The Penis Book: A Doctor's Complete Guide to the Penis--From Size to Function and Everything in Between

by Aaron Spitz

What's the weirdest thing you've ever wanted to know about the penis but were afraid to ask? Dr. Aaron Spitz has that answer--and many more.

Let Dr. Spitz--clinical professor at UC Irvine's Department of Urology and a regularly featured guest on The Doctors--become your best friend as he fearlessly guides you through the hairiest and the scariest questions in The Penis Book. An unflinching, comprehensive guide to everything from sexually transmitted infections to the science of blood flow, The Penis Book prominently features an easy-to-follow holistic five-step plan for optimum penis health, including plant-based eating recommendations, information on some penis-healthy foods, and suggested exercises for penis wellbeing. Useful to men and women alike, The Penis Book is a one-stop-shop for the care and maintenance of the penis in your life.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Sexuality, Science, Relationships, Biology, Medical

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 20, 2018

Reviews

[Dave B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read. Very informative for a guy that wants to keep his pickle healthy and in top condition. I learned a lot about what to eat and how to live for the most “productive” time of my life. Just a word of caution there are moments where the details are way to clinical for the casual reader.

Keep in mind guys read books about the best workout in the gym. Why not read up on the best workout in the bedroom.

[Derrick Stormblessed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, since Jenna is curious about my review for this one, I'll indulge in it.
I read this book for two reasons.
1. Penis Health: to keep it functioning properly and efficiently.
2. Refer back to reason 1
I should say this is one of the best books I've read on sexuality. This should be required reading for every man.
Penis Health runs in tandem with other health factors like blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and a lot of stuff. If your blood pressure goes up, it narrows the blood vessels and suddenly your penis (which depends on blood vessels to get hard) can't get up when you need to get down.
Other lifestyle choices like smoking, drinking seem to correlate with less erections and poor blood flow.
Blood flow is the most essential thing. If you keep your vessels healthy, your flag will never fail to rise. If you clog them with fat, booze and other stuff, your flag will be at half mast or zero mast.
My takeaway for your penis health.
1. Exercise regularly
2. Eat a vegan diet or something close to it. But always eat fruits and vegetables because they contain the nitrogen oxide which is a vital component in keeping the blood flowing.
3. Avoid alcohol or cigarettes if you don't want the flag to wither faster than it should.
4. Use your penis regularly to keep it making sperm and testosterone which keeps you healthy.

One fun fact that may help reduce depression in men: the doc at some point mentions low levels of testosterone lead to higher levels of depression so you need to keep your testis manufacturing that juice for you to have a healthy body and a healthy mind.
This book is at once very informative and very funny. Dr. Aaron Spitz can't resist the double entendres. They are literally on every page. He had me laughing out loud when I'm reading serious material. Great book. I'll probably visit it again in future when the flag starts sliding down the mast.

[Martina · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

Nehľadiac na naše pohlavie, znalosti fungovania ľudského tela (či ženského alebo mužského) by mali patriť k všeobecnému prehľadu, na čo však počas školských rokov často zabúdame, respektíve nás to v danom čase až tak nezaujíma. V dospelosti sa potom neraz stáva, že niečo nevieme, no kvôli dlhoročnej tabuizácii tém sa hanbíme opýtať.

Našťastie žijeme v 21. storočí a dostať sa k materiálom približujúcim aj tie najintímnejšie detaily ľudskej existencie dnes už nie je žiaden problém. Ako sa však ukazuje, nie každá populárno-náučná kniha stojí za to - aj tu si zrejme treba vedieť vyberať.

Na Knihu o penise som sa rozhodla vrhnúť po tom, čo som si prečítala Bez hanby o ohanbí - hovorila som si, že tú "ženskú" časť som zdolala, bolo by teda vhodné otočiť mincu a mrknúť na to, ako to z pohľadu doktora "tam dole" funguje pánom.

No a teda ohúrená som nebola... Dostala som sa do polovice, znudená som knihu odložila a aj keď som si neustále hovorila, že sa k nej určite vrátim, dni plynuli, Penis na mňa nevraživo zazeral z nočného stolíka a ja som sa čím ďalej tým viac utvrdzovala v tom, že sa k tomu nezáživnému, repetetívnemu a wannabe vtipnému textu nevrátim... Prečo?

