3.60

3

Jun 08, 2017

This book is full of weird questions and myths. The author is a doctor who explains why some things happen and why some things are myths. The book is a good sense of humor. However, I listened to this on audiobook and it was read by the author and he was monotoned the whole time. I really struggled through this book.

1

Jan 08, 2008

You know, this book is funny. Leyner is writing it. Therefore it is funny. It is really a 3 star book. But I'm punishing it with one star. Why?

Leyner is a modern genius. Tetherballs at Bougainville is a masterpiece. My Cousin, My Gastroenterologist is also a masterpiece. I waited SEVEN long years for him to write something else. Seven long years of silence. But market forces or focus groups or the Devil himself or Americans with hunger for medical trivia have responsibility for this book where a You know, this book is funny. Leyner is writing it. Therefore it is funny. It is really a 3 star book. But I'm punishing it with one star. Why?

Leyner is a modern genius. Tetherballs at Bougainville is a masterpiece. My Cousin, My Gastroenterologist is also a masterpiece. I waited SEVEN long years for him to write something else. Seven long years of silence. But market forces or focus groups or the Devil himself or Americans with hunger for medical trivia have responsibility for this book where a far better book should be instead. This book, Why Do Men Have Nipples, coauthored with Billy Goldberg MD, sold more copies than all of his other great works combined. As far as I'm concerned, this kind of coffee table dogshit is keeping one of the best writers in the world from writing work of substance. I don't know who introduced Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg MD, but if I ever find out, I'm getting my revolver.

You know, I'd love to read his followup book, Why Do Men Fall Asleep After Sex. I really would. But I will not buy it. The thirst for this kind of shit and the Svengali Billy Goldberg MD are collectively inhibiting one of the best writers in America. And I cannot be party to that.

If you want to read it--if you really must read it--I will give you my copy. Or check it out from the library and snicker at it like a 4th grader looking up profanities in Merriam-Webster. But God help you if you buy this book! If you do, you are potentiating stupidity, inhibiting genius, and hurting America. Nice work, asshole. ...more

2

Nov 30, 2007

Did I miss something here? I read the whole book (okay, ALMOST the whole book -- I admit I skipped over the nonsensical instant messaging transcipts that seem to make up the bulk of the text, as well as the silly chapter intros) and I wasn't floored. Or even wowed. Or even that impressed.

There's nothing in this book that you can't find out on your own with an Internet hookup and a brain cell or two to rub together. Most of it is rehashed medical journal articles, and the rest is puffery. And a Did I miss something here? I read the whole book (okay, ALMOST the whole book -- I admit I skipped over the nonsensical instant messaging transcipts that seem to make up the bulk of the text, as well as the silly chapter intros) and I wasn't floored. Or even wowed. Or even that impressed.

There's nothing in this book that you can't find out on your own with an Internet hookup and a brain cell or two to rub together. Most of it is rehashed medical journal articles, and the rest is puffery. And a lot of it was ridiculous! Any mom can tell you that YES, sugar makes kids act up -- even if it isn't scientifically "proven." Any teenager can tell you YES, you can pop certain kinds of zits with virtually no ill effects (what was this weirdo story about causing abcesses in your sinus cavities by squeezing your pimples??? I have NEVER in my 38 years heard of such a thing).

The book seemed to be written more for the authors' enjoyment and entertainment than anything else. Parts of it were downright rude, and the rest was either worthless or unbelievable. Sorry to be so harsh, but I really expected more. ...more

1

Mar 15, 2008

Totally lame. I thought it would be interesting. But mostly they just ask a bunch of interesting questions.. and manage to make the answers boring. Probably because a lot of the time the answer is like "we aren't sure" and then they make some smarmy dick jokes about it. They are like... unclever fratboys (is this redundant?). And they are adults (one is a doctor, allegedly), so it's even more unnaceptable. I'm not even giving this non-fiction shelving because, it was mostly just smarm-tastic Totally lame. I thought it would be interesting. But mostly they just ask a bunch of interesting questions.. and manage to make the answers boring. Probably because a lot of the time the answer is like "we aren't sure" and then they make some smarmy dick jokes about it. They are like... unclever fratboys (is this redundant?). And they are adults (one is a doctor, allegedly), so it's even more unnaceptable. I'm not even giving this non-fiction shelving because, it was mostly just smarm-tastic commentary. ...more

