Customer Reviews

Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As has been noted in many reviews, this book is stuffed full of incredibly funny stories, and even if you rarely laugh out loud (like me), you probably will a few times during this book.

There are also some passages that are so eerily realistic, and so intimate, in their depiction of the guy psyche, that they read more like a documentary than a humorous editorial. You can almost imagine David Attenborough crouching down in the corner of the men's room, whispering, "Here we see the males of the species gathering to dispense of liquid waste at a row of urinals, but if you think their choice of urinal location is careless, you'd be wrong...." There really is a detailed explanation of urinal etiquette that is dead on the mark for accuracy, and part of the humor was sharing it with my incredulous wife, who had no concept of this hidden facet of male society.

There are also parts of the book that I cannot empathize with at all, such as the sections talking about sports fanaticism. Nonetheless, just as my wife laughed at the inanity of urinal etiquette that she had no experience with, I found the unfamiliar topics just as funny as the anecdotes I could directly relate to. Dave's story of his rivalry with opposing fans at a Celtics game is one of my favorites in all his writing.

As always, the foibles are presented in a good-natured way which both the guilty and innocent should equally enjoy. This book can also be a good ego booster, since every man should be able to find at least one passage where he can say "At least I never did that!"

Dave Barry's Complete Guide To Guys is, quite possibly, the most hilarious book I have ever read. Basically, Barry sums up all the stereotypes involving guys, not men, guys. Every page made me laugh out loud. I never got tired of it. I found myself nodding in recognition at almost everything written while I laughed until I cried. One of my personal favorite things that Dave Barry does in this book is his spectacular use of footnotes. He will have a sentence followed by a number corresponding to a footnote at the bottom of the page. It is always something hilariously random with very funny shock value. Dave Barry also includes many wonderful anecdotes on actual experiences with guy behavior, such as a bizarrely idiotic club initiation and an organization known as the Chicagoland Corvair Enthusiasts just to list a few. Anybody who is a fan of gender-related humor, either a guy or a gal, is sure to get a kick out of this fantastically entertaining work of literature.

This book had me CRYING at times, it was so funny! My husband has had this book for a few years and let me read it to "explain" how it wasn't his fault that he does braindead things...because he's a guy. After reading this book, I still think that he's clueless most of the time, but I enjoy it more. =) This book is the funniest thing I have ever read...make sure you don't read it with someone in your home or they'll get mad at you for laughing so hard! Seriously, ya gotta buy this book...I've never thought male stupidity could be so entertaining!!

While reading Dave Barry's Complete Guide To Guys, I laughed so hard that I almost hit my head on a table. The book is essentially a hysterical explanation of all those things related to guys that normal human beings are unaware of. It begins with an introduction that explains the main differences between men, women, and guys. It then goes on to a "Guyness" quiz, in which the reader can determine whether or not he/she is a guy. It then discusses guy contributions to history, which can be summarized as: absolutely nothing. Next, Barry talks about the biological nature of guys, more specifically why they "act like jerks." He goes on further to tell about the social development, and lack of it, for guys. Next he discusses guy problems, guy medical issues, guys and violence, guys in action, etc. Barry covers every aspect of guys possible, and then some. The book is ultimately one of the funniest pieces of literature I have ever read. It is packed full of jokes, puns, one-liners and hysterical footnotes. It is suitable for young adults and older. I would recommend the book for guys, naturally, as the book is the most funny when one can relate to it. I also recommend that non-guys read the book as well, because it offers insight for normal human beings as to the nature of guys and why they act the way they do. In sum, if you're a guy and need a good laugh, then this is most definitely the book for you.

DBCGG is vintage Dave Barry, which means that a) it's pretty funny and insightful and b) it feels as though you've read it before somewhere. While I didn't laugh several times per page as some have, I did manage a good dozen involuntary chortles and snickers. Barry, for all his predictability, does occassionally deliver unexpected images that take you off guard, from exploding vacuum cleaners to drunken William Tells. Compared to the massively unfunny books written by many comedians (Seinfeld and Cosby come to mind) Barry's oeuvre (French for "exploding weasels") is a sublime work of genius.

