What do you think?
Rate this book
Dick for a Day: What Would You Do If You Had One?
Not since Kafka's Gregor Samsa awoke to discover that he'd turned into a cockroach has literature addressed such a traumatic transformation. In order to compile Dick for a Day , scholar and feminist Fiona Giles approached hundreds of well-known writers, poets, artists, actresses, and academics and asked them to express what they might feel if they abruptly found themselves genitally altered.
From Terry McMillan to Jennifer Blowdryer, from Patricia Cornwell to Linda Sexton Gray, we find unexpected answers: hygienic, erotic, metaphysical, and even spiritual. By turns playful and sociologically profound, Dick for a Day is a milestone in sophisticated humor and feminist literature.
From Terry McMillan to Jennifer Blowdryer, from Patricia Cornwell to Linda Sexton Gray, we find unexpected answers: hygienic, erotic, metaphysical, and even spiritual. By turns playful and sociologically profound, Dick for a Day is a milestone in sophisticated humor and feminist literature.
304 pages, Paperback
Published February 25, 1997
2 people are currently reading
142 people want to read
About the author
Fiona Giles
11 books1 followerFiona Giles is an Australian scholar and feminist, currently teaching in the Deptartment of Media Studies and Communication at Sydney University. She is also a freelance writer recently published in The Bulletin; Meanjin; Australian Way; Australian Author; and HQ. She has regular media appearances on 'Beauty and the Beast' for Foxtel and Channel 10.
Fiona is the author of Chick For A Day, Dick For A Day, Melanie , From The Verandah and Too Far Everywhere: The Romantic Heroine in 19th Century Australia
She lives in Sydney with her partner and two sons.
Fiona is the author of Chick For A Day, Dick For A Day, Melanie , From The Verandah and Too Far Everywhere: The Romantic Heroine in 19th Century Australia
She lives in Sydney with her partner and two sons.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 17, 2022
setting aside that the prompt was (purposely?) imprecise and many respondents conflated sex and gender, almost all of the most incisive answers were the shortest. had they been collected and packages, it could have been a solid feature in interview magazine. of the longer pieces, the best is pat califia’s, one of few that seriously and thoughtfully considers the queer implications of the question. tldr: i’m so glad it’s no longer 1997
June 27, 2010
What a hoot! Entertaining for the most part, the poems left me dry and at least 2 stories were written by really angry women who I wouldn't like to meet and a few really got into the whole penis for a day premise - some erotic and one or two bordering on sci fi/fantasy . While I've given it 3 stars ~ it doesn't compare to my usual 3 star rating it is more of a 2 but funny..(I find the 2-3 star position difficult to decide). I think we should have 6 stars to rate from.
Interestingly Margaret Wertheim who wrote "Pythagoras' Trousers: God, Physics, and the Gender Wars" has a piece in "Dick for a Day", it seems to be lifted straight out of "Pythagoras...etc" mourning that physics is the last bastion of male power.
Thinking about this further decided to re rate it. Now it's a 2. Just ok. Except for two short stories the actual writing for the most part wasn't worth writing home about.
Interestingly Margaret Wertheim who wrote "Pythagoras' Trousers: God, Physics, and the Gender Wars" has a piece in "Dick for a Day", it seems to be lifted straight out of "Pythagoras...etc" mourning that physics is the last bastion of male power.
Thinking about this further decided to re rate it. Now it's a 2. Just ok. Except for two short stories the actual writing for the most part wasn't worth writing home about.
June 22, 2007
I hate this book! Granted, it's been nearly 10 years since I read it, but I still remember the rage I felt when I read this. Most of the authours couldn't come up with anything other than "I would piss with my penis," or "I would find a woman to fuck with my penis." Well sure. Of course I would try pissing standing up, and I would want to have sex with my new body part, but I think I would be less predetory about figuring out how to go about that.
I guess I was hoping that the writing in this book would be more creative, more revolutionary. Instead, I found it very (what I think of as) frat boy.
Oh, and I found the essay by Pat Califia to be downright hostile to heterosexual women.
I just can't suggest that anyone waste there time with this book.
I guess I was hoping that the writing in this book would be more creative, more revolutionary. Instead, I found it very (what I think of as) frat boy.
Oh, and I found the essay by Pat Califia to be downright hostile to heterosexual women.
I just can't suggest that anyone waste there time with this book.
February 19, 2013
I've had this book on my shelf since I first signed up with Shelfari but did not review it. I came across it in my personal library and remembered how much fun the book was and decided to give it a well-deserved review.
The premise of the book is as follows: "What if a woman could try one (a penis) out for a day? To what uses might it be put? What mischief and adventures, or simple opportunities to inhabit new space? What object lessons for its everyday owners, the men we love? (taken from Fiona Giles' introduction).
A surprising array of women answered the question, some in detail, some with humor, some with poetry, some with deadly seriousness. The respondents include many well-known women and I was, frankly speaking, surprised not only by who responded but by the nature of some of the responses. To say the least, many responses are eye-opening, perhaps even shocking.
