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The Culture of Desire: Paradox and Perversity in Gay Lives Today | 
 enlarge | Author: Frank Browning
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: $17.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 1252612
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.5
ISBN: 0679750304
Dewey Decimal Number: 306.7662
EAN: 9780679750307
ASIN: 0679750304
Publication Date: March 29, 1994
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Condition: We ship books out daily M-F. Tracking number will be emailed when we ship. We list the majority of our books in "Good" condition. If this book had any major flaws, it would be listed in "Acceptable" condition. Easy returns if you are unhappy with book. PLEASE NOTE: We ship immediately, however the Post Office controls delivery speed. In a hurry? Please choose EXPEDITED SHIPPING. Proceeds benefit non-profit Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin Counties.
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Product Description
Is there such a thing as an American gay culture--a set of styles, values, and behaviors that arises not from ethnicity or religion but from sexual orientation? How is that culture transmitted? And how is it likely to survive the depradations of homophobia and AIDS? These questions are explored by Browning, a reporter for NPR.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 This book changed my life January 6, 2007
While it is true, that things in 2007 are far different than when this book was written, I found it to be a striking reminder of where this queer nation came from. I simply could not put this book down.
 A near-classic work of gay history and philosophy September 17, 2006
I've read Frank Browning's THE CULTURE OF DESIRE on several occasions over the years, and it is well researched and Browning's thoughfulness is a real treat. Stylistically, Browning settles into an anecdotal breeziness that is dry, direct and refreshing.
But I did have some issues - Browning sticks close to a very canonical take on all things gay, and he flirts with a certain myopia here - typical gay meccas are increasingly out of the price ranges of many gay people, and a certain shift back to the provinces is investigated here, but not with nearly enough depth. Getting out of San Fran (to a greater degree than he attempted) would have deepened this work tremendously.
Similarly, Browning is a bit more philosophically nostalgic for a bygone era of gay hedonism, and indulges in a fair amount of rehashing past pecadilloes. This is fine, but it is a touch distracting, especially when Browning attempts - unsuccessfully - to expand the hormonal behavior of available guys into some sort of sociopolitical worldview. One gets the distinct impression that Browning feels that there is one 'official' way to be gay, with a small handful of 'official' places to live, and there is precious little room for exceptions to that here.
Far from worthless, this is an often engaging, restless and thought-provoking - if also occasionally maddening - book.
-David Alston
An Incisive Analysis January 8, 2006
"An incisive analysis of what it means to be a gay man in the modern world; examines various gay communities across North America and documents the struggle of gays to define both their community values and personal identities."-- zebraz
 Hit and Miss, With Emphasis on the Hits July 22, 2001
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Frank Browning's The Culture of Desire (Paradox and Perversity in Gay Lives Today) is a series of essays exploring aspects of gay men lives (no longer quite "today" as this book is bordering on a decade ago). These essays are hit and miss but there are enough little bits of interest to keep most of the readers happy and lead them successfully through the collection. It is very anecdotal and no conclusions can be truly be drawn from this book but it is successful in showing the diversity that existed in gay America and has only continued to grow since this book. It is not an important read but can be, at times, an interesting one.
Indispensable October 25, 1999
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Smart, sexy, and as cutting edge now as when it was published six years ago, "Culture of Desire" is required reading for anyone who likes to think of themselves as informed about the state of American/Western European gay male culture (if "culture" is the right word). I have yet to meet anyone who hates this book who didn't buy it for the cover.
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