The Gay Man's Guide to Heterosexuality

Offers a humorous look at the inexplicable habits of heterosexuals and includes answers to such questions as "What are they carrying in all those minivans?" "Why are their dogs so big?" and "Why do show tunes scare them?"

Anthropology comes in many guises, and while many Westerners earlier in the 20th century may have been thrilled to read about the mating habits of the folks of Samoa, we, as a culture, have become somewhat more sophisticated. That is why A Gay Man's Guide to Heterosexuality is a vital and important book.

Taking their cue from Thorstein Veblen's classic The Theory of the Leisure Class, which used traditional anthropological methods for examining the lives of the rich and entitled, C.E. Crimmins and Tom O'Leary have put together a guide that explains (for the clueless queer) why straight people act the way they do. From heterosexual food (Cheese Whiz, Pringles, Tang, and Rice-A-Roni) to heterosexual music (Loretta Lynn, Smashing Pumpkins, AC/DC) to heterosexual casual wear (nylon black socks, funny tweed hats, and leather sandals with white socks), the authors explicate how the other 90 percent live. While not all the jokes are laugh-out-loud funny, there are a dozen or so on a page, so you never go long without at least a sustained giggle. Blatantly homo-chauvinistic, A Gay Man's Guide to Heterosexuality uses humor and gay wit to explain how all of us live today. --Michael Bronski