I'm with Stupid: One Man. One Woman. 10,000 Years of Misunderstanding Between the Sexes Cleared Right Up [Hardcover]

Gene Weingarten (Author), Gina Barreca (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 2004

Is God male or female? Why do women, but not men, flush public toilets with their feet? Why are men, but not women, obsessed with parallel parking? Why do women, but not men, leave eleven-minute messages on answering machines? Why do men feel guilty about nothing, and women feel guilty about everything? Was Marilyn Monroe...fat?

These philosophical quandaries, and more, are finally debated in "I'm with Stupid," an uproariously funny dialogue between Gene Weingarten, the gleefully misogynistic "Washington Post" humor columnist, and Gina Barreca, the gleefully feminist University of Connecticut professor.

The first significant book about men and women actually written by a man and a woman, "I'm with Stupid" is privy to the dark secrets of both sexes. It's not a lecture, but an extended argument, a combustion of viewpoints that winds up unearthing startling truths. In the words of Gene and Gina: "Our Mars and Venus breach their orbits and collide in a screaming fireball from Hell."

The subject matter spans art and expression, science and technology, politics and history, spirituality and religion, sex and sexuality, as well as the complex etiology, sociology, and etymology of dirty jokes. Men: Learn at last how to know for sure when you are having a fight. Women: Learn what he really means when he says "I'm sorry." Take sides as Gene and Gina face off in a haggling challenge in which the winner manages to get the lowest price for a Mercedes S500. Or just take in the show.

"I'm with Stupid" is the book that finally establishes, conclusively, that women are funnier than men. And vice versa.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Original, hilarious, brilliant...For women, it offers invaluable insights into meaningful communication in a relationship. For men: Fart jokes! -- Dave Barry

Very, very funny. And terrifyingly clever. -- Fay Weldon

Review

Dave Barry

This original, hilarious, brilliant book is a godsend to both sexes. For women, it offers invaluable insights into the obstacles that so often prevent meaningful communication in a relationship. For men: Fart jokes!

Fay Weldon

Very, very funny. And terrifyingly clever.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (February 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743244206
• ISBN-13: 978-0743244206
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,505,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keeping It Up: Gene and Gina's guide to great communication, February 25, 2004

By 

"sarite" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I'm with Stupid: One Man. One Woman. 10,000 Years of Misunderstanding Between the Sexes Cleared Right Up (Hardcover)

From a Mercedes-buying contest devised to test which gender truly possesses killer, negotiating-instincts, to analyzing a pubic-hair baring model in a Gucci ad, readers enter "Gene&Ginaland" without security in site. I'm With Stupid, co-authored by Washington Post's Gene Weingarten, and University of Connecticut Professor, Gina Barreca, proves that great communication between the sexes is not necessarily analagous with finishing one another's sentences. While Gene thinks that the preeminent women's sport is "synchronized nagging," Gina dubbs Hemingway as "the premature ejaculator of American literature." They introduce perspective and expertise, consulting with Dr. Noguchi, the Los Angeles coroner who performed Marilyn Monroe's autopsy, whose knowledge on Marilyn's weight helps them disect the issue if size (hers!) really does matter in dating. Further, they reference the Talmud on notions on romantic love.

They are as hilarious as they are poignant; forgivable as they are unforgiving. Their answers and insights are spontaneous, yet well thought out. They poke fun at their own genders' fears, guilty-pleasures and misconceptions. They even poke fun at poking. Together, though miles apart, both in distance and thought, this dynamic duo allow each other and their fans the opportunity to break down society's barriers to finding a path toward a gender- understanding. There is no determined pattern in their debates as to which party must initiate their conversations. Nor is there an expectation modeled for their audience that one or the other must have the last word. Weingarten and Barreca prove that though different, the genders are equally powerful and subversive, neither set before the other. In our time where Viagra reigns supreme, I'm With Stupid is apropos, and momentous, proving that it really does not matter whom comes first, as long as both ultimately come together.

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not stupid at all!, July 13, 2004

By 

Tom Knapp "Rambles.NET editor" (Lancaster, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I'm with Stupid: One Man. One Woman. 10,000 Years of Misunderstanding Between the Sexes Cleared Right Up (Hardcover)

Gene and Gina talk like an old, married couple.

They're not married. They've never met. But they bicker -- affectionately, mind you -- with the comfortable familiarity of longtime chums. And in their book-length dialogue, they set straight all of the issues, myths, misconceptions and bugbears that have dogged the heels of male-female relationships since the first neolithic couple argued over the color of their cave wall art.

OK, so maybe I'm with Stupid doesn't quite live up to its ambitious subtitle: "One Man. One Woman. 10,000 Years of Misunderstanding Between the Sexes Cleared Right Up." But it comes pretty close.

During the course of the book, they engage in pointed discourse on matters ranging from parallel parking and the subtleties of color to the roles of men and women in history, pronouns, perfect vacations and Marilyn Monroe's weight. There is talk of sex, of course, as well as the obvious topics of marriage, infidelity and public restrooms. Gucci has its day, as do car sales, poetry, pubic hair, movies, pornography and sports. And, obviously, there is a raging debate over jokes, varied opinions on the merits of humor, farts and the evolution of the giggle.

I'm with Stupid will make you laugh. It will make you think, perhaps in ways quite foreign to you no matter what your gender. It's smart and clever, irreverent and wise. Read it, then share it with someone you love.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars foolish and fun, "Stupid" is anything but, February 26, 2005

By 

claudati82 (Bristol, CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I'm with Stupid: One Man. One Woman. 10,000 Years of Misunderstanding Between the Sexes Cleared Right Up (Hardcover)

"I'm With Stupid" is a witty and candid look into the oftentimes verboten topics relating to men and women. Gene and Gina discuss the subject matter in an intelligent and comical way, offering their sincere opinions on everything from purchasing a car to public bathroom habits. The honesty with which they delve into these topics is lighthearted and refreshing, leaving the reader with a grin that will last all day. The authors playfully banter throughout the course of the book surprising each other and their readers with answers that will shock and ring of truth. By the end of the book the reader will have taken a rollercoaster ride through everything that has been wondered about but never asked out loud. The only thing better than reading "I'm With Stupid" is hearing Gene and Gina bicker in person on all topics that were brought to light in their book, as well as those left unscathed for the next time.