5

Sep 01, 2008

I picked this book up a couple of years ago because the title was just too good to pass up. "Why Do Men Have Nipples? Hundreds of Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini" was a quick and hilarious read. Fascinating questions like "Why does sweat stink and stain?" and "Why do people seem more attractive to you when you are drunk?" are just two of the burning questions presented. Surprisingly enough, the answers (OK MOST of the answers) are truly given from the medical point of I picked this book up a couple of years ago because the title was just too good to pass up. "Why Do Men Have Nipples? Hundreds of Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini" was a quick and hilarious read. Fascinating questions like "Why does sweat stink and stain?" and "Why do people seem more attractive to you when you are drunk?" are just two of the burning questions presented. Surprisingly enough, the answers (OK MOST of the answers) are truly given from the medical point of view.

After reading this book, I can only wonder at the parties the author/s have been going to. Of course, having occasionally (in the far, far past of course) fallen victim to tipsy (OK, drunken) ponderings, maybe I can understand...but I would hope I'd never ask a stranger. If you enjoy this book (and I certainly did, as did my teenagers) then you need to pick up the sequel "Why Do Men Fall Asleep After Sex? More Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Whiskey Sour." ...more

2

Jan 05, 2008

I was disappointed with this book. I'd heard it was so funny, and had some sort of wisdom or at least interesting information. NPR adored it, of course.

I don't think the two authors are funny at all, especially the "gross" stuff (see the recipe for snot); a lot of the questions were idiotic (Can you die from chasing pop rocks with coke) or not compelling (who, when they have a doctor all to themselves at a party for a half hour or so, would really choose to ask Should you starve a fever and I was disappointed with this book. I'd heard it was so funny, and had some sort of wisdom or at least interesting information. NPR adored it, of course.

I don't think the two authors are funny at all, especially the "gross" stuff (see the recipe for snot); a lot of the questions were idiotic (Can you die from chasing pop rocks with coke) or not compelling (who, when they have a doctor all to themselves at a party for a half hour or so, would really choose to ask Should you starve a fever and feed a cold?); many of the answers were vague and pointless (regarding the above, "There is no clear answer here."); and the writing is clumsy and reads like a first, not final draft, but tries to be clever which just makes it worse. There's an air of arrogance to these guys, especially the doctor, who deigns to impart wisdom to us mere mortals. The one thing I thought was remotely funny was in another sophomoric, frat-boyish attempt at gross-out humor, a list of euphemisms for "to vomit": "uneat." Good thing you can skim this sucker in an evening. There's a sequel, but I don't think I'll bother. ...more

3

Jan 13, 2010

I hadn’t realised it when I started reading this, but I know Mark Leyner. He is the guy who wrote The Tetherballs of Bougainville, a book that is quite unlike any other. I have never written a review of it, I think I would need to read it again to do that. The problem is that I doubt I could ever do it justice. It is very funny, even if it is a deeply strange book.

This book is a collaboration between Leyner and a doctor called Billy Goldberg. The impression given (and I guess the running joke) I hadn’t realised it when I started reading this, but I know Mark Leyner. He is the guy who wrote The Tetherballs of Bougainville, a book that is quite unlike any other. I have never written a review of it, I think I would need to read it again to do that. The problem is that I doubt I could ever do it justice. It is very funny, even if it is a deeply strange book.

This book is a collaboration between Leyner and a doctor called Billy Goldberg. The impression given (and I guess the running joke) is that Leyner is effectively ripping off Goldberg as Goldberg is the doctor with all the answers to all of the questions while Leyner provides the comic relief. Some of it is even a bit funny (although they repeat some of the jokes a little too often). The book is divided into more or less serious answers to questions and then asides that are nearly as irritating as adverts on commercial television.

