Title: Why Do Men Have Nipples? Author: Mark Leyner & Billy Goldberg, M.D. Publisher: Three Rivers Press Publish Date: 2005 Pages: 217 Genres:: Non-Fiction, Compilation, Sexual Health/Men, Sexual Health/Women Reviewer: Layla Tichtchenko

Rating:

The duo Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg, M.D. create an entertaining and informative work in Why Do Men Have Nipples? They suffuse this work with a blend of insight and medical knowledge, while answering questions that many people wouldn’t even think to ask. Leyner and Goldberg write for the inquisitive mind that soaks up useless information. Because, if it’s trivia you want, then it’s trivia you’ll get. They break the book down into categories that coincide with the different aspects of life, all the while explaining each section from the point of view of a night at a party and all the subsequent conversations that arise from that party.

Goldberg details the events of a party he and his co-writing partner attended. As the party moves forward, so does the book. He touches on sexual curiosities with little known facts and food concerns. It’s quite the quirky combo between doctor and writer in this quick read, although it could have been done without the interjections of their IM conversations. They were slightly amusing but it was distracting to read facts and then have the interruption of a sample from their many conversations. Perhaps if he’d described these exchanges in a smoother manner, it would not have caused such a break in the flow of the language.

The topics are presented in Q&A format. Unavoidably, some medical lingo is included. Even so, they found a way to make the jargon amusing and explained things in plain English as well. Why Do Men Have Nipples? provides non-medical minds with interesting subjects to mention at a party and perhaps many interesting conversation starters.

Full of info on everything from food to flatulence, Goldberg and Leyner understand the times we live in as being an age of independence and inquiry. There’s something in here for all levels of curiosity and nuggets of information to benefit just about any mind. It also fosters further curiosity as some topics are fascinating enough to be researched and read about. It’s a good source of info to dispel myths and urban legends of yore, many of which follow us into adulthood. Plus, there’s the added satisfaction of being able to finally tell your mother just how wrong she’s been all these years.

Many books like this are cropping up, and it provides many avenues to gain specific knowledge we may be seeking. We do not only adapt, but we also choose to learn. Why DoMen Have Nipples? and similar books are an advancement in the human psyche and proof that we continue to evolve. Despite the annoying insertions of the authors’ IM sessions throughout the book, it had many amusing anecdotes and refreshing rhetoric. I would recommend this book to all knowledge seekers and curious individuals in all walks of life.