An upbeat but unevenly executed dating-advice guide.
Berger leads the reader through an alphabetically structured self-help manual about finding a compatible, marriage-minded partner.
This book’s dating advice, based on the author’s own experiences and her years of work as a therapist, may seem old-fashioned at times, but it’s also consistently friendly, with a hopeful tone. It discusses a wide variety of topics, touching on the ineffable chemistry between strangers and how relationships benefit from empathy and humor and can be brought down by secrets. Readers also get Berger’s insights into modern facets of dating with an eye toward marriage, such as online dating apps. Along the way, she’s very encouraging and pragmatic, oscillating between specific tips for specific situations, such who should pay for a first date, and more abstract concepts, such as serendipity, respect, and openness. Also included are exercises designed to help readers contemplate their own priorities, as well as an appendix with further tips and prompts. Berger notes that her likely readership will be single women, and this could be further narrowed to straight, middle-class women with highly traditional expectations. It’s admirable that the author is clearly committed to encouraging and strengthening long-lasting marriages. However, some of her tips come across as simplistic, and she too confidently promises success. The A to Z structure of the book gives the initial impression that the book is comprehensive and ordered; in reality, though, it prevents significant and logical progression from one topic to the next. The overall tone is kindly and wise, but its anecdotes can feel repetitive at times. And although there are some references to popular researchers and authors, as well as notes and a reading list, there seems to be a general lack of evidence-based theories and suggestions.
An upbeat but unevenly executed dating-advice guide.Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-64-742179-3
Page Count: 264
Publisher: She Writes Press
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.
The veteran actor, comedian, and banjo player teams up with the acclaimed illustrator to create a unique book of cartoons that communicates their personalities.
Martin, also a prolific author, has always been intrigued by the cartoons strewn throughout the pages of the New Yorker. So when he was presented with the opportunity to work with Bliss, who has been a staff cartoonist at the magazine since 1997, he seized the moment. “The idea of a one-panel image with or without a caption mystified me,” he writes. “I felt like, yeah, sometimes I’m funny, but there are these other weird freaks who are actually funny.” Once the duo agreed to work together, they established their creative process, which consisted of working forward and backward: “Forwards was me conceiving of several cartoon images and captions, and Harry would select his favorites; backwards was Harry sending me sketched or fully drawn cartoons for dialogue or banners.” Sometimes, he writes, “the perfect joke occurs two seconds before deadline.” There are several cartoons depicting this method, including a humorous multipanel piece highlighting their first meeting called “They Meet,” in which Martin thinks to himself, “He’ll never be able to translate my delicate and finely honed droll notions.” In the next panel, Bliss thinks, “I’m sure he won’t understand that the comic art form is way more subtle than his blunt-force humor.” The team collaborated for a year and created 150 cartoons featuring an array of topics, “from dogs and cats to outer space and art museums.” A witty creation of a bovine family sitting down to a gourmet meal and one of Dumbo getting his comeuppance highlight the duo’s comedic talent. What also makes this project successful is the team’s keen understanding of human behavior as viewed through their unconventional comedic minds.
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-26289-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
A frank and funny but uneven essay collection about neurodiversity.
An experimental, illustrated essay collection that questions neurotypical definitions of what is normal.
From a young age, writer and comedian Myers has been different. In addition to coping with obsessive compulsive disorder and panic attacks, she struggled to read basic social cues. During a round of seven minutes in heaven—a game in which two players spend seven minutes in a closet and are expected to kiss—Myers misread the romantic advances of her best friend and longtime crush, Marley. In Paris, she accidentally invited a sex worker to join her friends for “board games and beer,” thinking he was simply a random stranger who happened to be hitting on her. In community college, a stranger’s request for a pen spiraled her into a panic attack but resulted in a tentative friendship. When the author moved to Australia, she began taking notes on her colleagues in an effort to know them better. As the author says to her co-worker, Tabitha, “there are unspoken social contracts within a workplace that—by some miracle—everyone else already understands, and I don’t….When things Go Without Saying, they Never Get Said, and sometimes people need you to Say Those Things So They Understand What The Hell Is Going On.” At its best, Myers’ prose is vulnerable and humorous, capturing characterization in small but consequential life moments, and her illustrations beautifully complement the text. Unfortunately, the author’s tendency toward unnecessary capitalization and experimental forms is often unsuccessful, breaking the book’s otherwise steady rhythm.
A frank and funny but uneven essay collection about neurodiversity.Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9780063381308
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
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