Začnem asi tým, že z knihy je už na prvý pohľad zrejmé, že je určená mužom. Nejaké základne informácie k priblíženiu problematiky? Lineárna štruktúra či nadväzovanie poznatkov? Kdeže. Načo sa trápiť predstavením či popísaním zloženia orgánu, o ktorom budem hovoriť, prípadne nejakým plynulým prechodom z A do B, keď sa rovno môžem vrhnúť na F a skladať tirády o erekcii a ejakulácii... Veď to je predsa to, čo všetkých zaujíma ako prvé. A zrejme aj posledné, keďže kniha sa neustále točí okolo týchto dvoch tém (nečítala som ju síce celú, no v rámci hľadania motivácie dočítať ju, som ňou neraz listovala, takže viem, že sa tam toho veľa nezmenilo). Samozrejme, v žiadnom prípade netvrdím, že to nie sú potrebné témy, no absencia akejkoľvek logickej následnosti mi v texte mimoriadne prekážala - kľudne by som si čítala o bežnej dĺžke údov či normálnej dobe trvania ejakulácie, keby to v rámci textu bolo zaradené kamsi ďalej...

Druhým kameňom úrazu bola pre mňa už spomínaná repetetívnosť - mám pocit, že autor sa nie a nie odtrhnúť od dvoch prvotných tém a aj keď to už občas vyzeralo, že konečne cez ten pomyselný most prelezie, nejako sa opäť len vrátil k erekciám a ejakuláciám. Áno, hovoril aj o iných veciach, ako napríklad cievny systém či choroby, no aj pri nich sa mi zdalo, že sa stále točí v nekonečnom kruhu stoporených penisov. O úplne zbytočných kapitolách o pornografii či kope nepodstatného balastu ani nehovoriac.

Vyššie spomenuté faktory spolu vytvorili pomerne nezáživnú kopu slov (verte či nie, nech už máte sex akokoľvek radi, aj opakované počúvanie/čítanie o erekciách sa po čase zunuje) a ani "vtipné" narážky či pomenovania tomu nepomohli. Spočiatku ešte všetky tie anakondy, rakety, lokomotívy lásky a neviem čo všeko mierne bavili, no rovnako ako neustále vracanie sa k erekciám, aj rádoby vtipné mená po čase strácajú svoje "čaro" a začínajú byť otravné. K tomu pripočítajte nezáživný, chaotický štýl a chuť na knihu sa vytratí akoby ani nikdy neexistovala.

Aby som však nebola len negatívna, v rámci tej polovice knihy, ktorú sa mi podarilo prečítať, sa našli aj zaujímavé časti (napríklad kapitola o obriezke) - no tých, žiaľ nebolo ani spolovice toľko, aby si text udržal moju pozornosť.

Určite sa nájdu ľudia, ktorých Kniha o penise zaujme, ja sa však medzi nich nezaradím a radšej siahnem po inom titule s podobnou tematikou.

[Killian De Geest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wel paar nuttige tips maar vooral redelijk droog.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Penis Book, although repetitive, grossly pun-engorged, and plagued by poorly-formulated paragraphs, indecipherable-diagrams (for laypeople) and some obvious biases and conflicts of interest, nonetheless includes a good-sized package of useful and interesting information. It is not the reference book I was hoping for, but it is a pretty good reference for many things having to do with the penis, from size, to function, to health, ailments and even sexuality. Many men won't find too much new or surprising in here, but even if you think you know your organ well, you will probably find some things in The Penis Book worth considering or comparing to other information. Anyone who hasn't bothered to learn that much about their wang, or who has gleaned most of their information from random internet posts and porn, will greatly benefit from reading this book.

Spitz's '5-Step Plan for Maximum Penis Health is, summarized:

1) Diet: Eat mostly plants, especially green leafy vegetables (basically vegan); multi-coloured veggies stimulate NO (Nitric Oxide) production which keeps the penis in good shape; limit oils; limit sugar; limit phosphates (this was news to me). Some red wine and dark chocolate is OK.

2) Exercise: Get a good amount of cardiovascular and strength-based exercise. Watch out for bicycle seat numbness (I think he's a bit 'hard' on cyclists). Do your Kegels every day.

