How Not to Be a Dick

September 1, 2013
Jokes about cheese logs abound in this humorous but sometimes-belabored etiquette guide ostensibly aimed at teens. Following an introduction that defines what makes a person seem like a dick, seven chapters address situations ranging from initiating romantic relationships to behaving responsibly at after-office get-togethers. An uneasy line is straddled in terms of its intended age range. Readers are dutifully exhorted to make sure they wear proper attire to school dances: "Most schools have dress codes for dances. Read them carefully!" Yet there's also advice on how to politely use a coffee shop as your office if you're working from home. Further, a section on safety and manners at parties seems at times to employ the euphemistic term "sugary beverages" for alcohol and suggests "If you are buzzing on sugar or if someone spiked the punch, DO NOT DRIVE." This cagey approach to the topic of teen drinking is confusing at best and at worst, may strike readers as condescending. There are some funny moments, particularly in the simple black-and-white cartoons of a girl and boy that accompany the text throughout. However, as etiquette goes, there's not much that is new here and a real question of whom this is for. (Nonfiction. 14 & up)

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Starred review from November 1, 2013
Grades 10-1 *Starred Review* Really? An etiquette book for teens? Yes, really, you butt-faced jerk! See, that right there is dickish behavior, a timeless plague for which Doherty has a cabinet full of cures. The atmosphere is pure Dick-and-Jane: fussy early-reader prose married to bland clip-art-style illustrations starring a deadpan boy and girl. Through these oldfangled characters, Doherty fires absurd twenty-first-century zingers that happen to be really, really, really funny. (When was the last time you LOL'd at a nonfiction book?) Droll humor is one thing, but does Doherty deliver substance? Shockingly, she does, offering teens blunt, no-nonsense advice on the adult world that awaits them. Examples: don't stare at a female's boobs during conversation, avoid passive-aggressive Post-its, try to smell like nothing in particular if you work in the service industry, don't recline your airplane chair all the way, and on and on. She even drops some mega-wisdom bombs; regarding faith, she writes, Believing in an idea is kind of like falling in love with a personit just seems right, even if we can't explain it. Given the emphasis on roommates, office parties, and alcohol, this is clearly the gift book for next year's high-school and college grads. After all, we all need the occasional reminder that peeing in the shower is wrong.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)