a really comprehensive look at the medical issues that enhance anyone's insight into how to best prepare forthis choice.

Excellent for all women considering donor insemination
I've been reading every book I can find about donor insemination and this is the best I've found.Whether using fresh, frozen, known, anonymous, at home or assisted by medical practitioners, medicated or not, this book has useful information for decision making, social/emtional issues and nitty gritty physical information.
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Subjects:  1. Child Care/Parenting    2. Family & Relationships    3. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    4. Parenting - Child Rearing    5. Pregnancy & Childbirth    6. Family & Relationships / Child Care    7. Lesbian studies    8. Pregnancy, birth & baby care   

Subjects:  1. Gay Studies    2. Individual Photographer    3. Photo Techniques    4. Photography    5. Subjects & Themes - Erotica    6. Subjects & Themes - Nudes    7. Erotic art   

Reviews (2)

Excellent biography that goes far below the surface
The author of Going to Heaven is a life-long Episcopalian who is part of the Diocese of New Hampshire, so she is able to offer a lot of additional details about the process of electing Gene in this fascinating book. But what I loved most about the book is that it's not a salacious account of some flash-in-the-pan controversy; instead, it's the spiritual biography of a thought-provoking, deeply prayerful bishop.
Gene Robinson and the Power of Love
As soon as I finished reading Elizabeth Adams' biography, Going to Heaven:The Life and Election of Bishop Gene Robinson, I gave thanks.As a lifelong supporter of human rights, a clergy wife and committed Episcopalian, I was grateful that the biography taught me so much.It taught me more about Bishop Robinson, the man, than all of the news coverage, feature articles and specials that have swirled into the popular press since the announcement of his election. It taught me about Gene Robinson, the gay man, and all that that meant for this individual.It taught me about Gene Robinson, the reluctant poster child for gay rights, and the history of the gay rights movement in the states and in the world.It taught me about Gene Robinson, the committed clergyman, and the inner workings of the church I call mine.I gave thanks, believing that Adams wrote the book with people like me in mind.
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Subjects:  1. 1947-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography And Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Christianity - Episcopalianism    8. Clergy    9. Episcopal Church    10. Episcopal Churches    11. Gay Studies    12. Gay clergy    13. New Hampshire    14. Religious    15. Robinson, V. Gene,    16. Anglican & Episcopalian Churches    17. Biography & Autobiography / Religious    18. Biography: general   

Reviews (6)

Missing the Truth
Dover reopened in Greek Homosexuality (1978) the study by classicists of a subject disdained since 1933, when Hitler crushed the German Homosexual Emancipation Movement.However, Sir Kenneth denigrated Greek pederasty by claiming that it was merely lustful.He hypercritically refused to use sources dating from after the 4th century - even Plutarch's Lives, which, like the works of Lucian and Diodorus, notoriously cited and paraphrased lost classical sources, which themselves often relied on earlier oral and written accounts.This simplified the crotchety don's task and distorted his conclusions.His "book" is really a collection of four essays.The longest and most original are about erotic vases and a seamy lawsuit involving a kidnapping.How such a skimpy selection of sources could be expected to yield a valid thesis defies reason.
The Original History of Man-Boy Relations in Antiquity
When one considers that male-male relations had their dominant Western etiology in Greece antiquity, it's only natural to look back to the ancient records and artefacts to illustrate and examine how these relations existed in their antique form. What we see is probably different from what we expect.
Simply unreadable...
Once again I have to disagree with every other reviewer.
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Subjects:  1. Ancient - Greece    2. Gay Studies    3. Gay/Lesbian Nonfiction    4. Gender Studies    5. Greece    6. History    7. Homosexuality    8. Homosexuality and art    9. Law and legislation    10. Lesbian Studies    11. Social History    12. Social Science    13. Ancient Greece    14. European history: BCE to c 500 CE    15. History / Ancient / General