This is like a documentary that has been made assuming that meatheads are going to be watching it and so feels compelled to add lots of stuff about sex and alcohol and endless fart and tit jokes. Don’t get me wrong, no one is too old or too young or too intelligent for a good fart joke, but I felt talked down to and taken for granted as a reader far too often for any of this to be truly amusing.

Which is a pity, as it is a fantastic idea for a book. You have a doctor at your disposal and you get to ask him all of the sorts of questions you would only ask a doctor after you have been drinking with him for a few hours. And some of the questions are really great – everything from does eating chocolate cause acne (no) to can you lose a contact lens in the back of your eye (no) to is there a relationship between shoe and penis sizes (no) to can they test hair for drugs (yes).

So, while the information in itself ought to have been interesting enough to make the book worth reading, the style it was written in quickly became tedious. This was a real pity, as I read another book recently called This Will Kill You: A Guide to the Ways in Which We Go that was what this book ought to have been and so easily could have been.

Look, it wasn’t awful, but once I realised who Mr Leyner was I had such high hopes for this book that it was a shame they weren’t really met.
...more

2

Jan 19, 2015

Normally, this is the kind of book I love. Weird trivia, weird humor--what's not to love. But, in the end it wasn't all that funny. The trivia wasn't very fascinating. That just leaves weird.

I absolutely hated the format of this book. At the beginning of each chapter, the two co-authors have printed a transcript of their instant messaging. I suppose that might be a good idea if they discussed writing the book or wrestling with which trivia to include but many of the transcripts read like this: Normally, this is the kind of book I love. Weird trivia, weird humor--what's not to love. But, in the end it wasn't all that funny. The trivia wasn't very fascinating. That just leaves weird.

I absolutely hated the format of this book. At the beginning of each chapter, the two co-authors have printed a transcript of their instant messaging. I suppose that might be a good idea if they discussed writing the book or wrestling with which trivia to include but many of the transcripts read like this: "You there?" "I'm here. Let's name this chapter Sexpots and Despots" "Did despots have sex a lot?" Really fascinating stuff. NOT!

Also, the trivia here was not written about in a way to be interesting to the reader. It's a collaboration between a doctor and a humor writer so it should be hilarious, but the medical mumbo jumbo was over my head a lot of time and then I found I didn't really care enough to look further into it. And the humor writer was just about the unfunniest person I've ever read.

The only thing that saved the book from being a "one-star" read was the few bits and pieces of interesting and relevant trivia. Still, it's like mining for gold in a big batch of dirt. Skip this altogether if you only want to know the answer to the title--you can easily look it up on online. ...more

4

Mar 18, 2011

Hilarious!

While reading this book I found my self thinking about the most ridiculous things (mostly about how funny it would be if farting was contagious) and laughing out loud all alone like a crazy person. To explain the contagious fart fantasy (fantasy is totally the wrong word here!) hahaha.. but anyway a section was trying to explain why yawns were contagious and then listed several things that we should be very happy are NOT contagious.. and farts was the one that stood out to me.. haha. Hilarious!

While reading this book I found my self thinking about the most ridiculous things (mostly about how funny it would be if farting was contagious) and laughing out loud all alone like a crazy person. To explain the contagious fart fantasy (fantasy is totally the wrong word here!) hahaha.. but anyway a section was trying to explain why yawns were contagious and then listed several things that we should be very happy are NOT contagious.. and farts was the one that stood out to me.. haha. This book had little side notes of comedy all through it and I really enjoyed reading it. I was shocked to learn several facts I have been preaching are not true! (my bad) haha..

Spoiler Alert:

Did you know?.... That what you eat doesn't give you pimples, salt doesn't make you bloat, carrots do nothing to improve eye sight,and peeing on a jelly fish sting actually makes it worse not better...

I'm glad I no longer have to live my life eating bland foods for fear of pimples and water weight and I can stop hoping to cure my bad eye sight the "old fashion way" hahaha.