One thing this book is not and that is boring. Dick For a Day, from its provocative cover to its final entry, a short story by Catherine Texier is a captivating read. It is a guilty pleasure. It is versatile in that one can just keep it by the loo and read a few entries while doing one's business, or it can be picked up and read cover-to-cover in a single sitting. I advise against that approach. It tends to demean the many and varied responses. All the responses are worthy of your time and your consideration.
I love this book. It takes what could be a playful, even silly question, one that could even be used as a party game, and results in a rather serious book.
I love this book. I let people read it in my home, but I won't lend it out. Get your own copy. It is available on Amazon, although the price has gone up by five dollars since I purchased it. I consider Dick For a Day to be an important volume in my collection of feminist literature. I do urge you to get your own copy and have at it from whatever perspective you find appealing.
The premise of the book is as follows: "What if a woman could try one (a penis) out for a day? To what uses might it be put? What mischief and adventures, or simple opportunities to inhabit new space? What object lessons for its everyday owners, the men we love? (taken from Fiona Giles' introduction).
A surprising array of women answered the question, some in detail, some with humor, some with poetry, some with deadly seriousness. The respondents include many well-known women and I was, frankly speaking, surprised not only by who responded but by the nature of some of the responses. To say the least, many responses are eye-opening, perhaps even shocking.
One thing this book is not and that is boring. Dick For a Day, from its provocative cover to its final entry, a short story by Catherine Texier is a captivating read. It is a guilty pleasure. It is versatile in that one can just keep it by the loo and read a few entries while doing one's business, or it can be picked up and read cover-to-cover in a single sitting. I advise against that approach. It tends to demean the many and varied responses. All the responses are worthy of your time and your consideration.
I love this book. It takes what could be a playful, even silly question, one that could even be used as a party game, and results in a rather serious book.
I love this book. I let people read it in my home, but I won't lend it out. Get your own copy. It is available on Amazon, although the price has gone up by five dollars since I purchased it. I consider Dick For a Day to be an important volume in my collection of feminist literature. I do urge you to get your own copy and have at it from whatever perspective you find appealing.
January 4, 2015
Very interesting collection offering differing points of view of how it would be to suddenly sprout a penis for a day. Some of the first stories in the collection were humorous even as they were steamy. Some in the middle were completely boring, though it was interesting to see the different ways the ladies came up with to explain how the dick suddenly materialized. Some found that more than just their lower anatomy changed male and others just saw it as an add-on toy for a day. The later essays/stories came from a much more political frame of reference such as ‘Jook Sing and the Dragon’, ‘Superdick’ & ‘Hanging with Sanjay’ that made me think. As for me, there is a certain level of curiosity to understand the sexual drive of a man but I think I’d want to return the thing long before my 24 hours were up unless it was detachable and had self-motion and knew the right spot to stroke for me.
October 28, 2009
I read this book in one quick sitting. It was at times disturbing and at other times it was hilarious. If you had a penis for a day, what would you do with it? A common theme was that the women would feel a sense of sadness (Poppy Z. Brite would even MOURN) when the penis would disappear at midnight. The answers to the actually question, however, varied fully. There was even some "interesting cock art" included in the book, for those of you that are more visual learners. Overall, I was disturbed but the book's quality was above average and it was definitely entertaining.
March 11, 2013
A premise I discuss (probably far too) often, yet this collection was neither humorous nor titillating enough to ever really enthrall me. There are probably a couple essays that I would consider assigning in a gender studies class, but even they aren't really "pleasure" reading. Maybe it wouldn't be worth having a dick for a day after all!
December 3, 2008
Fifty female authors are asked what they would do if they had a penis for one day. The obvious scenarios are presented.
Apparently there's a companion piece entitled "Chick For A Day", but I'm not so interested in that one.
Apparently there's a companion piece entitled "Chick For A Day", but I'm not so interested in that one.
March 18, 2008
I read this one many years ago, for a Gender Studies class in college.
It's an interesting concept based on an interesting question, but it didn't quite deliver in the end.
There's a joke there, somewhere, but I'll let someone else take it.
It's an interesting concept based on an interesting question, but it didn't quite deliver in the end.
There's a joke there, somewhere, but I'll let someone else take it.
September 22, 2010
This had a great essay about how the lives of many female scientists and mathematicians could have been different with that little extra something. Like, maybe they could get a Nobel prize or something.
March 3, 2013
sometimes funny and silly, sometimes sadly enlightening about the dark notions we harbor of the opposite sex and what we think they think about us. a quick read that makes you ponder gender roles without taking it too seriously
February 26, 2015
I was underwhelmed. I have way more ideas than I encountered in the book. I hope I'm not more creative than these authors, or the future of books looks bleak. I had some good laughs, but expected more I think.
May 28, 2015
Disappointing. The idea behind this book had so much potential but the execution was sadly underwhelming. There were a few bright spots but mostly it was page after page of women fantasizing about peeing, wanking, and fucking.
June 11, 2015
OK, so I skimmed it. So sue me! What I read wasn't bad. Not bad at all.
July 15, 2013
Can I just say how much I love Poppy Z. Brite?
This book is a bit of a mixed bag (or should I say sack? *heh*), but enjoyable overall.
This book is a bit of a mixed bag (or should I say sack? *heh*), but enjoyable overall.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews