A truly wonderful book, Carol Queen et al have given the gift of insights into things that I have long felt and tried to convey to friends in much less eloquent language. These are real stories from real people who prove that human sexuality is never an either/or affair. It shows that narrow-mindedness and discrimination occur within nearly every group -- including within the queer community and its sub-communities. When will we accept that we are all sexual -- period -- and that we needn't categorize, condemn or exclude based on how others choose to express that sexuality? To do otherwise is to live a lie and to force others to do the same. Read this book and share it with others!

I find this book to be a classic in its category. In fact, when I run across someone in the LBGT community who wants to know what I mean when I say "queer," I promptly refer them to this little book, which is truly a queer studies page-turner.

And, in fact, I can't seem to put the book down, myself. Since I first read Pomosexuality, I've found myself returning to it repeatedly to re-read essays that become profound in new ways based on my own new life experiences. Each time, I am again impressed by the editors' choices.

The bottom line -- whether you are new to queer studies or a seasoned student of queers, you'll enjoy this book.

A small volume of essays from mostly radical sex activists who put queer theory into practice, all the way to actual erotic experiences and the identies created by them.

This work deals with the postmodern as the construction of "mulitple subjectivities" and features contributions from transsexual authors. Cutting edge stuff, more accessible than other theorists. Also written from a different perspective, one that helps close the gap between the academy and the street.

A lived testimony to the inadequacy and decontstruction of "heterosexual" and "homosexual" as discursive labels.

This book was really excellent. I picked it up because I'm a fan of Schimel's other work, and I found it to be lighthearted, fun, and FUNNY. All the stories kept me entertained, especially Schimel's own "Tom, Dick or Harry." I want to give this as a gift to lots of my friends because I think they'd also enjoy it. If you're looking for amusement and a bit of wry humor, this book is for you!

I laughed (a lot), I sighed (a lot) and after I finished this hilarious book of war stories from the dating game, I just wanted to dive right back into the dating pool. Anybody who thinks that dating stories can't be funny and sexy at the same time should check this book out and see how it's done.

You ought to buy the book for this story, "Skin Deep", alone. All the stories are great, but this one is a classic!

This was an entertaining bunch of short stories about Camelot. Eachstory is different, with a different take on the legend.

the first several stories are much more traditionalistic and common, though they do have some originality to them.. that is, the ideas are wattered down, and the plots are a tad cliche.. soon though, very soon in it, some the third or fourth story, it delves into the delightful realm of mystic horror and nostalgic drama.. fairly recent as well, so you can expect that much of what we find in everyday culture is also present in the present-day tales.. a great deal of fun to read.. personal favorites: chattel, the intersection of anastaisia yeoman (sp) and light, and the tower.. seriously recommended

My gay reading group (some Jewish, some not) read this collection of stories and essays about being gay and Jewish. What we generally liked best was the range of voices and approaches to the issue--some stories focused more on sex but others more on emotion/psychology. The favorites of our group were the pieces by David May and Daniel Jaffe (our own Boston writer--hurrah!). David May conveyed a real tenderness in his portrayal of an SM relationship. How amazing to see that two men who use pain and violence as part of their lovemaking would be most turned on by the use of Yiddish, by words. The power of words. Jaffe's piece (an essay)about an adolescent religious Jewish boy ashamed of his gay feelings is so honest. The essay makes the point that sometimes we don't want to be who we are because the conflict is so great. Both these pieces left some of our group's readers in tears. Our only complaint was that some of the other pieces were not as well-written as they could have been. Schimel's introduction is fairly weak and cutesie.

ForeWord Magazine Review: "The writers in Kosher Meat lay bare their souls to reveal their innermost thoughts, desires, passions, and anxieties about both sex and Jewish identity." Schimel has put together a collection of ten essays and short stories that are diverse in nature, yet unified to the theme of the work.

Contributors range from award winning poet Michael Lassell to author and '70s gay porn star Rick Sanford. Schimel is a full-time author and anthologist who has published more than forty books. In 1998 his anthology PoMoSexuals: Challenging Assumptions About Gender and Sexuality won a Lambda Literary Award. He is also a contributor to this particular anthology with his short story "The Minyan," which describes Simon's thoughts and reactions to participating in his first sex party with a group of men from his congregation. Simon finds himself glad to become part of something bigger than himself: "A Minyan of desire, men who no longer needed to congregate in clandestine secret to worship, but who could love and pray without shame."

Lassell's story, "My People," compares and contrasts losses suffered due to the Holocaust and AIDS. Michael and David meet for the first time and end up sharing their thoughts and experiences while touring the Holocaust Museum.

Through their interaction they discover the need to live and love in the present. "Mein Yidishe Tate," by David May, also explores the connection between two people, but with more of an erotic tone. In his story two lovers discover their secret language of desire--Yiddish. In "The Good Son," Brian Stein relays what it is like to be in a "mixed" relationship. Patrick meets Noah's family for the first time when returning home for his father's funeral.