3) Quit Porn: Porn breeds messed up sex drives and levels of desire; guys as young as teenagers are reporting/showing more and more erectile dysfunction problems, lack of desire for real women, lack of ability to engage in romantic love -- and it's all correlated to increased porn consumption!

4) Quit Drugs: Drugs are Bad. Some drugs, such as cocaine, may produce temporary hyper-horniness, but if you abuse them they blunt and deaden your sex drive (of course, nobody should do coke). Marijuana, on the other hand, has mixed results. It is bad for sexuality in some ways, with chronic users seeming to often have reduced libido etc., but it can also stimulate sex and sexuality used in moderation.

5) Sleep: Sleep, among other positive benefits, boosts testosterone and circulates blood in the penis. Poor and/or interrupted sleep quickly leads to problems in the bedroom.


- This book is oriented toward adults rather than teenagers, but if there isn't anything better available, it would be very useful and instructive for dispelling the various myths and fears teens may get due to porn saturation and peer pressures, as well as perhaps curing the porn saturation itself.

3.6 Stars





Notes ("Spoilers")

-13: Viagra and Cialis etc. increase Nitric Oxide (NO) or its effect on the body, which increases and prolongs erections

- 17: Serotonin inhibits erections -- and most anti-depressants work by boosting serotonin

Chap 4: 'Growers' have more elastin and less collagen in their penis, as compared to 'showers'. Both types are capable of erections of various sizes and both are totally normal. Too bad teenagers in locker rooms don't tend to know this.

Real Penis Pills (49-52): Not enough or consistent enough information in this section. Bias.
- Korean Ginseng and Maca
- Ginger
- Revactin (Spitz promotes this branded pill -- conflict of interest)
- Cialis, Viagra, etc.

- Penis piercing: screw that!

- Pg 185: Claims phosphates, which go by various names including phosphoric acid in cola, are really bad, and can calcify your arteries. Check labels and eat whole foods! Is he exaggerating?

- Interesting (Pro) chapter on male circumcision. The author presents the benefits as outweighing the risks, especially if done when a baby.

- Chapter 9: Very depressing. Basically talks about getting older and losing more and more penis functionality, plus prostate, sigh etc.

- Chapter 15: Whole foods, no oils -- even olive oil -- but in the end Spitz claims he is 90/10, not 100% vegan. When going out or to friends, doesn't stress kind of deal. His diet advice is incomplete, but admittedly there are books about this topic alone.

- Pg 108: Sensate Focus for anxiety and performance anxiety -- very interesting.

- Pg 125: What to do if you develop Priapism

- Pgs 144-145: signs of low testosterone

- Diseases and problems section: a useful if limited reference-lite for various afflictions, with extra attention paid to Peyronie's Disease (too much collagen and not enough elastin causes weird, misshapen penis) which has increased risk after 40 or via sexual injury

- Pgs 249-255: Brain differences between men and women, sex change operations

[Vincent Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read many human body anatomical books, especially female body and vagina books in the quest to understand the female body (for optimum pleasure), but I had never seen a single book about the penis. And then I stumbled upon The Penis Book: A Doctor's Complete Guide to the Penis--From Size to Function and Everything in Between by Aaron Spitz. I said to myself, why not give it a try.

The book, being authored by a doctor, delivers what it promises. It features an easy-to-follow holistic five-step plan for optimum penis health, including plant-based eating recommendations, information on some penis-healthy foods, and suggested exercises for penis well-being. The ultimate message to men is not to worry about the size, because there is nothing like size enlargement and all, it's all an illusion. Well, I know quite a number of people who will dispute this, and I ain't engaging in an argument with them, I leave them to their devices, but it is what it is - don't fret about this size thing, there is nothing you can change.

Useful to men and women alike, The Penis Book is a one-stop-shop for the care and maintenance of the penis in your life.

Though written in tongue-in-cheek language, it is a must read for anyone who has a penis, uses a penis, or knows someone who has penis.

[Ellery Hamann · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an informative and interesting read! I know far more about the penis than I could have ever wished. This book dives into all kinds of topics from how ejaculation actually works, to how food and exercise affect your penis, to diseases and cancer of the penis, among many, many more. The chapter on circumcision was particularly interesting and completely changed my opinion on the topic.

