Manhood: The Bare Reality Kindle Edition

This is not a quick read. For the most part, it is the stories of each man as he more or less described what manhood means to him. It is British, so some of the terms may be unknown outside Europe. Some had terrible childhoods that left them scared, and trying to find a way forward. Others were early on confused as to their sexuality and how they came to terms with who they were. Some had medical issues which impeded their enjoyment of sexual relations. Others were confident with their manhood, and had rewarding experiences. Some were in there only marriage, and others with multiple divorces in their past. Some stayed close to their children, and others got separated forever from their children. The stories cover a wide range of human experiences, told through the lens of being a man. There is also a wide range of adult ages, many of middle age or older. Yes, some discuss what size means to them, from the whole range of sizes, as does it really matter?

I love this book for so many different reasons. For starters I was very sheltered growing up and men absolutely elude me. It’s very intersesting to read about the lives and “livelihood” of various types men, and see how they view their masculinity.Secondly, the presentation is amazing. You get vauge information about the men from their genitalia (it’s a penis, it won’t tell you much) but I was led to draw conclusions, that is until I read the text and was able to disconnect from the image and the person. It’s very refreshing to read in such a way, because instead of knowing who this person is, they will tell you.Some is very depressing and makes me wonder about the consicencses of pushing masculinity on boys and men. Some is exciting and some is very insightful. I’m positive not all men think just like this book, but these 100 men are leading a path to discussing real issues and real thoughts.All in all, I think it’s a good read for anyone who is curious about other people, curious about men, or want to explore journalistic writing styles.Very good read, and I look foreword to finding more books like this.

I saw this book in The Guardian and thought it would help me understand men better; as a cisgender heterosexual female, men really stump me a lot of the time. I am not aware of other books like this out there. Also plan to use it as a "display" for the values-based adult sexuality classes I facilitate. Essays are short, interesting. Pictures certainly add interest (who knew how many men shave their pubes?!) But I had to delete one star just because this is written and edited in the UK, and a lot of the slang is lost on me as a US reader. A glossary would have been a big help. Of course you can look terms up on the internet...

This is an okay collection of photos, which I acquired for the simple purpose of not always using myself as the model! I expected much larger, in-your-face dick pix. As it is, it’s useful. Someone will get this topic photographed and printed correctly, one day. Hints: (1) various angles and (2) varied degrees of ‘inflation’!

I agree with a previous reviewer: the idea is great and the stories are mostly interesting, but the quality of the photos and the text are merely mediocre. I find the text (font) challenging to read.

I heard about this on talk radio and the book isn't what it looks like. It is really different male perspectives and it is good reading for women to know what different men think about their bodies. The radio show said this would be great for every teenage boy so they know they are not the only ones with those same thoughts. Very well written individual stories of males mostly in England.

Wish the pics were bigger, and was printed in better quality, but the stories are good and a good coffee table book for discussion

I enjoyed reading this book but wish that I had known that all of the men involved were from England.

A refreshing approach to dealing with a fairly taboo subject, with a wide variety of flaccid penises (penii?!) presented, along with the views of their owners.In criticism, compared with Laura's previous work on women's breasts, the format & presentation of this book is not so polished - paperback book, slightly smaller size & the photos seem more like snaps, rather than the well presented photos in her previous work - these all tend to make it feel a less open presentation. Also, the text is not so structured as the women's contribution, which I think is a disappointment. There could well be an argument for the presentation of an erect penis photo alongside the flaccid one, given that this is a normal state for the penis; perhaps there is too much taboo around this - as well as the censors pen, to make it a viable proposition though.Similarly to the breast book, the participants seem to be largely white & British? Contributions from other nationalities, cultures & people of colour would be desirable.Good, but could be more bold!

I'm not even halfway through this book but I'm quite happy to give it five stars! To read about these men's relationships with modern masculinity, other people, friends, lovers and family, as well as with their own bodies, is a truly enlightening look into what it is to be a man in the 21st century. I would urge anyone reading this review to look past the 'eww!' factor that a book containing 100 pictures of full frontal male nudity, and actually read what these men have to say. Some of them will make you laugh, some will make you cry. If you are a woman, some of it will make you question your beliefs and perceptions about the inner world of men, and of how certain ideologies portray us. If you are a man, all of it will make you realise that no matter how you feel about your body, and what it is to be a man, that you are not alone.Laura Dodsworth, I salute you! Thank you for giving us such a wonderfully eye-opening book!

There are one hundred pictures of willies in this book - each with two or three pages written by its owner. At first I started reading the book cover to cover but I found that a bit too much due to the unfamiliar nature of the material. Now I am reading it a bit at a time - a Willy a day! The flaccid state of all the willies is said to represent the vulnerability of the people opening up with their stories. I think people need to understand that if men really open up to others about their deepest things then this is what it will often look like - like they are opening up about sex.

Very interesting to read how men feel about their 'manhood'. What a fascinating range of both pictorial and written views of the penis. I felt sad about the way some men have been victimised either by parents or friends or even lovers. As a woman, I wonder if women feel the same about their 'lady bits'? I know this writer has done a book about breasts, but would she consider another book about women's relationship with their most intimate parts? Good value for money.

Really good. Should be issued to all men so they can see that erectile dysfunction is just part of life, and lots of us women don’t mind. There’s more to a loving sex life than an erection, that’s more the icing on the cake 😊 Also all chaos seem to want a bigger penis, no matter how big the one they have is! Again, not all women want something huge, we want the whole man involved, not just a few , inches