Thursday, February 28, 2013

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, by Steve Harvey

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment, by Steve Harvey

The best thing about this book is its length: short. Written in the form of a man giving relationship advice to a woman, this may be the most sexist and misogynistic thing I've ever read. Harvey makes Andrew Dice Clay's views seem reasonable! According to Harvey men are driven by who they are, what they do, and how much money they make. If a man doesn't consider himself to be successful he cannot have a solid relationship. "His eye will be on the prize, and that prize may not necessarily be you if he isn't where he wants to be in life." Once a man has his affairs in order, though, he can concentrate on intimacy. "Once he says he cares about you, you are a prized possession to him, he will do anything to protect that prized possession." So we've already seen women described as both "prizes" and "possessions" — and this is in the first two chapters! He goes on to share such wisdom as wives must not have hobbies that aren't shared by their husbands and that men cheat because women stop trying to keep relationships fresh. I shudder to think that people read this and think this stereotypical drivel is actual advice. Steve Harvey is a comedian so it is plausible this entire narrative is intended to be ironic, but frankly he doesn't come across as clever enough to pull that off.

First Sentence:
There is no truer statement: men are simple.

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