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Draft:Michael Castleman

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  • Comment: Majority of the sources are the subject's own writings which are not acceptable. Reliable independent third party sources are required to prove notability. Mekomo (talk) 16:02, 23 September 2026 (UTC)
  • Comment: In accordance with the Wikimedia Foundation's Terms of Use, I disclose that I have been paid by my employer for my contributions to this article. AndrewGrayWAG (talk) 14:10, 23 September 2026 (UTC)

Michael Castleman is an American journalist and author who writes about health, sexuality and the history of book publishing. He was an editor of Medical Self-Care magazine,[1][2] and since 2009 has written the "All About Sex" blog for Psychology Today.[3] His books include Sexual Solutions (1980), The Healing Herbs (1991), Nature's Cures (1996) and The Untold Story of Books (2024), as well as a series of mystery novels set in San Francisco.[4]

Early life and education

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Castleman grew up on Long Island, New York. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1972, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and received a master's degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley in 1978.[5][4] He has lived in San Francisco since 1975.[5]

Career

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In 1981 The Washington Post profiled Castleman as a former sex counselor in California and Michigan and one of the founders of the San Francisco Men's Reproductive Health Clinic, which the paper described as the first public health facility in the United States to focus on men's birth control and sexual concerns.[6] In the 1980s he was an editor of Medical Self-Care magazine.[1][2] From 1991 to 1995 he answered readers' sex questions for the Playboy Advisor column.[5] He has written the "All About Sex" blog for Psychology Today since 2009.[3]

Books

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Sexuality

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Sexual Solutions: An Informative Guide (Simon & Schuster, 1980) was reviewed by Kirkus Reviews, which wrote that "as sex guides for men go, this is one of the most informative—and reassuring",[7] and by Library Journal and the Los Angeles Times.[8][9] Writing in the Los Angeles Times in August 1981, Jim Sanderson called it "a new book that enormously impressed me" and "full of gold-nugget tips to make any man a better lover".[2] The Washington Post profile that year centered on the book and Castleman's counseling work.[6]

In November 1981 the library board in Superior, Wisconsin, removed Sexual Solutions from the public library after a patron complained about its drawings. Castleman wrote to the board asking it to reinstate the book, and the Superior Federation of Labor passed a resolution supporting him.[10] Following a public hearing at which about a hundred residents objected to the removal, the board voted to return the book to the shelves.[11]

Crime prevention

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Crime Free: The Community Crime Prevention Handbook (Simon & Schuster, 1984) was reviewed by Publishers Weekly.[12] In 1984 Castleman and the book were the subject of a sidebar in The Washington Post,[1] a feature in USA Today[13] and a Los Angeles Times staff feature by David Johnston that set his advice alongside that of the San Jose police chief Joseph D. McNamara.[14] The Los Angeles Times Book Review recommended the paperback edition in 1986.[15]

Health and self-care

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In 1988 the Esquire columnist John Poppy drew extensively on Castleman in a column on colds, calling him "an expert on the phenomenon" of the common cold and describing Cold Cures (Ballantine, 1987) as his "practical and definitive book".[16] Library Journal judged Cold Cures "the better choice for most public libraries" when comparing it with a rival title,[17] and USA Today drew on the book for a 1987 feature on colds.[18]

The Healing Herbs (Rodale, 1991) was reviewed by Publishers Weekly, which found its entries "highly readable and packed with anecdotal lore" and noted that the author "wisely stresses that self-treatment with herbs should never take the place of professional medical care",[19] and by Booklist, which called it "a well-researched volume".[20]

Nature's Cures (Rodale, 1996) received a starred review in Library Journal, whose reviewer described Castleman as "considered one of the top health writers in the country" and the book as "one of the finest, most comprehensive volumes on alternative healing".[21] Publishers Weekly called it a "well-researched compendium".[22] The New York Times health columnist Jane E. Brody quoted the book in 1998,[23] and in 2009 reported the central finding of Building Bone Vitality, which Castleman co-wrote with the nutrition scientist Amy Lanou.[24]

There's Still a Person in There (Putnam, 2000), a guide to Alzheimer's disease written with Dolores Gallagher-Thompson and Matthew Naythons, was called "an absolute standout" by Kirkus Reviews.[25] Blended Medicine (Rodale, 2000) was ranked third on Library Journal's list of the best consumer health books of 2000.[26]

