Hung: A Meditation on the Measure of Black Men in America

""For a lot of men, how you hang has a lot to do with who you hang with, where you hang, and sometimes, how long you hang once you get there,"" writes Poulson-Bryant, founding editor of Vibe and co-author of What's your Hi-Fi IQ?, in his new book, a libidinous hybrid of cultural commentary and personal anecdotes. The pervasive belief that African American men are prodigiously endowed presents a conundrum for the contemporary black male, who is simultaneously drawn to- and repelled by- this notion. In the book's opening pages, Poulson-Bryant admits that, as an African American man, he should be ""hung like a horse,"" but he's not, nor does he want to be. ""I think of black-man dick and I think that once upon a time we were hung from trees for being, well, hung."" Today, Poulson-Bryant says, black men risk being viewed as little more than an engorged sex organ. Take ""Simon"" for example, a successful athlete who refuses to take showers at the gym and changes clothes with a towel wrapped around him, because he would rather be a star on the basketball court than in the locker room. For those seeking an academic approach, Poulson-Bryant's ""meditation"" on the ""measure of black men in America"" may not measure-up, as much of the research is internet-based or culled from anecdotal narratives provided by largely unnamed acquaintances. Still, Poulson-Bryant's assertion that black men ""need to start thinking like the Big Swinging Dicks on Wall Street instead of acting like the Big Swinging Dicks of the public's fascination"" has the kind of thrust and vigor necessarily to stimulate dialogue on this topic.