MANOLOGY

An unlikely bromance between two reformed playas becomes the source of an in-depth look at the ways of philandering men.

Few took greater advantage of their celebrity than the authors of this provocative, often controversial self-help book focusing on modern relationships between the sexes. Not too long ago, Run-D.M.C. founder Rev. Run (Words of Wisdom, 2006, etc.) and singer/actor Gibson (How to Get Out of Your Own Way, 2011) were the kind of guys fathers were advised to warn their daughters about. Today, both men have daughters of their own and therefore have the best incentive of all to help women everywhere understand how their boyfriends and husbands think and why they cheat. However, although the authors are united in their objective, they differ, often hilariously so, on numerous issues. For instance, Gibson contends that men will cheat for a variety of paper-thin reasons that seem justifiable in their own minds. Run, on the other hand, blames the unfaithfulness of male partners on an overabundance of temptation. Interestingly, both seem to indicate that some men are basically unable to control themselves. Gibson comes to his particular insights through intense retrospection. Run, meanwhile, relies on Judeo-Christian Scriptures. He is so wary of possible temptation that he refuses to ever be alone in a room with a woman who is not his wife. While explaining the motivations of the cheating male mind, the authors take great pains to explain that they are not condoning unfaithfulness, just helping women understand why certain things might be happening in their relationships. Despite their earnestness, the authors will no doubt be accused of unconscious chauvinism. Many men, in turn, will be unhappy that the authors spend so much time telling women how to spot and catch an unfaithful spouse or boyfriend.

Entertaining and enlightening for suspicious minds.