Fiction and publishing history

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Castleman has written mystery novels featuring the San Francisco journalist Ed Rosenberg. Reviewing the second, Death Caps (Last Gasp, 2007), Publishers Weekly wrote that it "makes excellent use of the author's in-depth knowledge of his adopted city" and praised its "sure pacing".[27]

The Untold Story of Books: A Writer's History of Book Publishing (Unnamed Press, 2024) was described by Publishers Weekly as "a sweeping 600-year chronicle of the book business", concluding that "bibliophiles will be enthralled".[28] J. The Jewish News of Northern California reviewed it the same year.[4]

Selected works

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  • Sexual Solutions: An Informative Guide (Simon & Schuster, 1980)
  • Crime Free: The Community Crime Prevention Handbook (Simon & Schuster, 1984)
  • Cold Cures (Ballantine, 1987)
  • The Healing Herbs (Rodale, 1991)
  • Nature's Cures (Rodale, 1996)
  • There's Still a Person in There (Putnam, 2000), with Dolores Gallagher-Thompson and Matthew Naythons
  • Blended Medicine (Rodale, 2000)
  • Death Caps (Last Gasp, 2007)
  • Building Bone Vitality (McGraw-Hill, 2009), with Amy Lanou
  • The Untold Story of Books: A Writer's History of Book Publishing (Unnamed Press, 2024)

References

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  1. 1 2 3 "Watch Out!". The Washington Post. June 14, 1984. p. B5. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Sanderson, Jim (August 2, 1981). "Book Helps in Solving Sexual Problems". Los Angeles Times. Part VII, p. 16.
  3. 1 2 "Michael Castleman M.A." Psychology Today. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 Paull, Laura (October 16, 2024). "Two local authors take readers behind the scenes of publishing". J. The Jewish News of Northern California. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 "About Michael Castleman". mcastleman.com. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Yenckel, James T. (May 20, 1981). "Private Lives: The Sensual Male". The Washington Post. p. B5.
  7. ↑ "Sexual Solutions: An Informative Guide". Kirkus Reviews. January 1, 1980. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  8. ↑ Sager, Rochelle (February 1, 1981). "Review: Sexual Solutions". Library Journal.
  9. ↑ Mindess, Harvey (January 4, 1981). "Explicit studies of male sexuality: variations and solutions". Book Review. Los Angeles Times.
  10. ↑ Smith, Doug (December 4, 1981). "Author pleads case for banned sex manual". Duluth News-Tribune. p. 1A, 7A.
  11. ↑ Ouse, Dave (December 9, 2021). "Bygones: 40 years ago, the Superior Public Library returned a banned book to the shelves". Duluth News Tribune. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Review: Crime Free". Publishers Weekly. March 2, 1984. p. 81.
  13. ↑ Sperling, Dan (August 8, 1984). "We can take some positive steps to ward off attack on the street". Life. USA Today.
  14. ↑ Johnston, David (August 22, 1984). "You Can Avoid Turning Into a Crime Statistic". View. Los Angeles Times. Part V.
  15. ↑ Raksin, Alex (February 2, 1986). "And Our Critics Commend". The Book Review. Los Angeles Times.
  16. ↑ Poppy, John (October 1988). "Cold Comfort". Esquire. p. 81.
  17. ↑ Schmid, Robert (April 15, 1988). "Review: Cold Cures and Eighteen Natural Ways to Beat the Common Cold". Library Journal. p. 90.
  18. ↑ Hall, Susan (November 12, 1987). "Making the common cold less common". USA Today. p. D12.
  19. ↑ "The Healing Herbs". Publishers Weekly. April 1, 1991. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  20. ↑ Richardson, Tracie (April 1991). "Review: The Healing Herbs". Booklist.
  21. ↑ Sweetland, Loraine F. (1996). "Review: Nature's Cures". Library Journal.
  22. ↑ "Nature's Cures". Publishers Weekly. December 18, 1995.
  23. ↑ Brody, Jane E. (May 5, 1998). "Personal Health; Taking Stock of Mysteries of Medicine". The New York Times. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  24. ↑ Brody, Jane E. (November 24, 2009). "Exploring a Low-Acid Diet for Bone Health". The New York Times. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  25. ↑ "There's Still a Person in There". Kirkus Reviews. December 15, 1999. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  26. ↑ Bibel, Barbara (May 1, 2001). "Best Consumer Health Books 2000". Library Journal.
  27. ↑ "Death Caps". Publishers Weekly. April 30, 2007. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  28. ↑ "The Untold Story of Books: A Writer's History of Book Publishing". Publishers Weekly. April 8, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
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