There are a few negatives. Some of the sections were a little bit too long. 40 some pages on erectile dysfunction? Maybe a little much. Overall, the author was somewhat heteronormative in some places but generally did an okay job of not assuming the sexual orientation of the male readers. The penis puns were cute at first but got tiresome after a while. A few here and there is cute, but not in every single chapter.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has a penis or loves someone with one!

[Court · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, great book! As a man, I think this book’s topics can be categorized into three parts: 1. Information that you already know 2. Information that you don’t know, but find helpful and 3. Information that you don’t know and probably never need to know.

1. There was a lot information on basic anatomy, that as a man, I’m overly familiar with. I think this information is good at setting up the topic of the book, but it just goes on for way too long.

2. The information I found most interesting was his professional advice on maintaining my health as a man, especially in how it relates to my penis health. I wish this was more of the book, but I’d say it’s like 30%.

3. Finally, he spends a lot of time towards the end of the book describing rare, extreme, surgeries or injuries that can occur to the penis or other male genitalia. Chances are, most men will never need to know this information and he just spends so much time on it.

[Rosann]

As the single mother of a son, I wanted to be able to aptly answer his take-mom-off-guard questions about his anatomy and biology. I thought I'd start with something scientific so that I can understand the inner workings. This book is written by a urologist and it's like the biology of the penis for dummies with a few chapters that delve into the psychology of it all. I still am no expert, but I do have a better understanding of how "it" works and how to help my son understand his own physiology. Warning: it had A LOT of corny puns and tongue-in-cheek writing to the point of annoying at certain points. But once you get passed the author's quirky sense of humor and his attempt at making the reader comfortable with the topic (I get it), I found it to be an interesting read. He should make something pre-teen and teen-friendly. I think he would do a good job of that.

[Conor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered this book through the Netflix documentary The Game Changers. I realised that most of what I knew about the penis came from anecdotal miss heard gossip and rumours I learned from friends over the years and personal experience. This book is the comprehensive guide to everything you could possibly ever want to know about men's health. It's informative, very funny, and the ultimate moral of the book is that men are often too embarassed to get something checked by a doctor and so leave it until it's too late.

[Rayfes Mondal · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all this book is really funny with all of the puns! But don't take that to mean this book is light on information. He covers so much that is rarely talked about including how the penis works, what works against it, injuries, STDs, and how to take care of it (the expected stuff about eating healthy and exercising). It's always treat when you can learn a lot while laughing.

[Joe Langdale · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay, the authors attempts at humour where a bit lost on me and I didn't really learn anything new apart from how a penis pump works.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Emily Nagoski, author Aaron Spitz presents complex information in an approachable way. The urologist loves puns and fills The Penis Book with his silly sense of humor. He answers just about every question the reader might have about this organ and plenty of others you wouldn’t think to ask. If you only read one chapter, I recommend 16, featuring the author’s “Five Step Plan for Maximum Penis Health” (p. 180). Simply put, the five steps are:

*
Step 1: Go Fork Yourself
“Eat foods rich in nitric oxide, aka produce.”

Step 2: Sexercise
“Do some vigorous exercise two or three times a week, plus kegel exercises three to five times per day.”

Step 3: Go Offline
“Turn down your exposure to porn - go cold turkey if you can.”

Step 4: Detox
“Cut back on addictive substances such as cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs.”

Step 5: Snooze or Lose
Improve the quality and length of your sleep, aiming for 7 to 9 hours per night…You can’t make it up on the weekends, either; your body doesn’t work that way” (p. 195).
*

You can use The Penis Book as a reference book, picking and choosing sections based on need, but it also works well when read through completely. My only complaint is that Spitz does not provide summaries at the end of each chapter, something that Nagoski always does. These chapter summaries may give the feel of a textbook, but they are useful tools for really absorbing information.

