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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
This book disturbed and upset me. The misogyny and manipulation present is truly disgusting. Women are treated and viewed as objects, not people. So many of the situations described seemed to me more like sexual assault than whatever they are presented to be. I knew what I was getting into when I started reading this and I am glad that I did, but it was a joyless and uncomfortable read.
funny
informative
fast-paced
adventurous
funny
informative
fast-paced
I’m so embarrassed that this is in my top 10 reads for 2022, but despite all the misogyny & bastardized evolutionary psychology, this was a totally engrossing page-turner that I could not get enough of. Constantly recommending it to everyone.
This is a classic on the subject of PUAs. Talks about how there exists a plethora of techniques to get attention and hook-up. Ends with a nice suggestion on why the author's life/experiment was unsustainable and the way of life unfulfilling.
I abhored this book, but it was a great discussion piece among friends.
What is interesting about this text is that it kind of operates as two completely sepperate things, each with different goals entirely. At first, it is an instruction manual. Then, it evolves in to a kind of "Wolf of Wall Street" tell-all and social examination of the bizarre and unbelievable ranks and customs of pick-up artistry.
I don't really want to review this thing, I just wanted to explain why I gave it 2 stars and not zero for being genuinely one of the most childish and frustrating things I've ever read, but also not 5 stars despite it being a facinating thing to discuss.
It was just ok.
I managed to get through it with a lot of whiskey.
What is interesting about this text is that it kind of operates as two completely sepperate things, each with different goals entirely. At first, it is an instruction manual. Then, it evolves in to a kind of "Wolf of Wall Street" tell-all and social examination of the bizarre and unbelievable ranks and customs of pick-up artistry.
I don't really want to review this thing, I just wanted to explain why I gave it 2 stars and not zero for being genuinely one of the most childish and frustrating things I've ever read, but also not 5 stars despite it being a facinating thing to discuss.
It was just ok.
I managed to get through it with a lot of whiskey.
Entertaining book, with good writing and embarrassing stories. Men can be at times such delusional and pathetic beings, as this book attest.
I was recommended this book by my dad, as a warning of how men "really are". I was all prepared to hate the book, being sex repulsed already. I'd barely gotten past the beginning before I was already crying. Not a tiny trickle of tear, I mean sobbing. The story started with an emotional breakdown by one of the pickup artists. As I read further in the book, I realized this book wasn't just about heartless monsters manipulating women as I thought it would be, it was about people overcompensating for the lack of love and connection in their lives. People believing they could manipulate others into thinking they are desirable, worthy. In the end, the book was a cautionary tale. Sure, you can make yourself likable for a moment, but can you really make someone love you? The sad truth is that is only a choice the other person can make, and there is no quick tip to fix that. Although I am no where near a pick up artist, nor wanting to be one, I think most can relate to the desperation to be liked, sought after, and thought as interesting. As a parallel, I had humorously made up the term "acquaintance-zone" for the potential friends who were nice to my face and said we should hang out, but didn't return my calls or made any real effort. It is real easy to get bitter and complain that people are fake or stuck up. But truth is, as I said before, you can't make people love you, and it's ethically dubious to force your way into people's life. But occasionally you'll meet someone who would see through your bs and love you anyway. This book is also about an, albeit dysfunctional, friendship. I'd recommend this book as a read.
The Tipps given are great and absolutely true. But the story surrounding them is really childish and stupid. Kinda hard to get through at the end.
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
While it's certainly sexist and promoting manipulative behaviour, it's also eye-opening. No moral person will use this as a manual, but it does help to recognize the traps and tricks that might be used on you and also proves how seduction and attractiveness are skills that can be learned like any other. Finding love doesn't come down to just random luck and natural suitability.
This book is sad, brutal, and very well written. [a:Neil Strauss|588|Neil Strauss|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1296513251p2/588.jpg] is an amazing author, able to daringly pull his reader through the pages, feel his anxieties, chuckle over his blunders, and ultimately cry over the trashy, pointless end to a grand social experiment.
He wanted to become successful with women. . . and he did, beyond his wildest dreams. In the processes, he became a hero, a mentor, a guide to hundreds of young acolytes. Will he be able to keep his success and find true happiness? Or will he discover, in the end, that it is he who has been played?
He wanted to become successful with women. . . and he did, beyond his wildest dreams. In the processes, he became a hero, a mentor, a guide to hundreds of young acolytes. Will he be able to keep his success and find true happiness? Or will he discover, in the end, that it is he who has been played?