Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Free Press (2001), 368 pages
Description
"Whether enemy or ally, demon or god, the source of satisfaction or the root of all earthly troubles, the penis has forced humanity to wrestle with its enduring mysteries. Here, in an enlightening and entertaining cultural study, is a book that gives context to the central role of the penis in Western civilization." "In A Mind of Its Own, David M. Friedman shows that the penis is more than a body part. It is an idea, a conceptual but flesh-and-blood measuring stick of man's place in the world. That men have a penis is a scientific fact; how they think about it, feel about it, and use it is not. It is possible to identify the key moments in Western history when a new idea of the penis addressed the larger mystery of man's relationship with it and changed forever the way that organ was conceived of and put to use. A Mind of Its Own brilliantly distills this complex and largely unexamined story."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Aerow
A very smart, historical book on the evolution of phallic thought and meaning. This books takes you from ancient history through Christiandom, Freud, racialism and size, feminism, and the curing of erectile disorder in the arena of urology vs. psychology.
Though I originally started this book hoping
This book explores whether the man controls his penis or vice versa, whether masculinity is a penis with a man attached or vice versa, etc. It also analyzes topics like rape, scientific experiments on the penis, penis envy, admiration of small penises in some cultures and big ones in others. If you flinch every time you've read the word "penis" in this review, then maybe you shouldn't read this book unless you wanna grow up a little. :-)
Though I originally started this book hoping
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for a light and amusing read, I actually learned a lot about historical thought and the meaning of masculinity through the ages. I enjoyed realizing the differences between Roman and Greek thought, Catholic and Protestant thought, medicinal and psychological thought, and the admiration and adversity experienced and used in racial tensions through the years.This book explores whether the man controls his penis or vice versa, whether masculinity is a penis with a man attached or vice versa, etc. It also analyzes topics like rape, scientific experiments on the penis, penis envy, admiration of small penises in some cultures and big ones in others. If you flinch every time you've read the word "penis" in this review, then maybe you shouldn't read this book unless you wanna grow up a little. :-)
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LibraryThing member TLCrawford
The first chapter of David M. Friedman’s book “A mind of its own: a cultural history of the penis” explains why it is so awkward to write a book review for it. According to St. Augustine the most evil thing a person, make that a person in “western civilization”, could have is a penis.
Somehow Friedman managed to write a very interesting book on the subject without suffering from mortal embarrassment or being struck by lightening. In the book he covers many topics, the cultural origins of circumcision, the practice of castration to preserve a singers voice, full frontal castration as practiced in some religious orders to preserve their members “purity” The substitutes that female members of those orders suffered are every bit as perverse. The perceived differences in human male’s endowments based on their ancestors continent of origin is discussed in the chapter“The Measuring Stick”. In “The Cigar” Sigmund Freud’s fixation on humanities fixation with having and or losing external genitalia are examined.
The book does present a predominantly male perspective of the topic but that is not its biggest weakness. Given what western civilization has been for the last two millennia I doubt you can find any topic where the predominance of written opinion is not from a male perspective. In chapter five, “The Battering Ram” women’s opinions and evolutionary biology take center stage.
The last chapter, “The Puncture Proof Balloon” looks at the long history of medical interventions to keep men’s little friends fully functioning. Some were particularly gruesome such as grafting sections of various large mammals testicles to a humans testicle. Only in the last few decades has there been real medicinal solutions to “ED”, erectile dysfunction, first injections into the base of the failing member, then a very well known pill.
Overall the book was extremely interesting. It did have one major failure. I am almost certain that the penis is found worldwide but the book only looked at “the West’s” cultural confusions. What about the rest of the world, China, the Middle East, Mongolia, Africa, the pre-Columbian Americas, and India? Is the culture that wrote the book on sex as socially dysfunctional over the penis as we are? Are any of them?
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Well, except for a vagina, unless your name is Mary and God himself certifies you a virgin. How do you write about, even speak of, the physical representation of original sin? Somehow Friedman managed to write a very interesting book on the subject without suffering from mortal embarrassment or being struck by lightening. In the book he covers many topics, the cultural origins of circumcision, the practice of castration to preserve a singers voice, full frontal castration as practiced in some religious orders to preserve their members “purity” The substitutes that female members of those orders suffered are every bit as perverse. The perceived differences in human male’s endowments based on their ancestors continent of origin is discussed in the chapter“The Measuring Stick”. In “The Cigar” Sigmund Freud’s fixation on humanities fixation with having and or losing external genitalia are examined.
The book does present a predominantly male perspective of the topic but that is not its biggest weakness. Given what western civilization has been for the last two millennia I doubt you can find any topic where the predominance of written opinion is not from a male perspective. In chapter five, “The Battering Ram” women’s opinions and evolutionary biology take center stage.
The last chapter, “The Puncture Proof Balloon” looks at the long history of medical interventions to keep men’s little friends fully functioning. Some were particularly gruesome such as grafting sections of various large mammals testicles to a humans testicle. Only in the last few decades has there been real medicinal solutions to “ED”, erectile dysfunction, first injections into the base of the failing member, then a very well known pill.
Overall the book was extremely interesting. It did have one major failure. I am almost certain that the penis is found worldwide but the book only looked at “the West’s” cultural confusions. What about the rest of the world, China, the Middle East, Mongolia, Africa, the pre-Columbian Americas, and India? Is the culture that wrote the book on sex as socially dysfunctional over the penis as we are? Are any of them?
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LibraryThing member lavrin
excellent book
LibraryThing member Rose999
I did like it, it's kind of pop history but most of the sources were primary ones, there were many times I googled to see if the source checked out and it did, BUT there were times that some shaky history was given more weight than it should have, like the thing with Pope Jean, the myth hs already
Still i don't think the author straight up lied about anything, research was pretty throughout, he just spiced things up a bit, it's a pop science book it's supposed to be a bit salacious I suppose.
In the end I'm trying to defend the book because I enjoyed it, and I did learn a lot, nothing was talked both in deep but it was all very interesting.
My other complaint would be that sometimes the author tried to see much more meaning in some cultural aspects that anyone can objectively ascribe to older cultures or objectively recognise about contemporary culture, I would have done with a bit more of impartiality.
Still liked it, would recommend, an easy read full of interesting history, a bit biased but nothing that would fool the reader, like you know he's talking about his personal opinion sometimes.
4/5
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been debunked but in the book there is a glimmer of doubt given that has no place in a factual history book, there were more of this that I can't remember right now.Still i don't think the author straight up lied about anything, research was pretty throughout, he just spiced things up a bit, it's a pop science book it's supposed to be a bit salacious I suppose.
In the end I'm trying to defend the book because I enjoyed it, and I did learn a lot, nothing was talked both in deep but it was all very interesting.
My other complaint would be that sometimes the author tried to see much more meaning in some cultural aspects that anyone can objectively ascribe to older cultures or objectively recognise about contemporary culture, I would have done with a bit more of impartiality.
Still liked it, would recommend, an easy read full of interesting history, a bit biased but nothing that would fool the reader, like you know he's talking about his personal opinion sometimes.
4/5
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Awards
Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize (Longlist — 2008)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2001
ISBN
0684853205 / 9780684853208