QUOTES:
“I am a bona fide expert, serving on guideline committees and reviewing journals for prestigious medical societies, but my true joy is educating people with a lighthearted touch. Call it a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down.” (Introduction)
*
“Serotonin blocks the parasympathetic nerves to the penis that otherwise would stimulate an erection and shuts down the pro-boner activity of oxytocin in the brain. Serotonin, however, is also important for maintaining a normal mood, and that is why many anti-depressants work by boosting it. The downside is that people who take these kinds of antidepressants may experience some difficulty getting an erection, as well as a loss of sexual appetite.” (p. 17)
*
“The explosion of pornography since online streaming became available has coincided with a significant spike in erectile dysfunction and difficulty reaching climax.” (p. 31)
*
“Sperm makes up only 5 percent of the volume of semen, kind of like the amount of fruit juice in an inexpensive fruit drink.” (p. 36)
*
“The average erect penis is a little under 5-½ inches. The average couple goes at it for under 6 minutes. The average volume of semen is about half a teaspoon. The average young guy can do the deed once a night, and that drops down to once a week by age 50.” (p. 48)
*
“Turns out 20 percent of women do not have vaginal orgasms, and that’s just a natural variation. About half of these women do have orgasms, but with clitoral stimulation rather than vaginal penetration.” (p. 60)
*
“Some experts think it started in the region of Egypt more than 15,000 years ago. The earliest mummies, dating back to 1300 BC, were found to be circumcised, and Egyptian wall paintings depict circumcision many thousands of years earlier….There is even some evidence aboriginals required it as a rite of passage for becoming a man before 10,000 BC.” (p. 72)
*
“Eating a diet rich in nitrates can sustain your youthful cellular balance longer by providing a source of NO [nitric oxide]. Fresh, unprocessed, plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, and grains are the best source of nitrates and thousands of other molecules, many of which are key antioxidants that counteract the aging process.” (p. 99)
*
“Exercise is great for the penis; however, bicycle riding occasionally can damage the blood vessels or the nerves to the penis because they are situated under the butt bones (ischial tuberosities) and get squeezed by the narrow bicycle seat.” (p. 106)
*
“[Sensate focus] is a technique developed by Masters and Johnson, pioneers in behavioral health medicine. A behavioral health specialist can guide you through it. The basic idea is to have affectionate contact with your partner in five stages that gradually build up to sexual intimacy.

Sensate Focus
The first stage of the sensate focus technique is spending 10 minutes simply touching each other’s hands and feet while otherwise clothed. Focus on the pleasure you receive rather than on what you are giving. Stage 2 builds on stage 1, and breasts and genitals are now in play to be touched. You once again each take a 10-minute turn, but you may guide your partner’s hand around to the spots that make you feel good. Stage 3 is where you stop taking turns and touch each other at the same time. Now you can start focusing on your partner’s pleasure. Stages 4 and 5 bring you right up to the edge of sex. You allow your partner to staddle you in a superior position and rub her genitals against yours whether or not you are hard. If you do become hard, your partner can insert you in just a little bit. If you get anxious, you can always drop back to a lesser stage of intimate contact and build back up until you are ready for intercourse. The goals of sensate focus are to help you focus on pleasure instead of performance and also to create a closer feeling of connection to your partner to allow you to have sex without feeling anxious.” (pp. 108-9).
*
“The penis can be a use-it-or-lose-it organ. Just as your muscles stay toned with regular athletic activity, your penis stays expandable with regular filling and stretching” (p. 130).
*
“It’s key to wear a cup when the boys may get in the game. It may not be comfortable, but I have had to remove a busted nut more than once from guys in jujitsu tournaments who found a cup annoying.” (p. 151)
*
“...the menu for success contains lots of vegetables, especially the green leafy ones, and moderate intake of seasonal fruits, especially berries. It contains little or no processed carbohydrates, processed oils, or animal products. The produce section is like nature’s pharmacy…The best sources of nitrates are powerhouse vegetables such as beets, lettuce, arugula, and spinach.” (p. 160)
*
“Why would we be built to crave the very stuff that’s bad for us? Probably because sugar, fat, and protein are all critical nutrients that our body and brain absolutely need for survival. The problem is that our modern technology has given us too much of a good thing—to the point where now they have become toxins…Fortunately, your brain can be reset if you give it a few months. The same plate of vegetables that seems cruel and unusual will actually satisfy you several months later if you stick with the new regimen. It’s not easy, but eventually the craving does go away as the brain resets to the new normal.” (p. 169)
*
“Every now and then someone loses their head…and their shaft. Penis amputation is a rare injury, and it is usually deliberate. More often than not it is self-inflicted. I actually had a patient who did it twice!” (p. 220)
*
“If you see something or feel something unusual on your penis, make sure you get checked out by a doctor. Most lumps and bumps of the penis are easily diagnosed and easily treated. Never let embarrassment or shame get between your penis and proper care.” (p. 238)
*
“How boys end up with penises and girls end up with vaginas is the result of genes, hormones, and the environment. We all start out as girls, and then for some, a penis forms and other remodeling happens…
There is a particular center in the brain that is critical for gender self-identity. This area usually develops differently in boy brains than it does in girl brains, but not always. When an exception happens, a man will literally feel like a woman trapped in a man’s body and vice versa—not by choice, but by biology.
*
“A baby human’s genitals start to form during the 7th to 9th week after conception. Up until then, the fetus has been neither male nor female. The fetus has what is called a “genital bud,” which is a spin-off of the tail bud that in humans disappears and in other animals goes on to make a tail.” (p. 240)
*
“Guevedoce, or ‘penis at twelve,’ is a genetic condition well known in the Dominican Republic. One out of every 90 boys gets this nickname because he will actually not develop a penis until age 12.” (p. 245)
*
“Penis transplantation is now a reality, but it is reserved for victims of trauma, injury, or cancer…These transplants must be agreed to by the family of the donor. The costs are high and lifelong immune-suppressing medication is required, but for the recipients, it can be a miraculous gift.” (pp. 254-5)
*

