Customer Reviews

The Reasonable Woman: A Guide to Intellectual Survival

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2 star:		(1)
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A serious controversy has attended TRW ever since its publicaton. Specifically, the allegation is that over half of it is plagiarized. This charge was leveled not only by myself (who wrote the original manuscript from which much of TRW was taken) but also by respected academics, such as Sharon Presley, a retired professor of psychology who has her own books available on Amazon.

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It is very disturbing to read long passages -- indeed, entire chapters -- under the name of someopne else, especially when you once considered that person a trusted friend and did everything in your power to help her professionally.

I have no explanation for this outrage. You will need to ask Wendy McElroy that question. But I ask that you take a look at the evidence. It is overwheming.

George H. Smith

Wendy writes in a most accessible style. Contrary to some other's opinions, I found her personal examples and object lessons as both instructive and illuminating! My own life has experienced parallels, even if in less formal ways.

But the best reason to get this book is to enjoy sharing it!
Wendy--thank you for taking the time to write it!

PS Again, contrary to those who think she's anti-feminist, think again! Individualist feminism means not having to apologize for being who you are, and not kow-towing to the pervasive "group think" of orthodox gender-feminazis! Brava!

Wendy McElroy is one of the best in the business at expressing complex ideas in clear and concise terms. She debates issues not on emotion or in terms of 'I win, you lose', but rather in terms of getting down to what matters. This book is excellent for helping others, men and women, to learn how to get past the spin and the reactionary smokescreens in order to get down to the heart of the matter...Wendy debates with men and women on volatile issues every week. She is experienced and knowledgeable, as well as highly respected by both sides of the gender debates. These qualities shine through in this book and make it a must read.

This book is so enlightening and (dare I say?) empowering. I intend to get multiple copies for family and friends. "A thought provoking insight into thinking" sounds very dry. Rest assured the book is not so. Short, succinct and stimulating with easy brain stretching exercises, this book helps the reader discover her own potential. This book is exciting and fun.

The only reason I ordered this book was because a person from one of my LinkedIn groups recommended it. I'm guessing I gleaned about 10% of it as intellectual, reasonable information; otherwise, it was a waste of time. In one of the other reviews, the person writes of plagiarism. In her defense, Wendy cites many other authors and a wealth of resources along with numerous footnotes that I wouldn't agree with his assertion.

I bought this for my wife as a present when she expressed an interest in finding some rational guidlines to help improve her life. Since I knew that McElroy espoused the benifits of Reason (thus the title) and since I also had heard good reviews from some friends of mine I decided to give it a try.

Though I haven't read the whole book the parts I did read were very well thought out, and my wife has raved about it... So, you might ask, "Did it improve her life?" I think the answer is YES. Anything that helps you to take a more objective approach to life is beneficial.

Wendy McElroy has written the book I have been looking for--a sensible self-help guide for anyone desiring to boost her/his intellectual prowess. Overlook the author's bias against feminism and her sometimes too personal or irrelevant anecdotes, and you have a very usable schema for developing your personal intellectual strategy. I am buying copies for my daughter and sister too!