Barry has a way of identifying elements of male life that go unnoticed by most of us. How many of we married men think much about our wives' endless need to acquire and rearrange furniture? Dave's tale of the guy who made furniture from bags of old newspapers hit home. When I met my wife, I was less impressed by her looks and brains (which she had in spades) than by the fact that she owned a functioning kitchen table. DBCGG is a book for those of us who aspire to manhood (characterized by great thoughts and achievements) yet who manage only "guyhood," whose greatest achievements include knocking things down, irrational devotion to sports teams and occasionally remembering the names of our offspring.

I, an almost fifty-year-old person of the male gender, personally rated this book a three. But judging from the constant laughter, tittering and guffaws coming from my teenaged sons, they would rate it a five. I've split the difference and given it 4 stars.

Note: except for two very short sections on intimate male behavior, this book is OK for ages 12 and up.

Dave Barry is almost always extremely funny; even his less-impressive efforts are generally at least moderately amusing. But this is one of his best, up there with "Dave Barry Is Not Making This Up" and "Dave Barry Turns 40". Even those guys who, like myself, sometimes wonder if we're from this planet (given how little our mindset seems to have in common with the majority) and if we ARE from this planet, what species we're members of, can still find things in this book that we empathize with; in my case, it's the inability to see dirt. (Dave explains that this is why guys are so bad at housecleaning; they have a genetic visual impairment that renders them unable to see dirt.)

If you love subtle, elaborate, intellectual humor...

you won't want to read this book.

But if you can find amusement in seriously irreverent humor, even if it has the subtlety of a blowout at highway speed, then you should enjoy this book.

This is a very very funny book. You can open it up on any page, read a couple of sentences, and get a laugh. Don't read this book in public, people will look at you funny since you'll either have a smile on your face or be trying to hold in a laugh. It talks about totally irrelevant subjects, but ones we all recognize and I'm sure you "guys" can all identify with. You won't be wasting your money.

I just recently re-read this book for the umpteenth time only to confirm my suspicions -- that it is, in fact, just as funny as all of the other times I've read it. Dave Barry is a true guy. He's more than a guy, in fact, he is a guy so secure in his guyitude that he can point out everything it means to be a guy and divulge all of our secrets to members of the extreme opposite gender. From the truth about urinal etiquitte to our tendency to try to repair everything even remotely mechanical despite our utter lack of skill or talent, Barry nails all members of our gender down perfectly. This is easily his best book -- just as sharp, funny, and most importantly, TRUE, as it was the day it was first published.

I have never run across a Dave Barry book yet that didn't make me laugh out loud, and Dave Barry's Guide to Men is no exception. Whether you're a man wondering about acceptable behavior for a member of your gender or a woman considering dating one of these foul beasts, the Guide to Men provides a tongue-in-cheek (and in places truthful!) analysis of men and the mystery surrounding them. It's alternately hilarious and informative...and it's by Dave Barry, what more needs to be said?

According to Barry, millions of sperm are needed in order to have one fertilize a (much larger) egg as sperm do not ask for directions. He also provides a detailed explanation accompanied by a "scientific diagram" on the order in which guys choose a public urinal stand. These are but two of the most laugh out loud parts of this book, which showcases Barry at his hilarious best.

Behind the comments about the guy species there's a shrewd observer of humanity. (Note that Barry starts off by making a distinction between guys and men.) Yes, there are many remarks about women interspersed among his running commentary on guys, all the better to provide contrast to fumbling, bumbling, socially maladroit segment of the human race.

Barry's examines hackneyed gender stereotypes with a quirky eye, confirming that they are indeed, true. His analysis is witty and agile, skirting (as it were) the topics that are often the basis of much frustration to both genders, but never going overboard to offensive territory. Navigating myriad sensibilities in the Age of Political Correctness is a tricky dance indeed. Barry is a nimble performer who deserves a standing ovation!