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Comment by Amos Lassen on July 27, 2008 at 6:37am

A fun read:

Normandy, Marsha and St. James, Joseph. “The Handjob Handbook: A Work of Non-Friction” with illustrations by Arlene Schunk, Simon Spotlight Books, 2008.

There is a Book for Everything

Amos Lassen

I always thought that handjobs were kind of instinctive. Most of us did not have to be taught how to give one—it just happened and I assure you that the only thoughts anyone might have had,
had to do with getting caught in action.
I, however, must give handjobs their due. They satisfy, they are quick and they are fun and practical. A handjob relieves tension and requires
no primping or getting ready. However, the handjob has been forced to take a second seat to other sexual activates and Marsha Normandy and James St. Joseph, the authors of this little book, do not feel that is fair. They want handjobs in the place they so rightfully deserve—at the head of the list of sexual activities. They claim that “if a handjob is worth doing, it’s worth doing well”. The book provides twenty-five different techniques to make self-abuse more satisfying (and by the way, I am sure that the authors do not like the term self-abuse with its negative connotation). The book shows us how to be more creative and achieve more pleasure as we “spank the monkey” and “bleed the lizard”. The book, quite naturally, begins with the basic handjob technique and then introduces us to such exercises as “the jiffy pop”, “ants climbing up a hill”, “the twist off”. “taffy pull” and “taint misbehaving” among others. What a blessing it is to know that there are so many ways for a man to get off by himself (and the ways seem quite fun but I have only managed to try eight of them so far-.
The book is a lot of fun and it abounds in wit and playful eroticism. Yet there is a danger here. As you read, you want to try it all and I am not that young anymore (but do I wish I were).
“The Handjob Handbook” can take you to new heights in pleasuring yourself. I understand that the book was written for women but so what? We can still learn from it and reap its rewards. Just imagine asking a friend if he would like to “climb the rope” or “squeeze play” with you.
We guys know that we are born with a special toy that is fun to see and touch. Some of us are masters at masturbation but there are those that can use some help. There is a talent involved in giving a good handjob and like in music, some have an ear for it and others are tone deaf. That does not mean that there is no hope. Again, like in music, practice makes perfect (or at least a little better anyway). And remember also that a handjob is always convenient and always safe.
If your technique needs work, may I suggest you “boning up” with “The Handjob Handbook”. If you already mastered the skill, get a copy for the fun it provides.
“The Handjob Handbook" "tales a solo pursuit to new" highs and with "a little practice and a lot of passion, sexual power is easily within your grasp". Some of the sections have wonderful names such as "Gripping Details" where you learn all about pressure, setting and position and there is a wonderful section called "Handos and Handon'ts. I love the Handos--"respect the entire penis--There is more than the shaft" and "chances are he is not playing with his balls...don't let his lack of imagination constrain you" and lend a hand... or two. How about giving the penis some rhythm--pacing is paramount. A major Handon't is not to get distracted--discuss what happened at the office over dinner and not over Willy. Above all HAVE FUN. You have been given your very own toy by Mother Nature and toys are meant to be played with.

Comment by Amos Lassen on July 27, 2008 at 6:34am

One to read--this is my book of the year so far..


Fallenberg, Evan. “Light Fell”, Soho Press, 2008.

Fathers and Sons, Sex and Sexuality

Amos Lassen

Evan Fallenberg begins his literary career with a beautiful first novel, “Light Fell”. The title is borrowed from the Babylonian Talmud where the expression “light fell” appears three times and used to show that beauty and desire give us reason to reflect on the true nature of life.
Joseph Licht, a professor of literature, yearned to reconnect with the five sons that he deserted when he realized that he was in love with another man, Rabbi Yoel Rosenzweig. Written in flashback, we meet Licht when he invites his sons to come to celebrate his 50th birthday in Tel Aviv in 1996. We are then taken back twenty years when Licht, a married father of five, realizes that he is gay and falls in love with an intellectual and charismatic married rabbi. Licht left his marriage and his sons as well as his Orthodox Jewish religion to go after the man he loved. The results are heart-breaking as well as extreme—his wife is left with the ultimate feeling of loss, his sons are forced to deal with the issues of loss of self-esteem and worth and begin to embark on the roads of fanaticism to national causes and religion. While this is going on, Fallenberg gives us a look at modern Israeli life which includes peeks at academia and the gay culture of the country.
When Joseph Licht left his wife Rebecca, he also left his father and his farming community where he grew up. When he looks back at the affair twenty years later, he finds that the result of his leaving are not only still with him but with everyone that he was close to. When he plans to reunite with his sons at his apartment in Tel Aviv (which he shares with another man who is out of town), he brings up memories that affect everything that he does. In preparing for this reunion, both he and his sons are forced to confront what is, what was, and what might have been.
Yoel Rosenzweig, the object of Licht’s love did not know he was gay; he was, in fact, like Licht, married. Soon after the affair began, Rosenzweig, filled with guilt, took his own life. Licht took this loss very, very hard and ended his relationship with his wife and sons. After having lived 30 years as an Orthodox Jew, he stopped observing.
Twenty years after his affair with the rabbi, Joseph Licht is sophisticated and enjoys a good life with his Brazilian lover, Pepe. He has become a complicated person but still wavers between boy and man in many of the things that he does.
One of the amazing aspects of this novel is the way Fallenberg presents the characters that represent a cross-section of Israeli society. Licht’s sons are the new Israel as can be seen by the paths they have taken in life. One is a plumber, another, an army officer, yet another, a settler and builder, and the two others, a male model and a yeshiva student. They each have problems and, in facing their father, two decades later, they are not sure how all of this will work.
Aside from being a compelling read the book forces us to question our own lives. We live today in a world where the fields of religion, politics and science not only become one but confuse us as well. Are we totally responsible for the choices we make or does desire greatly influence our options?
Does desire influence the choices we make so much that we are blind to the results that will come? Were the choices that Joseph Licht made actually choices or were they desires that his ties to religion would not allow to surface?
It is a certainty that these questions have no easy answers, if they have answers at all. We learn that Licht sees what is going on with his sons and they, likewise, see what is going on with him. They do not all see him to the same degree but there is hope that they will reach a point of understanding for their father.
As I read “Light Falls”, I found myself in so many places in the novel. Having been raised in an Orthodox Jewish home and having feelings for other men, I escaped to Israel where I fell in love with another man and we built a life together. However, my relationship did not end with suicide but with a lack of intellectual sharing. It did however last for 17 years. During that period, while living in the established home of the Jewish people, I abandoned my religion because it did not allow me to be who I was. It was not until I returned to the States that I found my place with regards to faith. The entire concept of desire in our lives I have always questioned—primarily from an existential point of view. “Light Fell” gave some of my questions a new credibility. The book did not provide the answers that I wanted but it assured me that I have not been alone in the way that I think.
Fallenberg has given us a wonderful novel to enjoy and to ponder. His prose is beautiful and his characterization is absolutely wonderful. A book that allows me to enter the psyche of one of the characters is a joy to read. The fact that it also provides a great deal of food for thought is a special bonus that we do not get enough of today. “Light Fell” is not only a book to be read and enjoyed but it is one that I, personally, will cherish.

Comment by Amos Lassen on July 15, 2008 at 4:51am

Here is an interesting book I just read:

The Big Penis Book
by Dian Hanson
Edition: Hardcover
Price: $43.79

Availability: In Stock
21 used & new from $43.26


1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A Really BIG Book, July 9, 2008


Hanson, Dian, editor. "The Big Penis Book', Taschen, 2008.


A Really BIG Book

Amos Lassen

"The Big Penis Book" is big in every sense of the word. The book itself is big, the photographs are big and what is photographed in them is very, very big. We all know that when it comes to pleasure size doesn't matter (or so I have been told). I understand that it is quality and not quantity that counts (so I have been told). Even with that said there is something about a big penis that is mesmerizing, compelling and that arouses primal urges in gay men. A big penis never seems to go out of style unlike big lapels and big hair. It is interesting to note that only two percent of the men in the world have more than eight inches yet others spend their lives looking for them.
"The Big Penis Book" explores fascination with the big penis and we learn that it fascinates both sexes. The book has over 400 photographs of the larger penis and there are some rare photos included here. Most of the photos are not new having come from the 1970's when the sexual revolution freed photographers to be able to take full frontal nude male photographs. We have photos of Bob Mizer (of the AMG), David Hurles (of Old Reliable) and studios such as Colt, Falcon, Sierra Domingo, Third World and Champion. We see the iconic models along with information about the models.
Even though some of the photos seem a bit repetitive, this is still a book that will amaze both the eyeballs and the hormones. It is really erotic photography very tastefully done and I am sure that Dian Hanson had a great time editing this volume
I am not sure that straight women will love this book as much as gay men will. The models and the photographers seem to be all gay and not all of the men or their organs or attractive. Nevertheless, I had a great time looking and NO, the book did not make me wistful or wishful. I do just fine.