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Rating:  Summary: An Extremely Anthropological Disection Of The Male Psyche Review: I've read a number of books dealing with this genre, but this was (by far) the most dry. It is extremely clinical, and reads more like a doctoral dissertation than a book. That's not to say that there weren't some interesting points made in the book, but you REALLY had to dig through the anthro jargon.Franks cites other source a lot -- more than any other book I've read. Nearly every paragrah refers to an exterior source. I found this a little distracting. Overall, I'm not sorry I read the book, but be prepared -- it does not wisk you along -- you really have to fight to glean Frank's points.
Rating:  Summary: An Extremely Anthropological Disection Of The Male Psyche Review: I've read a number of books dealing with this genre, but this was (by far) the most dry. It is extremely clinical, and reads more like a doctoral dissertation than a book. That's not to say that there weren't some interesting points made in the book, but you REALLY had to dig through the anthro jargon. Franks cites other source a lot -- more than any other book I've read. Nearly every paragrah refers to an exterior source. I found this a little distracting. Overall, I'm not sorry I read the book, but be prepared -- it does not wisk you along -- you really have to fight to glean Frank's points.
Rating:  Summary: Of course this is clinical! Review: K.F. did write her dissertation on the topic of this book. This book is more for anthropology/sociology students than for the general public. I had to read it for a class and had no escape from it. I would have gladly stopped after the first chapter since the rest of the book recycled the same topics and ideas anyway.
After reading several ethnographies, with all their technical terms and dissections, well, this one was way too tedious to enjoy compared to the rest. Seems like Frank really wanted to prove she was a stripper just for the research and overcompensated with complicated language and anthropological theories instead of applying common sense.
Good for anthropology students who want to make an interesting topic boring as hell.
Rating:  Summary: Understand the book for its actual theme Review: While this is obviously adapted from academic material, Frank uses her experience as an exotic dancer to dig into the question of why men frequent strip clubs. I'll grant that, superficially, this is a darned easy question to answer. Still, one of the real strengths of the book is that Frank was able to see past her academic preconceptions and discover an emotional terrain that was not what she anticipated. The standard feminist analysis (male power and domination of women) didn't shed much light on male motivation. She considers a range of possible agendas, from the obvious to the esoteric, and never settles on a trite or doctrinaire analysis. The book keeps feeling like its on the verge of a profound insight but it never seems to find it. Frankly, even though the author wasn't trying to focus on the women who work as exotic dancers, it was fascinating to learn the tricks and scripts used to create the illusion of intimacy and authenticity.
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