Customer Reviews

Dumb As Me: Women Gave Him Pleasure, Misusing Them Gave Him More

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I chose to read Dumb As Me so that I can go into the mind of a true player. Justin Drake is a true example of a snake in the grass. I found the book very interesting and hard to believe that there are woman in this world who would allow such behavior. Throughout reading the book I realized that Justin is a man who does not value marriage & family at all. How could he put his wife at health risk and just totally disrespect the vows. Justin probably could have come out to be a better Husband if his father,"Rooster" had been around. The ending of the book is quite the shocker. I wasn't expecting that!
This book is well recommended and Michael Gainer is definitely a great writer with an intriguing style!

"Are you watching the game, playing the game, or do
not even know the game exist? After reading Dumb as
Me" you will be well informed. Justin Drake, aka
Quincy, aka Tony, aka Fred are just a few of his
alias' he uses while playing the game. Justin has
money, power and woman; he is also married with two
children. He plays a dangerous game with women and an
even more dangerous one with his wife Alexis. The
author leaves the reader with the impression that
Justin learned his ways of infidelity from his father
Henry; who he affectionately nicknamed "the rooster"

In the beginning of the book his wife Alexis,
surprised me with her cool persona. She continued with
her everyday routine knowing her husband was
unfaithful to her on more than one occasion. Her
seemingly acceptance of Justin's infidelities did not
last long. Midway through the book you will see
another side of Mrs. Drake; toward the end you won't
recognize Alexis Drake.

The few days the reader is allowed into the life of
Justin Drake is an eye opening adventure. I am one of
the jaded ones who did not know the game was played to
this degree. The finale of Dumb as Me summed up the
entire book, which was not a neat red bow, but it was
a lovely bloody one. This author is not one to be
reckoned with this book was exciting. I definitely
will be looking for his sophomore novel tentatively
titled One Life no $equel, $low Walkin, $ad $ingin.

Reviewed by Missy
Mahogany Book Club

APOOO BookClub

I wasn't sure what to make of this book at first...not the most sophisticated literary style. This book actually reads more like a diary than a novel. I read very fast and finished this book in about 2 hours. The main character (Quincy/Justin)was pretty typical of a "Playa". The mother and father (Rooster)...these characters were so under-developed that the reader had to stretch to imagine what they were really about. This gave me no insight as to why Justin/Quincy treated women the way he did...I could only assume.
The relationship Justin had with his wife was very realistic. What was unrealistic is that the man had all of this money with no real job or valid explanation for his income...whatever. The end of the book was not shocking, not predictable...just "poetic justice". What I did like is when the author layed out the "Rules of a Playa/Baller" at the end of the book (this alone is worth 5 stars). Ladies...if you even think you're being played, you need to read this book and memorize the rules of the game.

Terrible! ANYONE WHO RATES THIS BOOK ABOVE 3 STARS IS A " BRAND NEW READER" TO THE WORLD OF BLACK FICTION OR A GROUPIE/MEMBER OF THE AUTHOR'S FAN CLUB.

I've been reading various books (fiction & non-fiction) written by African-American authors for over 10 years...I'm 31, and an avid reader. Hands down this is the worst book I've ever read.

The typos are insane! There's no character development, the plot is extremely rushed, and the reader never gets a true sense of why the characters behave the way they do. You know that Justin has beef with his dad, but why? It lacks depth. The author spends 0 time on giving the reader information on the background of the main characters. The storyline is sooooo simple, yet in spite of its simplicity the book just doesn't flow well.

And the ending...ri-dic-u-lous! If you MUST read it, start with the last few pages; there's nothing more worth spending your time on. I give the author props for trying, the competition in the world of black fiction literature is stiff. Better luck next time around. If you're an experienced reader, skip this one!

In Michael Gainer's Dumb as Me, we are introduced to Justin Drake, a man who clearly personifies the word "player". For Justin, the life of a player comes across naturally. Pimping, misleading women, and "living the life" is his specialty. Even his wife Alexis is aware of this, fully taking in all of his infidelities. If she would just be more openly accepting of Justin's lifestyle, in his eyes it would be "perfect". He would then be fully free to run as he pleased.

From the very beginning, we take a peek into Justin's life. We are introduced to the many women who make up his inner circle along with his loved ones who play a role in his "conquests". As Justin goes forth in his pursuits, he encounters the beautiful and mysterious Eden. Although her intoxicating beauty draws Justin, little does he know that he is about learn some powerful life-changing lessons. What lessons are in store for Justin? What impact will it have on his life? You will be very surprised in the direction that this story heads.

Although I don't condone Justin's actions or lifestyle, Mr. Gainer does an excellent job of presenting this tale. He presents the plot and characters in a realistic, honest fashion, which is clearly refreshing. For anyone who thinks that they truly know the player's life, read Dumb As Me because if you think you know, you have absolutely no idea..

Reviewed by: Kanika (Nika) Wade

OK check it. I'm a true reader of African American FICTION. What the hell was this book? Friction? 'Cause it sho wasn't fiction. The story line was DUMB. The characters were DUMB <what little we knew of them> The ending was DUMB too. Now I see why this author titled his book DUMB as me. Damn! If this author is really as dumb as his book then look out! 'Cause his book was filled with SO MANY DAMN ERRORS IT WASN'T FUNNY! Save your money people. You'll be DUMD for investing in this book!

TO ME THIS WAS HORRIBLE. WHEN I GO TO BUY BOOKS OFF THE NET I ONLY LOOK AT HOW MANY STARS OTHER READERS GAVE, NOT THEIR COMMENTS BECAUSE THEY TEND TO TELL THE STORY. IN THIS CASE I SHOULD HAVE READ THE REVIEWS. THIS BOOK WAS VERY HORRIBLE. TOTALLY UNDEVELOPED, AND HAD NO DEPTH AT ALL TO THE STORY. THIS BOOK STAYED RIGHT ON THE SURFACE. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A QUICK READ WHILE YOU WAIT ON THE DOCTOR THIS WOULD BE IT.

WEll Like most of the other readers that did not enjoy this book, I too thought that the book was very simple and to the point. A lot of grammatical errors, which i think took some of the book away for me. The ending is one of the reasons that I initially got the book. I read most of the reviews and it seemed really dramatic. However, it is far from dramatic. I have heard about things like that happenning so I don't doubt that the ending is unrealistic. The ending is shocking but also predictable. The book had no depth to it, no character growth or anything. I thought it was a page turner but I looked closely and noticed the font, the spacing and the margins and I believe that if the font and the margins alone were changed, 195 pages would turn into 100. Borrow this book from someone like the LIBRARY.

I thought that when I bought this book, that it'll be a good one...NOT!!! I gave it 2 stars because it was ok for a start, but I won't be buying any more of his books. I thought the chapters were too short and to the point. It was like "I f'd her real good and I got outta there"...Next chapter. Then, the ending was just as ridiculous as the rest of the book. The other reason why I didn't enjoy this book, there were too many typos. I'm sorry, I'm all for supporting black owned publishing companies and all, but have better editors, I found sentences that were run-ons,words that were spelled wrong...Okay, listen, do not buy this book at all.

I am somewhat perplexed at the high rating for this book. This was truly one of the worse books I have ever read. There was no charcter devlopment whatsoever and the plot was rushed and elemntary ( as was the writign style) There were major errors in the writing and overall this book was HORRIBLE. I am so glad I borred the book from the library rather than waste my hard earned money. HAlf the book is the first two chapters of his next novel in which Mr. Gaines sounds like he is trying to write about something he knows nothing about. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK IN ANYWAY- BUYER BEWARE