More Man Than You'll Ever Be: Gay Folklore and Acculturation in Middle America (Midland Book) - Softcover

"... a carefully balanced, academic analysis of gay humor ... The true worth of Goodwin's book is not that it makes some aspects of gay culture understandable to those on the outside, but rather that it places popular culture - which is always being challenged by minority and deviant influences - in the proper perspective." Michael Bronski, The Boston Phoenix Literary Section

No one is brought up to be gay. Lacking the formal support systems-families, schools, churches-gay men rely on their folklore in interacting with one another and to relieve the pressures of belonging to a stigmatized group. Jokes and other forms of humor, language, and personal experience narratives help gay men to identify and communicate with one another-even in straight settings. More Man than You'll Ever Be explores the uses of gay men's folklore. Whether funny or sad, poignant or shocking, each story and joke contains messages, sometimes surprising ones. Goodwin decodes some of these messages to help us understand not only the gay subculture but also ourselves.