Book Review
Abstract
Chasing Adonis: gay men and the pursuit of perfection By Tim Bergling (Harrington Park Press: New York, 2007), 278 pp., US$44.95 (hardback), ISBN 13-978-1-56023-508-8; US$16.95 (paperback), ISBN 13-978-1-56023-509-5. Tim Bergling, a journalist and news producer in Washington DC, presents his third book concerning gay issues. In Chasing Adonis , Bergling leads us into the world of men who look for erotic contacts with other men, and do so through a search for beauty and perfection. In this book, we venture into an exploration of subjectivities and experiences that lie behind the search for the 'beautiful', for that which catches the eye, for the un-written rules of attraction and rejection, for dreams and for love. Bergling asks: 'why do we (gay men) want what we want, what do we seek in others, and in our selves?' Through the testimonies of many informants, this book's seven chapters reveal gay men's experiences constructing the routinary character of 'the perfect man', the everyday life of his search, his encounter and his loss. The first chapter, entitled 'Eye of the Beholder', assesses the importance of what is seen, of what appears before the eyes and captivates them. Although beauty depends to a great