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August 12
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Christine
gave
to:
My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands (Paperback)
by Chelsea Handler
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Christine said:
"Absolutely hilarious. I peed my pants laughing so hard.
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June 11
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Christine
is currently reading:
Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives (Paperback)
by Laura C. Schlessinger
bookshelves:
currently-reading
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Christine
read and liked
Micah's
review of He's Just Not That Into You (The Newly Expanded Edition): The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys:
"I like reading texts that are feminist in nature. I expected (hoped for?) a book that served to empower women in their relationships, a book that addressed historical deficiencies in the way women are culturally taught to function in relationships o...more
I like reading texts that are feminist in nature. I expected (hoped for?) a book that served to empower women in their relationships, a book that addressed historical deficiencies in the way women are culturally taught to function in relationships or the way that a woman may prevent a man from stifling her natural motion in romance. As a true feminist or pop-feminist text I wanted to feel that a woman, after having sifted through the pages, would be better equipped to dismantle cultural blockades that prevent her from feeling complete latitude in a coupling.
Instead, I found a book that rallies women without suggesting a pathway that would lead to bona fide differences in their relationships with men. In fact, I found the text to be quite anti-feminist in its deeper doctrines. Rather than empowering women to promote real change in their relational positioning, it diminishes males into simplistic characters that emanate one of two relationship signals: I’m interested, or I’m not (but most likely I’m not). Doing so, more times than not, seems to cause women to opt out of relationships early on rather than deal with any uncertainty on the part of others.
It seems to me that the major fallacy of the book is its assumption that sex drives the man. Given this presupposition, perhaps the book is accurate—“he’s not that into you” could easily be replaced by “he’s transitioning to his next sexual conquest” and the book would make more sense. It makes more sense because sex is a yes or no thing. But if the reality is that men are searching for more than just sex and seek meaningful relationships, it seems difficult to accept the notion that a single indicator, such as phone call rates, can essentialize all that a man is thinking and feeling about a relationship. A relationship is not a yes or no thing. It is dynamic and develops over time. What may be scattered and uncertain at first can build into... a fortress of love, as Sting puts it.
I see the appeal—relationships are tough, and its therapeutic to gather around the warmth of an idea that consuls the heart. But it seems the book takes advantage of the realization that emotionally it’s easier to be out of a relationship that it is to be working in one, it’s easier to give up on a relationship than engage the complexities and uncertainties that come with falling in love—and in that, the book secretly delivers its hemlock.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about traditional notions of chivalry. It gives relationships momentum. But I think it is meant to be dynamic, and just because a guy is understand his feelings before moving along the commitment gradient, doesn’t mean that chivalry is lacking. That’s a totally incomplete thought, but it’s a bit tangential and this post is getting long...
The book is certainly fun and upbeat. I enjoyed its format and thought the authors did a good job at engaging their audience with familiar, quirky experiences to which any of us can easily relate. I was unintentionally entertained at many points too... I loved that the surveys included at the end of each chapter—the ones where 100% of the respondents agreed with the authors 100% of the time—were conducted by emailing a handful of the authors’ friends and asking them questions like, “Don’t you think it’s good for people to be happy?” and concluding “100% of respondents believe that if he’s a little bit grumpy after taking his med school finals, he’s just not that into you.”
I’ll be the first to admit that the text was not intended to be deep or really engage in feminist rhetoric—it’s actually an easy read and only took about an hour of one leg of my trip. But even as a pop-text, I think there’s opportunity to advance the position of women, or, at the very least, not detract from any momentum women maintain....less
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Christine
gave
to:
He's Just Not That Into You (The Newly Expanded Edition): The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys
by Greg Behrendt
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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June 09
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Christine
gave
to:
What Girls Learn: A Novel (Paperback)
by Karin Cook
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in August, 2008
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Christine
marked as to-read:
The Purpose Driven Life (Paperback)
by Rick Warren
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Christine
marked as to-read:
The Human Stain (Paperback)
by Philip Roth
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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April 14
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Christine
marked as to-read:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Paperback)
by Betty Smith
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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April 07
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Christine
gave
to:
Stones from the River (Paperback)
by Ursula Hegi
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Christine
gave
to:
The Joy Luck Club (Paperback)
by Amy Tan
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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