A Mind of Its Own: A Cultural History of the Penis
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Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Written By: David M. Friedman
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 573.656
EAN: 9780142002599
ISBN: 0142002593
Label: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 376
Publication Date: 2003-01-28
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Studio: Penguin (Non-Classics)
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Editorial Reviews for A Mind of Its Own: A Cultural History of the Penis
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Setting out to "make intellectual and emotional sense of a man's relationship with his defining organ," David Friedman moves from highbrow to lowbrow in this lighthearted but substantive cultural history. Successively viewed as a life source, a symbol of a sacred covenant with God, an emblem of shame, an instrument of domination, a mere prop for the pharmaceutical companies, and finally, as simply a means of penetration-the penis has always been at the core of Western man's (and woman's) cultural evolution. With such luminaries as Leonardo da Vinci, Sigmund Freud, Walt Whitman, and Norman Mailer marking their territory on the subject, A Mind of Its Own is an intelligent and often hilarious account of man's complicated bond with his closest friend.
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Consumer reviews:
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Customer Rating:  
Summary: interesting historiography
Comment: *A Mind of Its Own* started off fantastic, opening with how witches were burned for having contact with the "devil's rod". However, the book's ending wasn't quite as great, concluding with impotence and Viagra.
Friedman presented how the penis was viewed, throughout history, through various lens: historical, social, religious, psychological, medical and feminist. My only problem with this book was that the last half was mostly medical (Freud, psychology, psychoanalysis, penile reconstruction, testicular transplants, impotence, etc.). So, the end became a little dry.
There were a lot of information and tidbits that I didn't know about the penis. I'm sure that we're familiar about the Greek and Roman's view on and culture around the penis. However, there are so much more to know about these people. The pagan and the religious views were interesting as well. It was amazing to see that the early Christians had numerous dialogues on the penis, especially the semen.
I was very interested in reading about the history of the correlation between penis size and race. This wasn't about how a race or an ethnic group have been stereotyped on their penis size. It was more about the white view of the black penis and how they responded to it.
The feminist view on the penis was enlightening. I've always wanted to know exactly how it started and it pretty much made sense. However, it was interesting to see how the penis have divided women among themselves, despite them being avowed feminists.
I think there are so much more that Friedman could have covered in the cultural history of the penis. I wish that Friedman had included the pop cultural view of the penis. I can only think of one example that Friedman did. He mentioned Robert Mapplethorne's (sp?) (who was gay) controversial photo of a semi-erect black penis. Speaking of gay, I'm surprised that Friedman didn't bring up the homosexual view of the penis.
Nonetheless, you're going to read about so many people who have made a contribution or an impact on the penis. Such people are Da Vinci, Thomas Clarence, Freud and so many more. If you've always been curious how the penis have been viewed throughout history, then this book is for you.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Comment: I learned a whole lot about the history of the Penius that they don't tell you anywhere else! And I'm only in Chapter 2! Nicely written and easy to follow. Reads like a story rather than a weighty text book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Got Penis?
Comment: Ok, those who get squeamish over penis need not apply here. This book is covered in it from cover to cover, and men and women alike will find this an interesting dissection of it. The author gives us a history lesson in the penis from ancient times to the current day erectile dysfunction boom. He focuses quite a bit on Mr. Frued, obviously for the fact that this man was penile fixed and injected his theories right into modern day psychology textbooks. I found the most interesting part regarding the racial penis, as it was a new look at racism in America and abroad.I was a bit disappointed that the book didn't include much pop culture regarding the penis. However, the areas the author chose to look at were very appropriate and provided new insight on that organ both men and women find fascinating.
Customer Rating:
Summary: More Than Expected
Comment: I had seen this book on Amazon before and by-passed it, thinking that it would be little more than an anthology of dick stories, past and present. Do not make that mistake. This is a well-researched book that investigates the religious, scientific, racial, political and psychological dimensions - pun intended- of the penis throughout Western History, from Ancient Greece to Viagra. On the other hand, do not fret that it is a dry tome;the author presents the material in an entertaining manner with just the right amount of ribaldry. So interesting is the book that I read the entire 300+ pages in two sittings.
Customer Rating:
Summary: a wonderful and wonderfully thorough book
Comment: it's not often i pick up a non-fiction book as engrossing and entertaining as this one. it was like a novel i didn't want to put down until i finished it. friedman presents a wonderfully detailed overview of, as the title promises, the cultural history of the penis. this includes the place of the penis in religious history, freudian psychoanalysis, feminist theory, racism, and psychopharmacology. the author provides enough background and context that it's like reading a well-constructued primer on each of those subject areas. most highly recommended!
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More Information on A Mind of Its Own: A Cultural History of the Penis
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