Talking Cock

Richard Herring is a stand-up comedian but he is clearly a gifted writer as well. In Talking Cock he discusses some of the most off the wall topics with empathy and humor. I actually learned from this book while laughing my ass off. We are so enslaved to stereotypes and yet we are all so unique and different. Richard Herring takes a stab at stereotypes and challenges us to allow men to be who they are instead of what society says is typical and normal. I came away from this book loving men even more than I did before. There seems to be no topic he is unwilling to take on and he does it with style. I absolutely love Richard Herring and am anxiously waiting for his new book How Not To Grow Up to come out in the US. My copy of Talking Cock has been lent out and will probably not be back in my library for some time. This is definitely the kind of book that is fun to talk about with your friends...and lover.

Herring, Richard. "Talking Cock", Decapo Press, 2004. Here's to the Penis Amos Lassen Richard Herring is the self proclaimed expert on the penis. In this book, he defends the penis from the maltreatment is has received in the past and from the jokes about it. He answers all questions about the penis--sexuality, circumcision, and odd behavior and he gives us a detailed history of the male sexual organ. Herring pays attention to the differences between the sexes and he maintains that all people regardless of gender and sexuality should not care about the size of the penis but should more emphasis on what we all have in common. We should not be separated by the penis but we should revel in one another and thereby make the world better for all people. The book is both informative and funny. Herring conducted surveys on his website and gives us the answers that were given to him regarding the penis. He also looks at the gay perspective of the penis and shows that gay men do not regard the penis in the same way that straight men do. Some regard the book as a response to "The Vagina Monologues" and I am not sure that that is fair. Although not thoroughly scientific, there is a great deal in this book. It is only partially serious but it is a fun read.

I happen to work with a talking cock and all to often have great trouble understanding what the hell Phil is talking about. When I saw this book I thought to myself "great an aide memoir in Philism's and Phil'o'babble" so snapped it up without reading a page first. However buy in haste and repent at leisure I did not. It's actually quite good, a balanced look at the myths, social standings, science and humour surrounding the penis, an honest look at a sensitive subject. Although a book to help understand Phil would be great, I am happy to read this whilst waiting for the nice folks at Linguaphone to publish a set of books and tapes in Philistani.

I suspect that it was mere whim that drew my eye to the spine of this book in a local bookseller's shop, but once I had seen it, I had to buy it. I'm certain I startled more than I few people as I began to read it in the Ikea cafeteria, laughing out loud often and uproariously as I did.Mr Herring has done the world a great service in this book. As he has noted, it is far too easy for others to merely note the differences between men and women, but Mr Herring not only notes our differences, he goes on to convince the reader that all people, men and women, gay and straight, should start caring less about the size and other particulars of a favorite organ, and more about what we share in common. Men and women need not stand on separate sides of a wall erected by penises. We can exult in one another and in so doing, make the world a better place for us all!