Are Men Necessary?: When Sexes Collide - Hardcover

Dowd, Maureen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399153322 ISBN 13: 9780399153327

Publisher: Putnam Adult, 2005

Synopsis

In an amusing look at the world of sexual politics, the author of Bushworld explores the changing dynamics and complexities of gender relations in the modern world, covering such topics as online dating, the American obsession with aging and appearance, and why men may be biologically unsuited to hold higher office. 250,000 first printing.

About this title

Review:

She may be smart, incisive, witty, and keenly observant but with the release of Are Men Necessary?--a series of pithy (some might say piqued) ruminations on the sexes--Maureen Dowd will never, ever be championed by guys. Not that she cares. Even those who seek to avoid her columns in the august pages of The New York Times are certain to stumble over her invective in syndication. Dowd, it often seems, is everywhere. So those seeking even more via this book should be warned: Are Men Necessary? not only asks the eponymous question; it seeks to answer it with myriad examples (some convincing, some not) drawn from the Toronto Star to Kenneth Starr, from Cosmopolitan to Condoleezza Rice. You can bet a lot of folks aren't going to relish the answer.

With hands on hips and eyes wide open, Dowd surveys gender relations in contemporary settings such as the workplace, the White House, the mall, and the media, comparing and contrasting as she goes. And while her secondary sources are endless--and, let's face it, the subject of gender inequality is not exactly new--Dowd manages to produce a fair share of bons mots. To wit, this pearl on the subject of plastic surgery and men: "I have yet to see a man come out of cosmetic surgery without looking transformed into some permanently astonished lesbian version of himself," Dowd quotes a source as saying. "It's terrifying. My friend's father had just his eyes done by the best, most highly sought-after cosmetic surgeon in New York City. And he doesn't look refreshed or well rested. He looks like he's being stabbed to death by invisible people." Dowd's generously dispersed anecdotes, though seldom as funny, are equally readable. In the end, though, one wishes Are Men Necessary? went beyond simply grocery listing examples of sexual disparity to offer concrete suggestions for change. Then again, maybe that's too great a task even for a woman like Dowd. --Kim Hughes

About the Author:

Maureen Dowd has written for Time, GQ, Harper's Bazaar, Mademoiselle, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Ladies' Home Journal, Sports Illustrated, The New Republic and Redbook, among many other publications. She became a New York Times Op-Ed columnist in 1995, having written about the White House and its occupants since the Reagan era. Previously, she wrote the "On Washington" column for The New York Times Magazine.

Dowd joined The New York Times as a metropolitan reporter in 1983. She began her career in 1974 as an editorial assistant for The Washington Star. When the Star closed in 1981, she went to Time magazine. Dowd is a native of Washington, D.C.

About this edition

• Publisher: Putnam Adult
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0399153322
• ISBN 13: 9780399153327
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352