Great little read! ...more

1

Jul 11, 2010

I'm resigned to the fact that I'll go to my grave not knowing the answers to certain mysteries of life, e.g., how did GW get elected the second time, what kind of childhood trauma leads to one enjoying foie gras ice cream, and so on. Add to this list the fact that there are 200+ people on goodreads who gave this book 5 stars, i.e., they thought this book was "amazing." Well, I found this book amazingly bad. The most interesting aspect of the book: the questions. The answers are so-so. But the I'm resigned to the fact that I'll go to my grave not knowing the answers to certain mysteries of life, e.g., how did GW get elected the second time, what kind of childhood trauma leads to one enjoying foie gras ice cream, and so on. Add to this list the fact that there are 200+ people on goodreads who gave this book 5 stars, i.e., they thought this book was "amazing." Well, I found this book amazingly bad. The most interesting aspect of the book: the questions. The answers are so-so. But the most annoying parts are the idiotic interludes, which to me seem like the product of a mind in the process of a psychotic breakdown (and I don't mean the interesting kind; just full of random, rambling, moronic non sequiturs). Frankly writing this review was the most enjoyable aspect of the book! ...more

1

Aug 21, 2015

A great concept gone bad. The authors think they are hilarious -- they are not. They are often so busy laughing at themselves they take forever to get to the answer. Then the answers are short, very medical, and not always helpful.

2

Nov 15, 2017

This is perfectly fine for what it is. Most of these questions are not ground breaking so I didn't really learn any new information and I found the humor a little bit ridiculous, even for me.

2

Sep 02, 2015

1. A list of factoids with minor explanations (may be interesting to a lot of people) - alrightish (3 stars out of 5)
2. Humor in the explanations - so so.
3. Fillers: description of a party and chat logs - did not add absolutely anything to the book.

2

Mar 28, 2011

A trivia book with facts mostly relating to medical matters. Some questions are interesting---It is bad to crack your knuckesl? Are yawns contagious? Does marijuana really help glaucoma---and some are less so. Of course, each reader may find their own likes and dislkies among the questions.

You can skip the parts where the two authors are talking to each other--it is supposed to be funny and is not.

A mildly interesting, odd book--worth skimming through once.. Might make a cute gag gift for any A trivia book with facts mostly relating to medical matters. Some questions are interesting---It is bad to crack your knuckesl? Are yawns contagious? Does marijuana really help glaucoma---and some are less so. Of course, each reader may find their own likes and dislkies among the questions.

You can skip the parts where the two authors are talking to each other--it is supposed to be funny and is not.

A mildly interesting, odd book--worth skimming through once.. Might make a cute gag gift for any friend in the medical professions.

Borrow it or find it used--it is not worth the $13.95 price tag. ...more

1

Aug 08, 2015

There are not "hundreds" of questions in this book. At most, a few dozen.
The answers are neither detailed nor interesting. You can find out much more just using Google.
The authors claim to be a doctor at "a well-known teaching hospital" (yeah? Which one? And if you really are, why not name it?) and a "successful" screenwriter (whose TV series was cancelled after episode three).
As for "humour"--well it left me cold. I didn't smile even once. Their idea of "humour" seems to be strictly There are not "hundreds" of questions in this book. At most, a few dozen.
The answers are neither detailed nor interesting. You can find out much more just using Google.
The authors claim to be a doctor at "a well-known teaching hospital" (yeah? Which one? And if you really are, why not name it?) and a "successful" screenwriter (whose TV series was cancelled after episode three).
As for "humour"--well it left me cold. I didn't smile even once. Their idea of "humour" seems to be strictly middleschool boy stuff about drinking and belching and acting stupid in public. Oh, and they don't drop names of the "well-known" people they hang with. No, they drop the names of restaurants they eat at.

