Encounters With Men

i wanted to like this book so bad. i chanced upon it at a queer book store and flipped open to "The Artist", which was a short, beautiful, gut punching vignette that convinced me to give it a chance. unfortunately the rest of the book lacks consistent spark for me. Encounters with Men reads like you'......more

i am going to be thinking about this book -- and the people detailed in it -- for a long, long time. encounters with men is such a moving, sometimes-funny-sometimes-wistful but always thoughtful work of writing about a life that i feel grateful to read about. bob ostertag is punk as hell and writes......more

This is fiercely intelligent series of personal essays explore the intersections of queer sex, cross-cultural hookups, lefty politics, bodies, AIDS, and masculinity through the an examination of the men who've traipsed through Ostertag's long and varied life. I devoured the whole thing (except one l......more

I love Bob's latest book. It is a real page-turner. Many of his stories bring memories of my own encounters with men, or those I wish had happened. He is good at being honest without putting any self-importance to himself, and thus reading his book feels like having a warm conversation with him. Int......more

Very detailed exposition of Bob’s ~encounters~ over the years. Repetitive at some points and quite somber given the subject. However there are some really good life lessons in this one.......more