Straight Acting: Gay Men, Masculinity and Finding True Love

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 224 pages
• Published by: Kensington March 1, 2008
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0758219431
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0758219435
• Book Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Weighs: 4.2 ounces

Product Description
Fed up with the fact that men have a shorter shelf life than sushi?

Finding, let alone building, a strong relationship can still be challenging for gay men. The reason? Masculinity. All men, gay or straight, have been socialized to believe that to be overtly gay is unmanly and shameful. To compensate, many gay men adopt a macho, "straight acting" pose that blocks them from being their full selves, expressing their true feelings and forging real, lasting connections.

In Straight Acting, Angelo Pezzote (AskAngelo.com) encourages readers to go beyond limiting ideas of how "real" men should behave, and leave behind out-dated ways of being that create stumbling blocks to deeper intimacy. Drawing on his years of experience as a gay psychotherapist and advice columnist, he offers practical and thoughtful relationship strategies, with tips on subjects that include coming out, dating, how to avoid falling for a player, how to maintain a sizzling, satisfying sex life, navigating open relationships, and much more. Most of all, he delivers crucial insights on the importance of ditching the macho act and learning to be true to yourself. Whether you're single and sick of it, wanting to move closer to your partner, or wondering how to meet someone for the very first time, let Angelo show you how to get real and get him. Put yourself out there to get--and keep--the love you want.



"There is no such thing as a 'real man,' only millions of men -- straight and gay -- trying to convince themselves and others that they have the right stuff. In Straight Acting, Angelo Pezzote peers behind the curtain to uncover the human costs of this relentless masculine performance. His immediate concern is gay men, but all men who seek love, intimacy, and most of all self-respect can benefit from the honesty and wisdom in these pages." --Jackson Katz, creator of the award-winning educational film Tough Guise: Violence, Media and the Crisis in Masculinity

Reader Reviews
The photo of the author is so gorgeous, I haven't been able to move past the cover often enough to actually read much of the book. And, when I do move beyond the cover, I find any encouragement to feel better about myself as a gay man is useless because I am still visualizing the cover in my mind's eye, compare myself and feel like crap. The book's goal would be more easily realized if the author had been ugly. Damn those Italians (but thank the Goddess for them at the same time.)