The Slightly Older Guy (Signed First Edition)

The author of The Lonely Guy's Book of Life offers a survival guide for the midlife male, addressing virtually all of his concerns and offering outrageous suggestions on everything from sexual performance anxiety to memory lapses to cars. 35,000 first printing.

Males over 50 will find the light touch of top humorist Friedman (The Lonely Guy's Book of Life) bringing smiles of recognition on page after page. The SOG will see himself in the man with wattles under his chin, a memory that is not totally reliable and the recollection of that traumatic moment when the pretty girl he was ogling on the subway smiled and said, "Would you like my seat?" There are recommendations on diet (order half a sandwich), sex (remember, you are no longer a gymnast), exercise (walk, don't run), economics (buy generics and check for change behind the sofa cushions) and insomnia (read Solzhenitsyn). And for readers so inclined, there are also words of wisdom about going into politics and moving to the country. The breezy text is supplemented by apt line drawings.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Friedman's funny little book presents an interesting question for these culturally sensitive times. Is this a collection of wry witticisms and observations ironically detailing the changing circumstances time brings to men in midlife, or is it another pitiful collection of boy's room humor? Fortunately, it's the former, although a certain insouciant sexism (or at least, comfort with certain traditional attitudes sometimes deemed sexist) occasionally peeks through. This is, after all, a book of what we might call urban folk knowledge, in that Friedman is imparting insights garnered from his own experiences. Whether slightly older guys should wear ponytails, having a slightly older wife as opposed to a younger wife, and being forced into retirement are among the subjects of Friedman's ruminations, as, thoughtfully, is "A Word about P.C." Not worth fighting about and certainly entertaining, Friedman's light look at aging is reminiscent of some of Roy Blount's stuff, albeit minus the Texas component. Funny stuff not just for slightly older guys. Mike Tribby

Books about women are published regularly throughout the year. However, books about guys (not to be confused with men) often are published just in time for Father's Day. This is because the guys who write these books suddenly remember it's time to earn a living. More likely, they are reminded by their editors (probably women) or their wives to earn a living. Barry's is an original work, not merely a collection of his columns. It's outrageously funny, fresh, and ribald. This is a real guy's book, covering the role of guys in history, their biological and social development, their medical concerns ("it's just a sprain"), and their domestic side, with a bonus essay on orgasms. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 1/95.] Comic novelist/screenwriter Friedman offers a witty but less hilarious book on the midlife travails of the slightly older guy (SOG). The SOG is concerned about enough bran, too many eggs, and when the medical profession will make up its mind about the prostate gland. This near-SOG reviewer is already uneasy with his new doctor, a mostly younger woman (MYW), whose attention is diverted annually to his prostate. Barry's book is destined to be a best seller. Friedman's may end up in the bargain bin sooner.?Joe Accardi, Northeastern Illinois Univ. Lib., Chicago
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.