Have I Got a Guy for You: What Really Happens When Mom Fixes You Up [Paperback]

Alix Strauss (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2008

Humorous and heartfelt, "Have I Got a Guy for You" lets us all share the bond that brings us together and helps us realise that we're all victims of the "big bad fix-up." Like a support group to carry around in your bag, "Have I Got a Guy" introduces the contributors' unique mothers, highlights the most interesting and amusing parts of their dates, and shows how they got suckered into going out with the mates their mothers found for them.These are funny, sad, real, and amusing stories that provide tangible, and sympathetic proof that we are not alone. In this colourful collection of miss-matches, readers will meet 25 victims of poor arrangements, well-meaning fix-ups, and just plain bad judgment calls. Through these tales, we can commiserate and laugh at others who have been through similar situations. Those lucky few who have been spared the mother-induced fix-up will enjoy reading the stories, thankful the dates didn't happen to them.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alix Strauss is the author of The Joy of Funerals: A Novel in Stories, which won the Ingram Award and was optioned by Stockard Channing's production company. Strauss writes for many publications including the New York Times, Self, Marie Claire, Elle, and Outside. She writes about trends for Time and the Daily News and frequently appears on TV as a trend expert. She lives in New York city.

Product Details

• Paperback: 235 pages
• Publisher: Polka Dot Press (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598694332
• ISBN-13: 978-1598694338
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,993,350 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A media savvy social satirist, Alix Strauss has been a featured lifestyle and trend writer on national morning and talk shows including ABC, CBS, CNN, and the Today show. Her articles, which have appeared in the New York Times, New York Post, Time Magazine, Marie Claire, Entertainment Weekly and Self, among others, cover a range of topics from trends in beauty, travel, and food to celebrity interviews. She is the author of the award winning short story collection The Joy of Funerals, Death Becomes Them: Unearthing the Suicides of the Brilliant, the Famous, and the Notorious, and the soon-to-be-released Based Upon Availability. She is also the editor of Have I Got a Guy for You, an anthology of mother coordinated dating horror stories. She is the recipient of several awards and fellowships including the David Dornstein Creative Writing Award, which she won for her short story "Shrinking Away." A true Manhattanite, Alix lectures extensively and has spoken at over 100 events and symposiums. For more information on upcoming projects, recent articles, past events, and book reviews or to view clips of her television appearances please visit her website www.alixstrauss.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Blind date **** April 16, 2008

By Nancy Jean Ross

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The story, "Shaadhi Abhi Naahi," which when translated from Hindi means, "No wedding yet," is written in beautifully precise language It is also very funny while introducing potentially sinister material. This story is about an Indian American mother's attempt to marry off her daughter. The other stories in the book continue with this theme with other ethnic groups like Korean Americans.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 stars August 7, 2009

By Highway of Diamonds

Format:Paperback

This book was really entertaining, but in small doses. If you read too much at once it becomes a blur of cranky women relying heavily on alcohol, and too much shallow prattle about harvard degrees, handshakes, and height. You'd think for a bunch of writers at least ONE of them would have opted for the coffee date at a bookstore, but most pretty much go the whiney, booze-fueled princess route. Still tho, a pretty good read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A good, funny read October 3, 2008

By Debra Hamel TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Have I Got a Guy For You is a collection of 26 essays by female writers about their experiences with match-making mothers. All the essays are well-written and at least worth the read, and many of them are quite funny. In "Letters to Gelman," for example, Brenda Scott Royce writes about her mother's attempts to fix her up with Michael Gelman, the then single producer of LIVE with Regis and Kathie Lee. Royce's mother wrote numerous letters to Gelman about her daughter, attaching photographs and insisting that Brenda would be willing to convert to Judaism for the purpose of marriage. Brenda was not keen on the idea:

"Despite my insistence that I could manage my love life without her interference, and despite my far-out claim that few TV producers actually scrounge for romantic prospects in the viewer mailbag, my mother pressed on, prompted by Regis's on-air riffs about Gelman's single status, sending letter after letter to the morning show."

Gelman, sadly, never wrote back, but other contributors to the volume did wind up going on dates with the guys their mothers had found for them. Usually the results were disastrous. There was, for example, the BBC journalist who announced twenty minutes into his date with Anita Kawatra what his sexual expectations would be should they get married: she was to be "accomodating" and "adventurous," and they would have sex four times a week, six during vacations. Aaron was an aspiring actor who said "totally" a lot and showed author Sara Barron his 8x10 glossies over tea and mocha at Starbucks:

"Then my mother called to see how things had gone.

"'Not well,' I told her on the phone. 'He totes a dance bag and dresses all in leather.'

"'In a gay way?' she asked.

"'Is there any other?' I responded...."

There was, too, the divorced thirty-something who announced that his ex-wife used to beat him, and a grad student at UPenn who--for reasons author Samantha Levy can't remember--came out with a similarly startling confession: "My mom used to powder my bottom until I was in the eighth grade."

This is good stuff. Definitely recommended for when you want a humorous, light read

-- Debra Hamel Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A Match Made of Mismatches! Great book! August 11, 2008

By Mint910 VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Have I Got A Guy For You: What Really Happens When Mom Fixed You Up is a anthology of 27 stories of woman and their mothers who set them up on blind dates.

It's hard to give a summary since this is a anthology. So let's see some of my favorites involved Hindu Matrimonials, "Cousins", the Perfect Son In Law, and a live-action game of Dungeons and Dragons. For the most part this was a good natured look at blind dating. It was funny!

Most of these matches end up in mismatches. But I found myself hoping that something good would come from these blind dates and in a few cases something did! Most of these mothers had their daughters best intentions in mind so it made the stories more lighthearted and loving.

It seemed like a large group of friends got together to contribute to this and a good number of them happened to be Jewish and live in New York, nothing wrong with that but it was definitely a theme throughout.

Reading these all in a row could get a little bit repetitive but at the same time anthologies are nice because you can set them down and pick them back up without losing your place. This is one of the many reasons I love anthologies. I read several stories a day for maybe 3 or 4 days.

I love love love anthologies. The idea of look at one subject (be it vague or specific) from multiple angles introduces you to many new and exciting ways of looking at a subject. And also getting to sample a bunch of different authors at the same time! I still need to go back to this one and look up some of the authors other works. (There are great bios in the back) I love that anthologies have the potential to lead you to your new favorite author.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever and Poignant Humor April 11, 2008

By Urban Mom

Format:Paperback

I found this collection of stories very enjoyable. Each author found comedy in situations which were not really humourous at the time they were were going through it, yet the way that they presented them was simply hilarious. I can't remember the last time when I laughed so much while reading. Like most of the other reviewers, I liked the one about the mom who set up her daughter on the Indian website and the one where the mom wrote incessantly to Gelman. Delightful!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Cool book! April 11, 2008

By Jo_bro_fan

Format:Paperback

So I read the reviews and I thought this might be a fun airplane read. I loved the stories! The one about Gelman and the one about the Indian wedding site were amazing! I also like the one about the monologue dude. Very cool book, and I totally would recommend it! It was pretty shweet!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Priceless! April 6, 2008

By Mark Blitz

Format:Paperback

I loved it...and I'm a man! The piece by Leora Klein itself is worth the purchase. The entertainment value of dating stories is timeless.