In the grand tradition of such luminaries as Dr Vernon Coleman (News of the World) and Richard Littlejohn, Mr Stirling has produced yet another trash, simplistic, self help book which will probably sell modestly well in the aforementioned Sunday papers classifieds.
Check out the subtitle - "How to Satisfy A Woman Mentally, Emotionally and Sexually - A Book for Men". Yes, you guessed it, 165 pages on how to get in the sack with the opposite sex. Updated via a smattering of PC notions (18 ways to bring out her love - 'hold hands in public', 'take her side', 'offer help') and new age techniques (NLP and body language strategies), it repeats the old story of man as neanderthal, woman as beauty to be conquered, with the caveat "This is how nature works, and there is no point in pretending otherwise". Such statements are repeated throughout the book, to prop up the authors simplistic view of relationships as "based on a very basic form of supply and demand".
There is little here to differentiate it from the Men's Rights Movement, wanting women to stay at home while men go to work. Indeed the author starts the book: "You, like me, will probably have had your fill of being encouraged to apologise for being a man". The creepy side to this, is the author is a shiatsu practitioner! Whose main bible seems to be John Grays "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" (see John Rowans article in this issue). Now that is wolf dressed up as lamb.
David Urmson
Copyright © Achilles Heel Collective
