Things I've Learned from Women Who've Dumped Me

December 10, 2007
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 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.

April 28, 2008
Twenty-four notable writers and comedians, like Stephen Colbert, Neal Pollack, Dan Savage, Todd Hanson and Andy Richter, comment on the mysteries and intricacies of relationships. The essays are funny, crude, often hilarious, and occasionally unexpectedly moving, ruminations on the male/female conundrum. Some stories are of straightforward rejection (like Will Forte's “Beware of Math Tutors Who Ride Motorcycles”) while others take a different bent. Larry Whitmore's “Women Are Never Too Young to Mess with Your Head” charts his efforts to win his newborn daughter's love as she screams and cries whenever he holds her. David Wain and Zandy Hartig enact a laugh-out-loud series of phone vignettes in “Persistence Is for Suckers” that follows Wain's frustrating attempts, over several months, to secure a date with a woman he met at a party. Like any collection, not every piece is on target, but the majority of the stories hit the humor bull's-eye. Simultaneous release with the Grand Central hardcover (Reviews, Dec. 10).