I guess if you're a New York guy, you might find this funny. Calling yourself a doctor doesn't make you one, and calling yourself a comic doesn't make you funny, either.
Zero stars. ...more

1

Aug 01, 2011

Note subtitle: questions you'd only ask your doctor after your third martini

The first time I saw this book, I was legitimately curious about the answers. After finally getting around to reading it, I am sad to say I was disappointed on many levels:

- the questions asked were kind of lame, and most of them (including the title question) have already been answered by the most wonderful source of knowledge, howstuffworks' podcasts. I did however get a few things cleared up, like what foods cause Note subtitle: questions you'd only ask your doctor after your third martini

The first time I saw this book, I was legitimately curious about the answers. After finally getting around to reading it, I am sad to say I was disappointed on many levels:

- the questions asked were kind of lame, and most of them (including the title question) have already been answered by the most wonderful source of knowledge, howstuffworks' podcasts. I did however get a few things cleared up, like what foods cause what colors of poo and whether or not drafts cause colds

- depth of answers: unlike my darling podcasts, the authors seem to have defined the target audience of their booms as easily amused, drunk, and vaguely curious dude. Aka, the guy at the cocktail party that actually does ask doctors these kinds of questions. The answers are appropriately terse and cocktail party appropriate, that is, skipping over the science part and not nearly interesting enough to match the questions.

- quality of writing: the two authors of the book are an ER doctor in New York and a television writer. Their collaboration is legitimately awful and actually features long transcripts of their IMs that are intended to be funny. They are not.

The bonus of this awful piece of work is that it's short and can be digested in a few hours. Small price to pay for a few bits of esoteric knowledge.
...more

2

Apr 23, 2018

Feeling under the weather, I searched the bathroom-read list for some fun, but this book is hardly funny. The authors tried too hard, and I can't believe their editor let them use those IM fillers.

4

Feb 05, 2018

I read the sequel to this book, Why do Men Fall Asleep During Sex when it came out in 2006. I always meant to come back to this one (published in 2005) but never did. ..Asleep.. I bought as an airport book as both books had been huge smashes and I only at that time put together it was that Mark Leyner.

Leyner put out a couple of novels and some short story collections in the 90s which made it look like he was going to be one of the premier writers of his time (and I think it is still fair to say I read the sequel to this book, Why do Men Fall Asleep During Sex when it came out in 2006. I always meant to come back to this one (published in 2005) but never did. ..Asleep.. I bought as an airport book as both books had been huge smashes and I only at that time put together it was that Mark Leyner.

Leyner put out a couple of novels and some short story collections in the 90s which made it look like he was going to be one of the premier writers of his time (and I think it is still fair to say he is). It is interesting to see all the reader reviews of these books and the vitriol at Leyner. In retrospect, for whatever reason, Leyner took off a decade from fiction. He has only recently returned to it. Also, clearly I feel that Leyner should not be begrudged for making money to allow him to write whatever he likes later on.

Although this type of "bathroom reader" will always have an appeal, there was probably no better time for it than when it appeared to go straight to the top of the book charts. That period of roughly 2003-2007 was a heyday for a new kind of hypermasculinity. It was born out of metrosexuality, but pushed into a different direction. So we got it: Maxim, Mens Health, Crossfit, Tom Leykis, Axe Body Spray, Dr Drew Pinsky, UFC, Spike TV, Tucker Max, Joe Rogan, the Man Show, Muscle Milk, and Barney Stinson. You can guess where most of this stuff landed 10-15 years later and we won't go there, but the point is part of what came out of that was a concern for men and their health, which certainly feeds into the macho posturing of these books.

The other factor was the days of Web 2.0 and a search for knowledge inspired by the internet. Now, this wasn't always a noble pursuit, but certainly we were allowed to search out questions that we might be too embarrassed to ask You know like "Can you breastfeed with fake boobs?". It was reflected in the popularity of websites like The Smoking Gun, Snopes, the Straight Dope, HowStuffWorks, and ultimately of course, Wikipedia. Although these sites are still popular, their novelty has worn off abit. Still, they speak to some of the stuff that interests and sometimes titillates us. Now, of course, we have unlimited internet access and we have all spent hours upon hours jumping from one wikipedia article to the next and watching endless YouTube footage.

Still, I think the two factors combined at a time to make sure these books sold well. I think they would do fine today, but certainly it was released at the right place and time.