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[Image: Book Cover]

Citation:
Spitz, A. (2018). The penis book: A doctor's complete guide to the penis--From size to function and everything in between [eBook]. Rodale Books. https://www.amazon.com.au/Penis-Book-...

Title: The Penis Book: A Doctor's Complete Guide to the Penis--From Size to Function and Everything in Between
Author(s): Aaron Spitz, MD
Year: 2018
Genre: Nonfiction - Popular science
Page count: 306 pages
Date(s) read: 10/5/24 - 10/19/24
Book #196 in 2024
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[Michaela Lukáčová · Rating 3 out of 5]

Autor na môj vkus skutočne priveľa opakoval vlastné -už vyslovené- myšlienky. Obsahovo celkom zaujímavé čítanie, hlavne 3. sekcia.

[Lisa Butterworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many good things to say about this book and a few things that weren't great (I'll get to these at the end. I was tempted to give the book a three star, but I decided the good just barely eeked out that fourth star).

First and foremost, I love the enthusiastic eruptions of copious quantities of penis puns and double entendres , like if your goofy dad was a urologist who just couldn't help himself. sometimes awkward but ultimately funny and chill.

Also lots of really good medical information and normalizing of lots of penis issues (many of which do not have to be "issues", thanks thepatriarchy). Seriously if you have a medical question about the penis, the answer is probably in this book, so much stuff.

Also, my daughter is now obsessed with the idea of zombie penises because I told her about necrotic penises and her d&d fueled brain thinks necrotic=zombie, also let this be a warning, you really really really do need to go to the emergency room in your erection lasts for more than four hours.

So the stuff I didn't like:
Very fat shaming. He actually has a chapter titled "put down the fork" . . . Look *dad* if telling people to "put down the fork" **worked**, everyone would be thin. Don't be a doofus. I see this problem a lot by naturally thin people who think they are being helpful by telling people all the reasons why losing weight is a good idea, as though folks haven't been bombarded with this information their entire lives, you aren't educating anyone you dolt, you're being a bully, medical professionals are especially guilty of this. Not to mention that the science doesn't even back this up, yes eating veggies and exercising will make your penis healthier, but losing weight won't, and *no* they are not the same thing.

Also the chapter on Trans people with/without penises was not great. at first I was thinking, hum, this book must be old, because clearly he's trying to be accepting and positive, but this language is so dated and incomplete. So I check the date 2018?What? NO! There's really no excuse, all he needed to do was talk to an average teen (no even an expert in trans issues) and they would have told him his language was a big hot mess. Not hostile, just ignorant, incomplete, and sadly (blessedly?) short.

[Isabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr Spritz (pause for the wordplay here, if you're a German speaker) gives us a rather broad and well-done overview regarding a really touchy and sensitive subject for men - their willy.

He employs a really playful way of writing and communicating in general, without taking away any seriousness on the matter.
The discussed themes are all pertinent and both interesting for women and men. I especially liked that he discussed a broad variety - bodily functions, nutrition, social aspects of our bodies, etc, but wished that some chapters had gone more into depth.

[Joli Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very happy to add this to my bookshelf. I don't agree with his generalizations about people who have penises when he ventures away from the biological and into the social, but the bio piece makes this worth keeping around.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh the puns. Lots of information packed into this book.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, this book is amazing! I was regularly sharing with friends all the fun facts I learned from this book and encouraging everyone to read it.

I think in response to oppression and sexism, it's so common for women and even cis-men to make fun of penises. Yet this is is so counter-intuitive to intersectional feminism, not only because some women have penises, but also because as women we should care about all human bodies!! One big takeaway I got from this book was how often men avoid medical treatment/attention to issues regarding their penis and/or testes because of shame. I think this book does an incredible job of destigmatizing so many issues that can happen with penises which is why I want every person with a penis and every person who loves someone with a penis to read this book. Let's educate ourselves so we don't perpetuate shame. (I say the same thing about Emily Nagoski's "Come As You Are" -- if you have a vagina or love someone with a vagina, read that book!) The more we know about one another's bodies the more we can support wellness in one another!

This book I think is also helpful for female partners of folks with a penis to read because it eases some self-blame about things that can happen naturally in men, like lower testosterone which can lead to decrease sex drive isn't about you not being ____ enough. I hear this from a lot of women and so I think this book could save a lot of heartache and worry around that issue.

Spitz also writes very straightforwardly and non-shaming. It also made me laugh out loud on the regular because Spitz writes with such ridiculous, pun-filled humor, it was delightful! I highly highly recommend this book!

[Frida · Rating 4 out of 5]

Han är ute på tunn is ibland, som när han återger långa bibelcitat om penisen (snark), eller när han diskuterar porrens skadeverkningar (vilket ÄR en sjukt intressant fråga, men exemplet han tar upp - att män som egentligen är heterosexuella börjar tända på transsexuella kvinnor pga porr - är inte bara väldigt märkligt utan också dåligt underbyggt, för att inte säga transfobiskt, och av alla möjliga teorier om porrens konsekvenser varför välja just det exemplet??) eller som när han börjar filosofera kring att kvinnor "absorberar" oxytocin från sperma genom slidväggarna och därefter blir på bättre humör. Detta för att man i en studie sett att förekomsten av depression var högre bland de kvinnor som använde kondom. Kanske, spinner han vidare, kan även en avsugning höja en kvinnas humör genom sväljande av sperma. (Skrattretande forskning med massa ovidkommande variabler. Väcker också frågan om män kan höja sitt eget humör genom att äta sin egen sperma??) Men FÖRUTOM allt detta löjeväckande och märkliga är den, när han håller sig till det strikt biologiska (och välbeforskade), mycket lärorik & intressant.

[Kevin Dufresne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi,

I hope all is progressing well.

The Penis Book: A Doctor's Complete Guide to the Penis—From Size to Function and Everything in Between by Dr. Aaron Spitz, M.D. is entertaining, informative, insightful, and practical regarding one's overall health particularly in connection to one's genital health. I'm really glad about reading the book: I find the text to be a good contribution to my ever-improving lifestyle. Being proactive about genital health is very important. After reading the text, I feel a lot more appreciative of and grateful for my behavioral health as well as my new understanding(s) of genital health, generally and personally. The text is thorough and a good checkpoint for learning of genital health especially as more contributions to the field of genital health progress (which may lead to an update to certain aspects of the information already present within the text).

