A Practical Handbook for the Boyfriend: For Every Guy Who Wants to be One/For Every Girl Who Wants to Build One [Hardcover]

Felicity Huffman (Author), Patricia Wolff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 23, 2007

Most dating books are written for women -- what a mistake that is. Women know how to date . . . It’s men who need the help! At last: a blithe, bold, and bawdy guide to building a better boyfriend

At some point, every guy -- player, geek, mama’s boy, "regular Joe" -- meets a woman who makes him want to be a boyfriend. A good boyfriend. Problem is, unless he’s had some first-rate training (by a previous girlfriend, a sister, a mom), he probably doesn’t even know what that means. Felicity Huffman and Patricia Wolff come to the rescue with a rollicking -- and whip-smart -- handbook to navigating the minefield of male-female relationships.

Directed at men (though of course it’s women who’ll buy it, then leave it at their boyfriend’s place -- accidentally on purpose), A Practical Handbook for the Boyfriend lays out the many steps involved in becoming a good boyfriend, while still maintaining guy-dignity. It covers issues like:

-Who decides when you become a boyfriend (answer: She does.) -How to look like you’re listening, even when you’re not (If you’re busted, just say "You’re so pretty, I’m distracted.") -Ten things never to say on the first date (#4: "I just did that to freak you out.") -Finding the middle ground between too cool (think third grade) and too eager (think surprise visits) -Why becoming a good boyfriend is a lot like training for the A team

Filled with humor, ribaldry, common sense, and assorted outdoor skills, A Practical Handbook for the Boyfriend is the next dating guide to dominate the bestseller lists.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Felicity Huffman won an Emmy in 2005 for her performance on Desperate Housewives, and a Golden Globe in 2006 for her lead role in the film Transamerica. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, actor/director William H. Macy, and their children. Patricia Wolff is a producer of movies and plays, including the world premiere of David Mamet’s Oleanna Off-Broadway and the film Bring It On, which starred Kirsten Dunst. Wolff lives in Los Angeles.

From AudioFile

Does it take a Desperate Housewife (Huffman) and a theatrical producer (Wolff) to save potential and current boyfriends from themselves? Perhaps. In this blunt and funny primer for clueless males, narrator Shelley Frasier delivers the sometimes bawdy, irreverent, and even gross content without a hitch. The work is intended mostly for the All-American male--one who wouldnt touch chardonnay or quiche, who is basically incapable of a trace of suaveness or intellectualism, and who is stuck in a post-frat-house mentality. Still, there are some truths that every male can use in his relationships, though feminists may cringe at the traditional gender positioning the authors assume. But if one takes it in the spirit intended, this handbook is a fun romp through meat-and-potatoes American love. D.J.B. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (January 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401302912
• ISBN-13: 978-1401302917
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you..., January 19, 2007

By 

Crybabyclown (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Practical Handbook for the Boyfriend: For Every Guy Who Wants to be One/For Every Girl Who Wants to Build One (Hardcover)

What an excellent, funny book. An ireverent, tell all from the other side. It's like having the cool girl friend who will actually break it all down for you. They explain the women's point of view and help you navigate the mystifying obstacles that you inevitably confront when you meet someone worth stepping up for. They don't pull any punches when venting about what men get clueless about, and they don't hold back when busting women on their bad behavior either. Rock on, Felicity and Patricia, we owe you one.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally your very own GPS (Girlfriend Positioning System), February 5, 2007

By 

K. Hinton "avid reader" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Practical Handbook for the Boyfriend: For Every Guy Who Wants to be One/For Every Girl Who Wants to Build One (Hardcover)

A Practical Handbook for the Boyfriend will be for straight men what He's Just Not That Into You was for straight women--an all-around go-to guide that walks men through relationships from Step A to Step Z and covers everything you can imagine in between. It also doesn't hurt that it's hilarious, well written, and has a conversational style that makes you feel like you're taking advice from a friend rather than another self-help book that claims it will help you find true love.

From a woman's point of view, this book covers everything that you'd hope men would know but probably don't--and might have been afraid to ask. Huffman and Wolff remind men of the importance of little things: you should stand up when your date returns to the table, you should call when you say you will (because we've already learned that men who don't call when they say they will are "just not that into us"), and we do like to talk so be prepared to listen. There are also useful quick tips for men in the "Be Prepared" callouts which give advice like "Love her body the way you found it, or find a body that you can love up."

This book has tons of useful advice for men, but there are also many tidbits spliced throughout for women in the form of "Girl on Girl" callouts. For example, men go into a vegetative state when they're watching television; if you want to get his attention, turn off the tv, take off your clothes, or both. Also, men don't like the phone as much as us, so you have to learn to accept that once the essential details are out (where you're meeting and when) he's probably done with the conversation.

For men and women both, A Practical Handbook for the Boyfriend will be a useful go-to guide on dating, mating, and extricating. From the first date to breaking up to the last relationship you'll have (ie, marriage), Huffman and Worth have got it covered with wit and style.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious and oh so true, May 6, 2007

By 

A. Kruse "moonhuntress" (holgate, oh) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Practical Handbook for the Boyfriend: For Every Guy Who Wants to be One/For Every Girl Who Wants to Build One (Hardcover)

I left this book laying in the bathroom and now all of a sudden I'm getting flowers and champagne from my husband. He obviously was reading some of it. He started dressing nicer for me instead of the work clothes all the time and he makes a point to take me out on dates. I found the book humerous and worth reading for myself just to laugh at how nuts we women are. My husband started reading it because it was mysteriously the only new material to read in the bathroom :). It was truly worth buying.