The Bisexual's Guide to the Universe - book discontinued by Alyson Publications - review by soulrain

I got this book my first year of college when I realized I was bi. I thought it would be a good introductory tool and reveal some of the "mysteries" outside the hetero world. While it doesn't quite do that, the book is a lot of fun. It has chapters with such titles as "The B-Word," "Famous Fence-Sitters," and "Why You're Not Getting Laid," (among several others). Within these chapters are fun lists telling you "how" to "come out to your conservative mom" or myths about bisexuality. Other fun sections detail "how to date a bi guy" and toys/BDSM/threesomes. There are also fun quizzes, like "Are you a model bisexual?" The most interesting section to me was the chapter on "Weird Science" that contained statistics about bisexuality and a quiz called "The sushi or hot dog dilemma" that jokingly determines where you lie on the sexuality continuum.

The book certainly does not apply to all bisexuals (in fact, it deals a lot in stereotypes even as it tries to disband some of them) and it is certainly not all-inclusive. However, it is good for a laugh and was definitely a fun read.
I thought it was a great book to get as someone who was confused about my sexuality, because it was fun to read about "bi celebrities" and take quizzes about myself, but it left me searching for a more serious source of information about my new lifestyle. The book does have a good list of books, websites, and other resources about bisexuality that are interesting as well.

Some of the more serious topics in the book, such as S&M, poly relationships, and anal sex, are addressed with a tone of seriousness as well as playfulness. They give tips on how to have safe sex, introducing tips for anal play, describing the elements of S&M, and discussing ways to think about having a poly relationship (or any relationship, really) so that nobody gets hurt.

Overall, a fun book, I would buy it again.