The Quest
Book Review: How Not to Date
By Judy McGuire
Author of "Ask Dategirl"
Reviewed by Jennifer Kelton
How Not to Date by Judy McGuire is a first-rate book on, well, how to date.
The author’s quick-witted and well-timed words about dating are a result of her seven-plus years spent mostly single, and as a sex and love advice columnist. She describes right off the get-go in the introduction, "dates that were so heinous it’s truly a wonder that my vagina didn’t seal itself shut."
It’s statements such as this about her own personal life experiences, the good, the bad and the VERY, VERY ugly, that are entirely refreshing, and unlike so many of the other dating books. One of my favorite McGuire anecdotes is in Part 1, Oooh, That Smell! I have never dated a man who wore vinyl pants and was intrigued to read about the guy she was dating named Ned.
Ned was a strict vegan and refused to wear any leather. Therefore he opted to dress in vinyl pants. Another aspect of Ned’s strict vegan guidelines was his feeling that "cleanliness was just another construct of the bourgeoisie."
Sounds like a fun dinner date to me!
McGuire goes on to write about Ned’s utter "STENCH" and how one night she had to blatantly tell her vegan, vinyl pants-wearing boy to take a shower. It was when he protested the shower idea that she had to explain to him why he HAD to bathe: "because he expected me to put his smelly penis in my mouth."
How Not to Date cleverly incorporates McGuire’s dating stories side-by-side with a wide range of people she interviewed, and advice from real-life people, including a stripper, a porn star and a DJ. All are equally humorous, thought-provoking and eyebrow-raising.
I especially like the advice from Dave Burton, a band tour manager, who gives advice on "How Not to Date a Musician in an Indie Band." God knows, I dated my share of broke and dirty musicians in my younger days.
McGuire writes that she set out to write a book "to uncover what most sane daters would have an issue with." Her mission is accomplished by stripping away the typical dating book fodder and by her solid understanding that we all have different deal breakers.
McGuire’s absolute honesty makes this book a fast, funny and informative read with a side-splitting twist.
Jennifer Kelton is a dating expert, author and internet entrepreneur. As the LoveHowTo resident book reviewer, Jennifer provides a no-B.S. take on self-help books. She is the author of Don't Use My Sweater Like A Towel. She is the founder and creator of BadOnlineDates.com and its fabulous blog, as well as DailyDatingAdvice.com where singles get one-on-one free tips and fresh insights on the world of dating.
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