Customer Reviews

Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is the new Bible! It's a MUST READ for EVERYONE. You might not like EVERY bit of information it contains but if you can use JUST ONE thing ... it's totally worth it! You read it and you LAUGH because you say "Hey, that's me!" or "I've been there!" It makes COMPLETE SENSE in my opinion. It WILL help your relationship. It's SIMPLE ... common sense! I rarely buy books but after getting this from the library and renewing it several times I realized I couldn't live without it. The "mars/venus" stuff is a little hokey but if you can block that out you've got some valuable information in your hands. Now, of course, it takes some time to make changes in your life so don't expect a miracle ... but IF ANYTHING you open it and it makes you feel better because you realize you're NORMAL and all the "crap" in your life is essentially normal too. And you know what? It's not rocket science either but sometimes we just don't see the writing on the wall ... Get this one NOW!

I bought this book for my son and his wife because it has helped me and my husband understand each other better. I think that all women need to read this and find out that what your husband says isn't what you think he said. Great book for anyone needing to understand the opposite sex better.

My 12-Step sponsor seriously recommended that I get this book and am I glad that I did!!!!
[I'm an "anger-holic".]

There are wonderful truths for guys and gals in here and you can learn a LOT if you are willing to be rigorously honest!

Thanks,
Brad F
Tampa Bay, FL

GREAT BOOK HOWEVER OWNER ADVERTISED IT AS NEW AND IT WAS USED TO THE MAX NOT EVEN IN GOOD CONDITION

Gray's motivation for the book is certainly noble: the idea that men and women need to better understand one another in order to foster healthy relationships. However, Gray's solution in "Men are From Mars and Women are From Venus" is to embellish upon large generalizations about men and women that really border on stereotypes which almost rings of sexism. Not sexism in the sense of putting someone down because they are a member of a particular sex, but in the sense of the idea that "all men do X" and "all women feel Y", as if human beings have ever so neatly fallen into such predictable patterns of behavior. If this were really true, then there shouldn't be any more human conflict because everything is quite identifiable. If there's anything that can be said about the human race, behavior, attitudes and beliefs are decidedly unpredictable. Trying to characterize them as predictable would be as naive as making the sames kinds of generalizations about people from particular religious affiliations.

One of the primary hypothesese of his book is that "women talk" and "men go to their caves". For me, this is such a gross generality that disenfranchises a lot of males that I felt that the whole point of the book was simply relying on stereotypes. And stereotypes are often a fallacy, usually used as a way to simplify beliefs for people who do not want to engage in any real depth of understanding. It would be as bad to say that all Americans eat fast food. The kind of male he's describing seems like John Goodman from Roseanne or Jackie Gleason from the Honeymooners. Is this really about how to help relationships, or this only about propagating traits that are often reinforced on prime-time sit-coms? As a male myself, I was quite put off on how he characterizes men, as if all men somehow fit into some small threshold of behavior and attitudes that can easily be defined and labeled, which is almost as bad as stereotyping about people from other countries. I am a heterosexual male, and yet I have known very few men who engage in the sensibility that he describes. Most of the males I know certainly do not fit in with Gray's "men go to their caves". The book really is about a certain kind of male sensibility, essentially American, but for me it does an injustice to the vast array of differences between people.

I won't disagree that there are temperamental differences between men and women and how they communicate. But when he makes statements like "men don't need women to say they love them after they're married" is absolute hogwash. It totally depends upon the man. I will concede that this is true for some males. But is it true for the vast majority? I know for example that European men view their own sexuality and relationships quite differently than we do in the United States. So how does that mesh with Gray's hypotheses? I think his characterizations of female sensibility is slightly better than that of men. Women do seem more eager to talk, and from a very early age, most females do exhibit a priority towards relationships and communication. But I don't think the direct opposite is necessarily true for men.

The resulting work by Gray is a real disappointment as it characterizes a relatively segmented part of the male and female population, and tries to over-simplify many of the challenges faced by relationships. The problem of relationships may have more to do with two different people trying to get along than about stereotypical sex norms, but that's Gray's answer. It's actually very American in that sense. Americans want simple answers to complex problems. Sort of akin to when Americans found out that the French are healthier and drink red wine resulting in a red wine craze in the US. And maybe that's Gray's worst faux pas: making it seem like the answer to troubled relationships is simply knowing about a few sex stereotypes. Males and females are not stereotypes, pure and simple.

I love this book it is very informational and right on the target. It really enlightens you to emotional world of your partner. It is easy to read and flows nicely.

Just as expected. Read myself a few years back bought to share with daughter and with daughter-in-law

Book will go a long way helping men and women understand one another. If you are in a relationship this book will aide your understanding of your partner and his or her basic needs, outlook on the world, and communication style. Just a note on Amazon: Keep good records of all your transactions and don't assume you will be treated fairly. I am presently involved in a dispute on returned merchandize with them. I am "out" my merchandize and over $300 . They have closed my case. I f you purchase something from them, pay with major credit card in case you need to get your personal bank involved in any disputes. For me Amazon's A to Z resolution system is a joke.

I ordered this for a friend who is having difficulty understanding the man in her life. It really helped!

Yes it is a great book but do you think you can master women?
At the back of my book I made a comparison sheet to make me understand women better. 10 years passed and I still have a miss-understanding with my women every week, I even gave her a copy so she would understand me. I thinks it's a women problem and these Venusians are trying to conquer earth.