WTF? Women: How to Survive 101 of the Worst F*#-ing Situations With the Ladies

The first time I flipped through this book, I felt like throwing it in the trash. The humor is crude and the tone misogynistic. But then I sat down and read it more carefully (not that it necessarily requires a careful reading). And I discovered that reading it was a lot like watching the performance of a stand-up comedian. Turns out that's not coincidental, since the creator of the WTF? series actually is a stand-up comedian out of LA, as is his co-author.

I'm not a man-hating feminist. But if I took this book seriously, I'd probably turn into one. Men aren't exactly depicted in the most flattering light. Fortunately, you don't have to take it seriously. And if you're an adolescent boy I think you would find it hilarious.

The 101 situations that are depicted in this book progress through the life cycle of a relationship: from being too shy to approach girls to what to do about sex if you're a senior citizen. After each situation is described, the reader is given several options to choose from for how to deal with it. For instance, #15 is “Dating a Virgin” and the options are: 1) embrace it; 2) run; and 3) sell her because virgins are in demand.

I think there's a lot of honesty in this book about how men do feel about women. But there's also a lot of satire, exaggeration and just plain poor taste. The vocabulary used comes right out of a porn film. If I give the authors the benefit of the doubt, I would characterize the book as a tongue-in-cheek look at male-female interactions. I would even go so far as to say that it says a lot (beneath the jokes) about how clueless and frustrated men are when it comes to the opposite sex. But for those who don't have a sense of humor, it's going to come across as a manual for how to treat women like bitches and sex objects.

That's why you should be careful who you buy this book for. It would be great as a gag gift at a bachelor's party, or as an addition to your bathroom library. But I would definitely hide it from your mother.

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