The Game: Undercover in the Secret Society of Pick-Up Artists (original 2005; edition 2005)

I hate this book. I hate myself for reading it. (I tried not to.) I hate Neil Strauss and I hate every idiotgirl who slept with him or gave him her number. It's true that I love to hate and that would be reason enough not to drop kick this book into the nearest dumpster. (Also, I got it from the library so that would be rude and I'd have to pay for it anyway.) But I actually enjoyed it, God help me. The author put an astronomical amount of time and energy into bamboozling people and dammit it worked. He's a pathetic little man but he's actually kind of likable. Grrr!

I'm ashamed of the women who've fallen for all this pick-up artist bullshit and I'm ashamed of the men who wasted actual brain-power on learning how to do it. I don't want to believe that there are hundreds of thousands of men out there who want, more than anything else in life, to be able to nail chicks that are way too hot for them. What a pathetic life's ambition. How sad for society in general.

There has to be a way to end this. Prostitution should definitely be legal. Not just legal, but socially acceptable. Also, beautiful women need to be less stingy with the goods. Throw these social rejects a bone, so to speak. Their unchecked macking is a danger to us all.

Now please excuse me while I try to restore my faith in humanity by watching Remember the Titans, Return to Me*, and The Blindside.







*I know that one's not based on a true story but I like to pretend that it is. ( )

I'm not quite sure what to make of this. Do men really think this way? If they do, I think less of them for it. ( )

Really fascinating, entertaining and at the same time irritating read. The techniques fascinate me, especially when they are used in other contexts than this, but the "game" itself... what can I say? I watched and really enjoyed the tv-series The Pickup Artist too, although it gave me very mixed feelings. Again, the techniques and the mind manipulation stuff is intriguing and can be used for amazing things. Using them to deceive, cheat and fool people is really shitty and an incredible waste of potential... ( )

Hilarious and sad look into the PUA community that spawned a whole bunch of would be players. ( )

Probably the most well written and interesting non-fiction work I have read. If you're looking for a "how-to-manual" or a good story, you won't be disappointed. Not for the closed-minded, or for the innocent; this book could do some serious damage to the psyche of those who aren't ready for the worldview shattering contents. ( )