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booklogging
Aug. 31st, 2011 04:53 pmBeen meaning to post for a while about some books I've been reading. Here goes:
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. This was a hard book to start reading, because I dreaded reading about the subject matter: human trafficking and prostitution, rape, women dying in childbirth or afterwards from fistulas, genital cutting, bride burning. But whenever I overcame my inertia and actually started reading, it was okay. The authors are Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists and have managed to write about such awful violations of the human body and spirit in a way that is dignified and optimistic. They talk about people who are fighting the good fight in each country they discuss, and point out some great bang-for-the-buck things that we can do, like distributing iodine capsules in Africa. (There is a Web site: halftheskymovement.org) It also changed my mind about a couple things. I had thought legalized prostitution like in the Netherlands was okay, and I had previously shied away from giving money to religious charities. Kristof and WuDunn point out that legal brothels attract parallel underage/forced prostitution business, and that in the rural parts of Africa that need help the most, only missionaries and other religious groups can be found. Anyway, I do highly recommend this book. It should probably be required reading for everyone.
The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists, by Neil Strauss. Just finished this one. The author starts out as a self-conscious nerd trying to get up the courage to ask women out. He takes workshops from other formerly self-conscious nerds, joins their online community (in which these guys ask for advice, share new techniques, and of course brag), and ends up as one of the gurus. The anecdotes are fascinating. I had observed to The Man a while ago that whichever parent is less available is the one the kids both want attention from, and that seems to be the main principle behind these guys picking up women at clubs. One way the "PUAs" (pick-up artists) signal their high worth is to "neg" their target, who is always the prettiest woman in a group. They say things like "Wow, you're pushy! How do you guys put up with her?" or "I like your dress. I just saw another girl wearing the same one." This apparently causes the pretty girl, who is used to guys fawning over her, to try to pursue the one guy who appears too cool for her. Towards the end of the book (which is way longer than it needs to be), the author gives up his handful of girlfriends for the one woman he meets who cannot be negged. Anyway, the book is too long, but it's worth skimming for the anecdotes, especially the one towards the end where he uses the PUA techniques in an interview with Britney Spears. (Strauss is also a journalist; he freelances for Rolling Stone.)
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. This was a hard book to start reading, because I dreaded reading about the subject matter: human trafficking and prostitution, rape, women dying in childbirth or afterwards from fistulas, genital cutting, bride burning. But whenever I overcame my inertia and actually started reading, it was okay. The authors are Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists and have managed to write about such awful violations of the human body and spirit in a way that is dignified and optimistic. They talk about people who are fighting the good fight in each country they discuss, and point out some great bang-for-the-buck things that we can do, like distributing iodine capsules in Africa. (There is a Web site: halftheskymovement.org) It also changed my mind about a couple things. I had thought legalized prostitution like in the Netherlands was okay, and I had previously shied away from giving money to religious charities. Kristof and WuDunn point out that legal brothels attract parallel underage/forced prostitution business, and that in the rural parts of Africa that need help the most, only missionaries and other religious groups can be found. Anyway, I do highly recommend this book. It should probably be required reading for everyone.
The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists, by Neil Strauss. Just finished this one. The author starts out as a self-conscious nerd trying to get up the courage to ask women out. He takes workshops from other formerly self-conscious nerds, joins their online community (in which these guys ask for advice, share new techniques, and of course brag), and ends up as one of the gurus. The anecdotes are fascinating. I had observed to The Man a while ago that whichever parent is less available is the one the kids both want attention from, and that seems to be the main principle behind these guys picking up women at clubs. One way the "PUAs" (pick-up artists) signal their high worth is to "neg" their target, who is always the prettiest woman in a group. They say things like "Wow, you're pushy! How do you guys put up with her?" or "I like your dress. I just saw another girl wearing the same one." This apparently causes the pretty girl, who is used to guys fawning over her, to try to pursue the one guy who appears too cool for her. Towards the end of the book (which is way longer than it needs to be), the author gives up his handful of girlfriends for the one woman he meets who cannot be negged. Anyway, the book is too long, but it's worth skimming for the anecdotes, especially the one towards the end where he uses the PUA techniques in an interview with Britney Spears. (Strauss is also a journalist; he freelances for Rolling Stone.)