At times the impact of the writing contained in Kosher Meat can be lost on the non-Jewish reader, but fortunately there is a glossary of terminology contained at the back of the book.

Shimel has proven himself to be a talented editor by bringing experiences to the gay ewish reader who may be feeling lost with the lack of representation in literature, as well as providing insight for the non-gay and non-Jewish reader into the lives of their lovers, friends, and family. Historically, gay men have focussed on the larger picture connected with the struggle for recognition and acceptance. Kosher Meat is an opportunity to learn some of the individual differences that make this community distinctive.

Copyright © 2000 ForeWord Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

Lambda Book Report, September 2000: "Eclectic diversity of story themes and styles is a difficult row for an editor to hoe; however Schimel manages to pull these stories together, grouping them so that the differences aren't as obvious as the sameness."

I'm in the Boston reading group referred to by another reviewer. Although I agree for the most part with his comments, I disagree about Schimel's introduction. I found it highly appropriate and suitable to the book. And let's not forget to give credit where credit is due--as editor, he's the one who found all these wonderful stories and essays!

There's a wide range in this collection of seventeen essays by gay Jewish men. From young to old, from previously published to new for this book, from established writer to beginner, "Found Tribe" has something for almost everyone, even the non-Jewish. Sometimes humorous, but always poignant and informative, these essays explore how these Jewish men blend their religious lives with their personal lives when many would use that same religion to condemn them. Schimel is an amazing writer and anthologist who continues to bring thought-provoking works to the public, and this book (despite its minor plague of editorial misprints) surely enlightens. Even those who are not Jewish or even gay can benefit from the honesty, humanity, and self-liberation contained in these essays.

As far as gay erotic stories go, these are some of the best. Lawrence Schimel (aka David Laurents) knows how to write a gay story that is not only sexy but intelligent, and why shouldn't they be intelligent as well as sexy for a change of pace. This sets Schimel's book apart from most of the other books being published with all sex and no real storyline. There is actually some substance to these tales. They're a definite turn-on, and explicit, while dealing at the same time with issues of monogamy, safe sex, open relationships, and fantasy.

I enjoyed all of these stories, but my favorites were; "Season's Greetings" and "A Queer Christmas Carol". As you can tell, I have a thing for Christmas themed stories. I thought the story about a blender; "A Blend of Food and Desire" was really funny and erotically written.

So throw all those other erotic books away and give this one a read. It is a book you will want to keep on your nightstand when you want something erotic as well as intelligent to read. Schimel has done a great job with this collection, and the cover art by Bel Ami is perfect. Enjoy!!

Joe Hanssen

I am a fan of well written magic realism, and I highly recommend this collection, edited by Lawrence Schimel. My favs were his, Sarah Schulman, and Laura Antoniou's stories.

It seems that lesbians writing as gay men do a better job of it than gay men as lesbians.Likely that lack of experience with female sexuality among the men limits their knowledge, so that they imagine that the female orgasm is as easy-to-provoke as their own. (Certainly honest accounts of women's experiences have been historically harder to come by, no pun intended, than masculine accounts and descriptions.) There were too few memorable personalities in this book. I could always "tell" that a man was writing the lesbian point of view. 'Erotica' shouldn't double as a parlor game - of which gender wrote what.

Switch-Hitters is a much needed creative twist in the realm of queer erotica and it gives some insight into how lesbians and gay men view eachother's sexuality.

First and foremost, Switch-Hitters is hot. Queen and Schimel definitely took great care to put together an anothology of queer porn that rises above the typical porn anthologies that can be painful to read. These stories have both plots and steamy scenes that combine for excellent porn pleasure.

For both gay male and lesbian porn, Switch-Hitters is an opportunity to infuse each with a bit of the other. Your typicaly lesbian porn anthology includes an unbelievable number of "we met in women's studies class" scenerios that end with removing eachother's flannel shirts. Gay male porn has an advantage of being far more widespread, but often uses the same types of scenerios over and over. Switch-Hitter's erotica breaks out of these molds as the writers try to envision what the opposite sex really finds hot (and presumably what the authors find hot about the opposite sex.)

Of course, nothing is perfect. Switch-Hitters also provides a little insight into sexual stereotypes that lesbians and gay men have about eachother. In a few of the stories the characters remain pretty flat, which certainly detracts from their ability to turn readers on. Despite some of its flaws, this book belongs with some of porn's best.

When I picked up this book, I was a bit skeptical about all the good things I'd heard about it. I thought that men couldn't know what a lesbian relationship is and visa versa. Thankfully I was wrong.
Although some of the charactors are stereotypical, many were quite memorable. 'Switch Hitters' is one of the highest quality erotic anthologies I own.
Other erotica that is also good are 'The Leatherdaddy and the Femme' (which you can find cheaper through Cleis Press's website than through here), 'Macho Sluts', 'Set in Stone', and the 'Hot + Bothered' anthology series.
Happy reading!