So the book itself? The book has a lot more of Leyner's popularity than I remember the sequel having. Maybe it's because it' s the original. Still, you can't miss out on the Leynerisms. Both books have interludes that are Leyner and Goldberg instant messaging each other. i know some people find these asides annoying, but they are usually pretty funny. Again, you get some prime Leyner.

The questions are pretty good. Some are urban legends, others old wives tales, some prurient locker talk. Most of them things you want to know.

The answers are mostly good. Some will find them too short or frustratingly incomplete ("science hasn't concluded" or "it just is"). Not everyone has the same interests so it's probably smart to keep it snappy, though.

This is a very quick read and without a doubt, a total bathroom reader. I read this as an ebook after reading the sequel in paperback form. In any case, it very light reading and you will be finished in no time. The ebook really made me feel like it was pretty small, but the experience was much the same as the physical form. In any case, I doubt many people would finish it in an afternoon, though certainly they will finish it in two or three afternoons.

I am probably a sucker for this book for a variety of reasons. I suspect many people would feel the same. If you are in that group, then check it out. ...more

3

Aug 15, 2019

The reviews I read didn’t make this sound promising at all but this wasn’t a bad read. Some of the IM sections seemed a little unnecessary but I can well and truly say I’ve learn a fair number of things from this book.

3

Apr 25, 2017

We had to read a humorous book for Book Club, so I read this one. Question and answer format about all of those weird things you have heard about your health. Is that really true? Some yes, some no. It was a quick read with some interesting info. You could read one page or a whole chapter.

2

May 14, 2019

"people pursuing the perfect poop has been an everlasting quest.."

Lol

Mediocre book with funny answers to some odd questions

4

Mar 06, 2016

When I read the negative reviews about this book on goodreads, I expected something much worse than what I actually got. Apparently, most people grab this book expecting a comedy experience mixed with few funny/bizarre medical facts, but they get disappointed finding out that the narrative is plain science. I don't personally care if the answers for the book's questions seems boring or unsatisfying for some people, all that matters is that they are completely scientifically accurate. Since the When I read the negative reviews about this book on goodreads, I expected something much worse than what I actually got. Apparently, most people grab this book expecting a comedy experience mixed with few funny/bizarre medical facts, but they get disappointed finding out that the narrative is plain science. I don't personally care if the answers for the book's questions seems boring or unsatisfying for some people, all that matters is that they are completely scientifically accurate. Since the questions answered by the author are some of the most interesting ones you could think of, I don't really see how could anyone dislike this book.

However, it still has few issues. Comedy felt really cliche for the most part; it seemed like the author was trying so hard to be funny that he had overdone it, like a lot of times. The jokes in the chapter intros were especially cheesy. Also, frankly and as someone who has never been to the united states these jokes were largely obscure to me, they seem to heavily rely on local culture, and for a significant part it felt like I had no idea what the hell I was reading.

Still, these intros added an enjoyable and lively atmosphere to the book, they also helped smoothing the transition from each chapter to the next one. I also have to admit that the book managed to be actually hilarious few times around, not by the author's comic imagination though, but rather by the astonishing stories of the dumb patients he receives. A good example could be the section of; "CAN YOU LOSE A CONTACT LENS IN THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD?".

Overall it is a nice and enjoyable book, but it could have been better off without the humor part. ...more

