Synopsis
The Emmy award-winning former executive producer of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report has assembled a stellar lineup of men who have one thing in common: all have been dumped...and are willing to share their pain and the lessons learned.
Relationships end. And in most cases, even the most callow among us, even men, learn something from the experience. Now in this smart, funny, and insightful anthology, some of our most impressive comedic and creative (male) minds, including Stephen Colbert, Nick Hornby, Andy Richter, Bob Odenkirk, Patton Oswalt, Dan Savage, adn Adam Schlesinger, share with us what they've learned from that all-too-universal experience: being dumped. Whether it be major life lessons, like "The Heart is a Choking Hazard," simple truths like, "A Dog is No Reason to Stay Together," or profound realizations like, "Persistence is for Suckers,"THINGS I'VE LEARNED FROM WOMEN WHO'VE DUMPED ME is about that salient something men take away from failed relationships.
Not a touchy-feely, self-help book, this extraordinary collection is packed with stories often painful, sometimes poignant, but always entertaining, from men you probably thought never got dumped — or if they did, would never admit it.
Publishers Weekly
Karlin, coauthor of Jon Stewart's America, establishes that if there is one thing men have in common, it is their lack of understanding and the misguided information they have acquired about women. With miniessays from famous comedians and writers, including Nick Hornby, Stephen Colbert and Bruce Jay Friedman, this book is organized into short chapters of truth, testimonies and realizations about the women that got away and, sadly, the women that they never had to begin with. Some of the essays offer advice, such as Bob Odenkirk's bitter nine-year plan, where he discusses why nine years is the perfect amount of time to be in a bad relationship (by year nine "you [had] tried everything, including depression and deep boredom"). Some of the men's experiences proved to be valuable lessons such as Dan Savage's essay "I Am a Gay Man," where he finds that women can be detestable, and learns that he doesn't have to "fake being straight or join the priesthood" and can instead just be a gay man; or Patton Oswalt's realization that his crazy, stripper ex-girlfriend helped him appreciate his wife. Whether the men pathetically recall their failed dating attempts or are celebrating their record number of "dumps" as learned experiences, these witty, comical approaches to being dumped are sure to entertain anyone who has entered the world of dating. (Feb.)
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