The Sensitive Male Does Exist

Kate Langenburg/A&E Groove

Sensitivity. Roses. Gentle. Nurturing….male? I bet some of you women never thought you’d hear those words put together before. But you read right. All those things can exist in males. Philip Nork has proven that in his book Sensitivity 101 for the Heterosexual Male.

The book is a retelling of events in Nork’s life. A product of an uncaring father and divorced parents, he felt constantly let down by most men in his life. It was only natural that he clung to the company of girls throughout his childhood and teenage years. In the beginning of the book, each chapter is a story of a different girl he met and what life lesson she taught him.

Nork has offered all of us some valuable life lessons on his road to self discovery. A few to name: See the difference in everyone and celebrate it. Allow you emotions to show others you are open and caring. Always tell the truth and you won’t have to remember all the lies you told. (That one is my favorite.) Throughout all this, he basically came up with one conclusion: It feels good to make other people happy. That is where the rest of the story comes into play.

During his experiences with some of “his girls” as he calls them, he is taught how to conduct himself sexually. As his sexual abilities continue to grow, he puts them to use more and more often, until finally, he is seen by teenage girls (and even a few older women) as a sex god…all by the tender age of sixteen. The girls are attracted to him because he can pleasure them like no one has ever done before: with sensitivity and skill. He even gives each girl a rose when he is finished pleasing her.

The one thing that made me a bit uncomfortable about this book was the content. However, it is to be treated with a certain respect because of its candid and true nature. The story itself is based off of events in Nork’s own life, but is written as a narrative non-fiction. I was curious to find out which events were truth and which were elaborated.

But when it comes down to it, my main qualm about this story was the language and dialogue. In many passages, I found myself thinking, “people don’t really talk to each other this way.” Many of the characters, a lot of them upon first meeting, will divulge their life stories and often speak in a forced, more mature manner than would be seen in real life. Some of the sixteen year old girls Nork meets seem far too old for their age.

But nothing comes without imperfection, and I think that is a key concept to Nork’s message.

One thing I especially admire about Nork is his ability to keep on giving. According to his website, he is donating a portion of the profits from his book to the Children’s Miracle Network, an organization that raises money for children’s hospitals all over the country. That means a lot, especially around the holidays.  

So ends Sexuality 101 for the Heterosexual Males. Maybe if we could find a guy to read it, he might learn something.