A hopeful but outmoded argument involving sexual relations.
This philosophical treatise/sexual instruction manual links the world’s ills to men’s inability to satisfy women.
In the opening of this second installment of a series, Whickwithy asks readers to suspend their beliefs that the “craziness of mankind is the natural order of things.” The “disruptive elements” of existence, including violence, misogyny, and misanthropy, are not part of human nature. The author describes a “missing nail” that holds the power to repair society—a move toward sentience. Whickwithy suggests that humankind has an ability to adapt that sets it apart from animals—but it continues to act brutishly, rarely considering its actions. The author explains that the problem lies with men specifically—they do not know how to satisfy women sexually. The resultant sense of failure feeds an anger that “ripples outward” into society, perpetuating disruption. Whickwithy encourages men to become attentive, sentient lovers—offering sex tips such as “don’t twerk and jerk until the lady sings.” The author believes that men overcoming their “bestial” instincts and providing mutual satisfaction during intercourse will pave the way to a more peaceful society. In this wide-ranging sequel, Whickwithy reiterates the argument found in A Sentient Perspective (2019) regarding the social importance of the “sexual satisfaction of the woman” but with a greater emphasis on sexual technique. Although eccentrically worded, the advice offered here is seldom innovative: “In the woman, it seems the…stimulation of the nub of the clitoris may be all it takes to achieve climax but twerking may help.” Whickwithy claims to be the first to take “this radical departure from the insanities of our past,” but the author’s assertions are outdated. The case presented presupposes that heterosexual relations alone determine the behavior and course of humankind. It also implies that all men are unloving until they turn into adept lovers, and that all men who can please a woman are on the path to becoming better human beings: “A man will become a loving creature once he no longer turns to ice due to his own failure.” Generalizations such as this prove difficult to embrace. Whickwithy’s writing is well intentioned in its quest for peace, and the author’s sincere argument features some intriguing and thought-provoking details about relationships and the world order. But the work stereotypes men as predators and excludes a significant section of society that does not identify as heterosexual.
A hopeful but outmoded argument involving sexual relations.Pub Date: July 25, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-9971412-0-7
Page Count: 183
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Dec. 11, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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