Onward and Upward,
Kevin Dufresne
www.Piatures.com
IG: @Dufreshest

[Carlos · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book really delivered on the promise made in its subtitle, Spitz takes the reader through any and all aspects that any reader might possibly want to learn about the penis as well as several that no one wants to talk about. The reader will also see that behind the thousands (and thousands!) of puns, Spitz really wants to communicate to the reader all the things that we can do for our general health and to get beyond our squeamishness in dealing with all things related to the penis. In this way he transitions flawlessly from the penis to the circulatory system and can use erectile dysfunction as the canary in the coal mine for complications related to heart disease and low testosterone. From medications to nutrition to exercises, Spitz spells out in gleeful detail all the ways in which we can keep the penis, and the body attached to it, as healthy and happy for as long as possible.

[James Jesso · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book very insightful.

As a male, I appreciated learning about my internal reproductive physiology through this book (which is admitting how little I actually knew).

However, at some point in the book it became all about pathological conditions from sti to cancer and the many many ways to treat ed. it’s not that I don’t consider that information valuable, but I did find it went on for so long without any ‘lighter material’ break that it just got depressing and upsetting in a way that had me stop reading it.

I don’t think that’s an issue with the book, but me as a reader and what I was wanting from the book.

I have no regrets reading it and would recommend it to others, with the caveat that it got tough to read for me about halfway through due to the intensity of the content.

[Marina Nilsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fun read that I very much enjoyed! I learned a lot and I shared it with my boyfriend too as I read through each chapter. I didn't know that there was a man who paints with his penis for a living lol but now I do! But in all seriousness, the penis is an important organ, although we like to joke about it we should also talk about it seriously if the owner wants to do that. Dr Aaron talks all about the construction of the penis to gender dysphoria, diseases and diet and so much more. It's not hard to understand and there is a lot of humor involved too. A great book for any man to have on his bookshelf! 😄 or if you're just like me and is genuinely interested in the male reproductive organ ^^

[John McHugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend anybody who has, (or cares about someone who has) a penis reads this book. The average American spends 25 hours a week on screens outside of work, but yet most of us when we have a medical condition never take the time to read even one book about our own bodies. By just reading one book, we can learn and be a more informed patient. I’ve been very lucky to get care from Dr. Spitz and I think he is a fantastic resource for information on the male genitalia. I really appreciate it that he took the time to cover the fundamentals of lifestyle medicine, including diet, exercise, and sleep in his comprehensive book. It has lots of corny jokes and is an easy read, but is really quite comprehensive.

[Bukhari · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eye-opening book on the functionings and the many curiosities of the male reproductive organ. Aaron Spitz is a urologist based in Orange County, who provide humorous anecdotes and interesting explanations on basic questions, diseases, and even nutrition recommendations. He even allocates a huge chunk of the book  to explain about erectile dysfunction, the utility of pills and the various types of surgery that people choose to do. I learned a lot from this book and it is interesting that the author chose to approach a common taboo subject with so much humour. 

[Marta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am very curious about the human body. Penis is as interesting topic for me as vagina and so I decided to buy this book. I am impressed. Although it is very subject-specific and all around the penis is described in the tiniest detail, I enjoyed reading the book, as it was easy to follow and even funny. Aaron wrote this book with wit. It is interesting and thrilling to learn in detail about the best part of a man and even find many great tips for men to keep their wands fit. From the page 256 to 280 there are endnotes with the sources of the content to find.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite chapter was chapter one: Bedroom basics. Which showed diagrams of the penis and talked about its parts and how it gets erect. I also liked chapter 16 which talks about what to eat for penis health.

I think the penis book is a thorough explanation of the penis. It talks about erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, testosterone, how semen tastes, circumcision, size, gender identity, STIs, and other things. It even talks about pornography's effects.

I also thought it was easy to read with not many big words and mostly of the time pretty interesting to read.

[Eliza Marin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply humanizing, humorous and educational.
I loved reading it. The perk is that it speaks to penis holders, penis lovers, but also with people trapped in different bodies. Transcends mere sex, but speaks about nutrition, cultural perceptions, porn surreal effects but with real impact, diseases like erectile dysfunction or STDs like HPV, stigma, expectation, biases, racism, sizes, medications, emotions and relationships.

[Dolf van der Haven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly informative, but highly annoying due to the continuous juvenile puns (the lowest form of humour anyway) and the amount of duplication (as if ech chapter was written independently and later everything got stapled together. Could have been much better if it didn't try to focus endlessly on every possible medical condition of the male organ.