Kevin Bentley faithfully kept a frank literate diary of his experiences as a young gay man living in San Francisco in the 1970s. In passages that are arousing thoughtful and funny he details a scene of unrivaled sexual hedonism. First and foremost an erotic record Wild Animals I Have Known is also the diary of a bookish terrified exuberantly promiscuous and laughably romantic gay man s exploits during the heyday of San Francisco s gay bohemia. [Bentley s] writing is direct intelligent savagely funny and very very erotic. -- Kevin Dax author of D.O.C. Lust Letters Cultural Writing. Gay Studies. Autobiography. In the late 70s there was a massive migration of young gay men to San Francisco. They left home in droves traveling by plane bus Pinto or Volkswagen towards a life free from discrimination. Struggling to make ends meet many worked in bookstores and restaurants all the while taking advantage of a scene of sexual hedonism. Funny sexy and finally wise Bentley s diary unfolds so-called gay promiscuity as a matter of deep personal quest -- for experience for selfhood for connection for love. Bentley has given us not only a compelling document of a place and time but a well-crafted narrative as penetrating and satisfying as a novel -- Clifford Chase author of The Hurry-Up Song: A Memoir of Losing My Brother. A vivid document of its time WILD ANIMALS I HAVE KNOWN will be of great interest to readers of all genders and inclinations. Kevin Bentley is the author of SAILOR: VINTAGE PHOTOS OF A MASCULINE ICON.