Straight People: A Spotter's Guide to the Fascinating World of Heterosexuals

by Jeffery Self

The runaway success of Stuff White People Like and the popular shit-people-say YouTube videos prove one thing: people love to read about and laugh at themselves. Modeled after popular bird spotters’ guides, Straight People is an affectionate and humorous guide to the varied species and subspecies of the sexual majority: the heterosexual. In this hilarious and easy-to-use field guide, actor and author Jeffery Self compiles everything you’ve ever wanted to know about heteros including their nesting behavior, feeding and mating habits, migration patterns, key identification features, and more. Complemented with fun two-color illustrations, interactive charts, graphs, and quizzes throughout, Straight People is sure entertain readers for all walks of life.

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, LGBT, Queer

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2013

About the author

Jeffery Self is a writer and performer based in Los Angeles. He recently co--wrote and starred in "You're Killing Me", a feature film distributed by Wolfe Releasing. He was the co-creator and star of "Jeffery and Cole Casserole" on Logo (with Cole Escola). He has appeared in various television shows such as 90210, Difficult People, Hot In Cleveland, Shameless, and 30 Rock. He has produced/written on "Billy On The Street", "Gay Of Thrones", and "Rupaul's Gay For Play". He is the author of three books: "Straight People: A Spotter's Guide", "Fifty Shades Of Gay", and "Drag Teen". He hosts a weekly podcast called "This Is Really Important" on iTunes.

Reviews

[Bert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm just going to use the words of the great Edith Massey to talk about my opinion of this book.


Seriously though any person in the LGBT community that’s ever been annoyingly asked: “so when did you know you were gay?" needs to read this knee-slapping, laugh out loud hilarious guide on how to spot the strange being that is the straight person. It's hysterical!

[Amily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very funny book, but every mention of "non-heterosexuals" really just meant homosexuals like himself, making it a bit unfriendly toward other orientations, and Self did make a number of cissexist remarks. Also, half of his jokes referred to actors/movies/tv shows I've never heard of, so that took some of the humor out of it for me. All in all though, I had a lot of fun reading this book.

[Mary Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not gay but this dude is from my hometown and this is definitely for that demographic. I read this because I wanted to support someone who got famous from Rome for not being a felon or a teen mom. That said, it's a pretty funny book and this guy has a strong and hilarious voice. Although, I can't really relate to the content I still read this pretty quickly. Great to see Self is a part of a literary outlet for the LGBT community.

[Bekki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny and cute but it was very focused on the gay cisman's perspective. Would have been nice to see some reference to lesbian and other queer person's experiences with cishets.

[Charlie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Generic without managing to be even vaguely affirming for queer people. The title sets you up for sharp satire, but what you actually get is overplayed canned sniping where the humour misses by a mile. I can see this maybe being soothing on a bad day, but overall, this book is made entirely out of boring pressboard smugness and as a bonus, is absolutely riddled with misogyny.

[Austin Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hilarious, truthful, and a fun way to put across a simple message. Any "non-heterosexual" reader will enjoy viewing the world through the microscope lenses we so often feel ourselves under. Honestly, no book has ever made me feel so "normal".

[Adele S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

My roommate left this book on our couch and me, being someone who reads anything next to them, picked it up and started reading. It’s a very funny, fast read. Pick it up if you’re in the mood for something silly and fun.

[Nadya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely entertaining :3

[Mahala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny

[LittleMissBookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered how to spot a Heterosexual in the crowds of people you encounter every day? Well, fear not, Jeffery Self has the answer(s) you desire!

Like other spotter's guides (i. e. for birds) this book is divided into chapters that tell you everything about the Heterosexual species you need to know, including their lifestyle, feeding patterns and culture.
Of course, you'll also find pictures to help you understand and pop quizzes to test your knowledge.

"Straight People" is one of the most entertaining books I've ever read. Oftentimes it's really exaggerated, then again spot-on.
I really enjoyed this unconventional book about the species I belong to and can only recommend you read it too. Just have a laugh and don't take it all too seriously.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally finished it, having books on my kindle always makes them slower reads but I'm glad I finally finished it. I heard about this book through Youtube's Tyler Oakley and due to me loving his last recommendation I knew I had to get this and give it a read. Even being an teenage heterosexual female I still thought this book was great, one that will make you appreciate the highlight feature on your kindle!

[Lily OnTheLam · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a fun, sassy beach/vacation read that will make you chuckle out loud, check out this book. It is a quick read (I polished it off during a plane ride), but I was completely absorbed in it while reading. Sure the other passengers looked at me like I was nuts when I would snort-laugh … but I'm pretty sure they look at me like I am nuts regardless of my reading material.

[Charles Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Jeffery Self's wit and humor since his youtube days. This book, though it over generalizes at some points, is full of snark and quips that will make homos and heteros laugh alike. A good read in a busy airport.

[Yoni Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Made me laugh harder than I've ever laughed at a book before.

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short read that i enjoyed and read through it quickly and happily :)

[Jack Dinkel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the funniest book I've ever read! So fun, and a quick read too.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting a bit more....