What Women Want
Rodale Press, 200, with Laurence Roy Stains; ISBN 1-57954-093-7.
This book had the good fortune to be published at almost precisely the same moment as the release of the Mel Gibson movie of the same title (though the only direct connection between the two projects is men’s humorous cluelessness about women). The basic premise of our book was this: Two male authors get 2,102 women (through surveys, online polls and personal interviews) to tell us what women want from men – as lovers, boyfriends, husbands, coparents and friends. Wow! Did they ever give us an earful! And this book lays it all out, in a comprehensive, candid, erotically revealing study of women, for all the men out there who remain mystified by that other two-legged species with whom they share their beds.
Here’s what San Francisco hospice educator Dana Vigilante had to say about the book, in a review posted on MentalHelp.net:
“This book was an absolute blast to read. As a single thirty-something, I enjoyed every single page. The entire book consists of interviews with women who range in age from early twenties to late sixties. The topics discussed are as personal as the input the women give. Topics range from threesome’s, married sex vs. single sex and one very humorous chapter asking women to divulge the oddest place they have ever had sex.
“The goal of this book is basically to educate men as to what women want, desire and crave in the bedroom (and bathtub, handcuffs, hotel room, swimming pool, etc…). This book should be a mandatory read for all of the men who think they’ve cornered the market on sexual techniques, romance, passion and pleasure. The stories the women in this book tell about men they’ve dated and the sexual disasters that they’ve encountered kept me in stitches for the three nights that it took me to read the entire book. Personal hygiene among men was also spoken about. For the record guys, bad breath, passing gas and belching are all definite “don’ts”, whether you are single, married or just plain old dating — don’t do it.“This book is geared toward both single and married men, as well as the young and old, as it discusses “dating” sex, “casual” sex, “married” sex and every other type of sex you can think of. While the book does cover somewhat serious topics such as marriage and fatherhood and becoming a better lover after going through both, it tends more to be a lighthearted read geared toward men who really need to polish their sexual skills as well as re-educate themselves on what women today really want.”
Excerpt
“What does she want from you, as the father of her children? What does she really appreciate? What makes her purr with pleasure? What drives her so nutty she’d like to wrap a diaper around your neck?
These are not idle questions – or easy ones, either. Raising young ‘uns alongside a good woman can be one of life’s most enduring pleasures. Or it can become so fraught with conflict that it drives the two of you into embittered exile from each other.
In this part of the book, we’ll enlist the help of women from across the United States, Canada, and the nearer galaxies to help us – and you – find some answers to these questions. Just to clarify our purpose here: This is not about how to raise your kids, discipline them, or ensure that they get into Princeton. That’s some other book (a very long one). What we’re interested in here is how you can maintain a rich, rewarding union while also raising kids…”
