MAN SQUARE

A concise guide for women who want to understand their men.

According to debut author Hibbler, “men are simple,” and this guide to understanding them is too: it’s fewer than 30 pages, about half of which feature stick-figure illustrations rather than text. With no space for mincing words, Hibbler gets right down to helping women who “are still at a loss when it comes to men.” As Hibbler sees it, men have four parts analogous to the four equal sides of a square: loyalty, food, solitude, and sex. If they succeed in fulfilling those four basic requirements, Hibbler states, women will be able to satisfy the men in their lives. He does make an exception for those he describes as “useless men,” advising his female readers: “If he has no purpose for his life, he will be a deadbeat, no matter what you do.” The author states early on that “the Bible is [the] foundation” to understanding men but makes only a few references to specific biblical teachings, leaving the rationale for the rest of his advice unclear. Most of that advice is stated in vague terms without instructions for practical application. For example, on loyalty, Hibbler writes: “He needs to feel that it is automatic and natural as the relationship develops,” without offering strategies for how a woman might take action to foster that feeling. Similarly, Hibbler frequently fails to explain why his observations are specific to men. “Most men will respond to their favorite foods in a positive way,” he writes but does not say why this response might be different or more pronounced for men. What’s more, Hibbler’s views hew so closely to traditional gender norms—“men should not have a feminine side”; “God put the man ahead of the woman”—that many modern women will most likely be put off. Still, the author’s conversational tone and complete lack of pretense may appeal to conservative-leaning readers looking for a new perspective on male/female relationships.

A no-frills primer aimed squarely at a socially conservative Christian readership.