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
Sex is a topic generally considered unsuitable for polite conversation. Ah, but the intrepid New York Times columnist, winner of a Pulitzer Prize in 1999, steps up to the plate to hit some fly balls well out of the field as she discusses sexual realities and absurdities, doing so with the same verve and nerve with which she handled the other hot-button topic--politics--in her 2004 best-seller, Bushworld. Dowd is hilarious, cutting, and provocative--in other words, perfectly willing to express her vision of the truth without an ounce of reservation. And isn't that why readers gravitate to her? Her new book arises from her New Times columns, and her observations on how men and women relate lead to pithy commentary on the contradictory path feminism has taken ("the new urban legend is about a young man who loses a girl by asking her to split the check"), the superior suitability of women as political leaders ("women are affected by lunar tides only once a month; men have raging hormones every day"), and other topics more timid conversationalists would stay away from. Thank goodness she doesn't. Brad Hooper
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Review
“A blistering critique of modern gender relations.”—Salon
“Fun...plenty of style and wit.”—Baltimore Sun
“She'll keep you turning pages...Dowd has a voice that carries.”—People
“No one vets the culture with a keener eye than Dowd.”—Chicago Tribune
“Maureen Dowd has waded into the one topic more controversial than politics: sexual politics.”—Austin American-Statesman
“The New York Times columnist is dizzyingly well-read and well-rounded, with references from Oscar Wilde to Valley of the Dolls. My favorite part was when she casually flund the phrase 'as Carmen Miranda used to say' into a discussion of the Enron scandal...very lively...always entertaining.”—Chicago Sun-Times
“[Dowd] discusses sexual realities and absurdities, doing so with the same verve and nerve with which she handled the other hot-button topic—politics—in her 2004 bestseller, Bushworld...hilarious, cutting, and provocative.”—Booklist
“Readable, provocative, and entertaining.”—*Library Journal
About the Author
Born in Washington, Maureen Dowd began her journalism career in 1974 as an editorial assistant for The Washington Star, where she later became a sports columnist, metropolitan reporter and feature writer. From there she went to Times magazine, then moved to The Times’s Washington bureau in 1986 to cover politics. She has covered seven presidential campaigns and served as a White House correspondent. In 1995 she became a columnist for The New York Times Op-Ed page and in 1999 won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary.
In addition to her two New York Times bestsellers, Bushworld and Are Men Necessary?, Dowd has written for GQ, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, The New Republic, Mademoiselle, Sports Illustrated and others.
A must-read from an important NEW YORK TIMES writer who not only has razor-sharp insights, but who precisely and deftly illustrates what the battle of the sexes really is all about--complete with telling anecdotes from both her personal life and professional experiences. Such good writing deserves not only a first-class narration, but also an attractive audio package worthy of the subject, rather than this garish one. Recommendation to listeners: Ignore both the cover and the delivery and concentrate on Dowd's spot-on accounts of men and women living and working together in this brave new world supposedly with equal opportunities for both sexes. L.C. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