4

Jun 12, 2012

This book, Why do Men Have Nipples written by Mark Leyner, has a title that begs you to pick it up and skim through it just out of curiosity. So, let me warn you now, if you sample this book or thumb through it, you will want to buy it. Just doing a basic Q & A would have been dry, boring reading so our author and his source- Billy Goldberg, M. D. added a generous helping of humor and included a few of their conversations during and after each chapter. The topics covered include burning This book, Why do Men Have Nipples written by Mark Leyner, has a title that begs you to pick it up and skim through it just out of curiosity. So, let me warn you now, if you sample this book or thumb through it, you will want to buy it. Just doing a basic Q & A would have been dry, boring reading so our author and his source- Billy Goldberg, M. D. added a generous helping of humor and included a few of their conversations during and after each chapter. The topics covered include burning questions such as - Does it really take seven years for gum to digest? What causes ice cream headache? Why does spicy food make your nose run? And of course - Why do men have nipples? Topics range from these to a chapter on sexual questions, Should you put steak on a black eye, Drugs and Alcohol ( Can poppy seeds make you test positive for herion ) Bathroom humor ( this was really gross), Are TV medical shows accurate, and old wives tales, and aging. ( Why are old people bad drivers, what's up the ear hair) The embarrassing thing is that I have heard some of these questions from time to time and believed the standard answers without a doubt, such as bread absorbs alcohol, and warm milk helps you sleep. The answers will surprise you. This book is only a little over 200 pages but worth the money. Great conversations can come from reading this book out loud to your spouse, friends or co- workers. There are some laugh out loud parts. Some of the conversations held between the authors and their spouses etc were a little too goofy and silly for me, causing me skip forward to the beginning of the next chapter. Otherwise, this would have been a 5 star rating. ...more

2

Jan 26, 2013

As a physician, I read this book because I have to agree with much of what the authors suggest - folks tend to ask doctors very strange questions when they are intoxicated, especially when they are not actually in the doctor's office or at the hospital but instead at a party. I personally have been asked many of the questions put forth in this book so it was amusing to see other similar inquiries. Most of the time the answers brought back hazy memories of first and second years of medical As a physician, I read this book because I have to agree with much of what the authors suggest - folks tend to ask doctors very strange questions when they are intoxicated, especially when they are not actually in the doctor's office or at the hospital but instead at a party. I personally have been asked many of the questions put forth in this book so it was amusing to see other similar inquiries. Most of the time the answers brought back hazy memories of first and second years of medical school. Overall, I found it very amusing to read what the lay public really wants to know from their physician and the answers are accurate, if not presented in a way guaranteed to elicit laughs. The chapter on Hollywood's depicition of medically-related things was especially humorous. One criticism is the authors have some IM conversations that intervene each chapter and these are a bit distracting and seem irrelevant - the novel would have worked better if they were not there and instead there was further questions/answers. It's a quick read and I think if you read it for what it is, you'll get a chuckle and perhaps some answers to some trivia you never knew you wanted. Healthcare professionals probably would enjoy it simply to see what kinds of silly (and sometimes, sorry to say, stupid) questions actually exist out there. I mean, come on. Who *actually* believes if you swallow gum that it stays in your stomach for seven years? (not true BTW). ...more

4

Dec 12, 2009

Lordy Lord! The doubts that people get! The way to read this book is: first recollect all those little wisdoms your parents or grandparents imparted, and you believed to be true even though somewhere inside you a little voice reasoned otherwise “Don’t swallow the seeds or your stomach will grow trees” etc. Look them up in the index to see if they are listed and go directly to that page, You have waited this long..you shouldn't wait another second to see whose side Mark Leyner and Dr.Billy Lordy Lord! The doubts that people get! The way to read this book is: first recollect all those little wisdoms your parents or grandparents imparted, and you believed to be true even though somewhere inside you a little voice reasoned otherwise “Don’t swallow the seeds or your stomach will grow trees” etc. Look them up in the index to see if they are listed and go directly to that page, You have waited this long..you shouldn't wait another second to see whose side Mark Leyner and Dr.Billy Goldberg are on!
Oh it feels good to be vindicated. I imagine people calling up their parents just to tell them “I told you so!”

Or maybe not! “I love you so much more for trying to teach me the right thing, if only I’d listened to you when you asked me not to crack my knuckles, I do need good grip strength (that’s what the book says you will lose if you keep at it)!” is what you might have to tell them.

And then the next thing you do is look at the well categorized chapter index again and clear all your other doubts before you get to the doubts that other people have. Weird ! really!! And it’s not just because YOU did not get that doubt yourself! Or is it?

This is all after you open the book to the page that answers the question “Why do men have nipples?” It is something you will have to learn by reading the book yourself!
Funny and Informative read. ...more