FRIEDMAN, David 1945-

PERSONAL: Born February 12, 1945, in New York, NY; son of Milton (an economist) and Rose (an economist; maiden name, Director) Friedman; married Diana Forwalter (marriage ended); children: Patri Aaron. Education: Harvard University, B.A., 1965; University of Chicago, M.S., Ph.D. Politics: Libertarian. Religion: Agnostic. Hobbies and other interests: The Middle Ages (including cooking from period cookbooks and fighting with non-lethal replicas of medieval weapons), writing and reading poetry, medieval Iceland, the history of jewelry and jewelry-making techniques.

ADDRESSES: Home—703 Hutcheson Dr., Blacksburg, VA 24060. Office—Public Choice Center, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061.

CAREER: Journalist. Columbia University, New York, NY, research associate in physics, 1971-73; University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, fellow and lecturer at Fels Center, 1973-76; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, assistant professor of economics, 1976—. Freelance writer. Member of board of directors of Holiday Universal, Inc.

MEMBER: Mont Pelerin Society, Philadelphia Society, Phi Beta Kappa.

WRITINGS:

The Machinery of Freedom, Harper (New York, NY), 1971, 2nd edition, Arlington House, 1978.

Laissez-faire in Population: The Least Bad Solution (pamphlet), Population Council, 1972.

A Mind of Its Own: A Cultural History of the Penis, Free Press (New York, NY), 2001.

Contributor to periodicals, including Esquire, Rolling Stone, and Village Voice. Editor of Ripon Quarterly.

SIDELIGHTS: David Friedman is a freelance journalist who has written articles for the Village Voice, Esquire and Rolling Stone. His book A Mind of Its Own: A Cultural History of the Penis chronicles the history of man's relationship with the penis over 15,000 years and covers such topics as the religious testicular exams of the 1400s and the scientific beliefs of the 1800s that held that each sperm contains a tiny person. His research includes teachings from the Old Testament, slavery in America, the writings of Leonardo da Vinci and Sigmund Freud, and feminist criticism. Friedman's research looks at historic attitudes about male genitalia "to demonstrate how the definition of maleness has evolved," as Bonnie Johnston noted in her review for Booklist. Friedman also considers the penis in a social context, asserting that many of today's racial stereo-types of blacks are supposedly related to "macrophallic" Africans. A Publishers Weekly reviewer explained that Friedman notes that Freud's "psychoanalytical interpretation enduringly places the penis and associated anxieties at the fulcrum of society." The same writer called A Mind of Its Own "serious, yet entertaining," and Matt Sturrock added in Books in Canada that "it is not just his exhaustive research … that makes his book a success. Friedman writes clearly, with sensitivity and arch humor."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

periodicals

Booklist, October 15, 2001, Bonnie Johnson, review of A Mind of Its Own: A Cultural History of the Penis, p. 364.

Books in Canada, May, 2002, Matt Sturrock, "Deconsructing the Phallus," pp. 9-10.

Choice, June, 2002, J. S. Alter, review of A Mind of Its Own, p. 1806.

Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2001, review of A Mind of Its Own, p. 1262.

Library Journal, October 1, 2001, Martha Cornog, review of A Mind of Its Own, p. 131.

New York Times Book Review, January 13, 2002, Mike Albo, review of A Mind of Its Own, p. 20.

Publishers Weekly, September 3, 2001, review of A Mind of Its Own, p. 72.

Washington Post Book World, November 4, 2001, review of A Mind of Its Own, p. 10.*