The Bear Book : Readings in the History and Evolution of a Gay Male Subculture

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Summary: Today's lecture...
Review: For those interested in gay history and subculture, this is an invaluable book. This book provides a thorough reading of the anti-stereotypical gay male, but sometimes borders on over-analyzation..

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Summary: More driblle from Les Wright
Review: Oh, more of the pseudo-intellectual self serving nonsense from Les Wright. Save your money and spend it on a good razor and some shaving cream. Grow up Les!

Rating:
Summary: More driblle from Les Wright
Review: Sure it gives you history and such, but it tends to be a dry read. If you need a "deeper understanding" of what you like and why, read it. If you are satisfied knowing what you like, then spend your money some place else.

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Summary: What is all the fuss about?
Review: Sure it gives you history and such, but it tends to be a dry read. If you need a "deeper understanding" of what you like and why, read it. If you are satisfied knowing what you like, then spend your money some place else.

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Summary: Pretty awful stuff
Review: While it's commendable that someone would try to write a book that attempts to examine the history of the bear "movement" and try to figure out what it's all about, this book is simply terrible. The "research" is not even of high school quality; for example, the article that attempts to show that bears sprung up in the United States first by tracking the dates that the Resources for Bears page was first accessed in each country -- totally laughable and unacceptable to any serious social scientist.

The portions on the history of bears are mostly San Francisco scene name-dropping, and there's no serious attempt to examine the origin of the bear "movement" by taking a look at its roots in the leather community or in Girth and Mirth. Instead, we're told that bears came about because HIV-positive San Francisco men looked at extra weight as a sign of health in the mid-to-late eighties. No proof, just assertions.

Do yourself a favour and skip this book. You can spend your money better elsewhere.