Customer Reviews

Swerve

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

 

 

Too hip to be existential but filled with age old truths, SWERVE by Aisha Tyler
is a commentary on maintaining a sense of self while trying to weather the
often cold dating climate. It is packed with clever anecdotes, personal
accounts, and common sense rules for preserving dignity in the face of trying
to hook the hot guy at the end of the bar without appearing to be a harlot.

Tyler begins with a basic definition of postmodernism and then she flips it
and tells what it means to her. She goes on to discuss how she doesn't know
if SWERVE is postmodern or not. She began writing it with the idea of sending
a helpful message to women. What she ended up with was a witty observation of
life, dating, and self-esteem. Her humorous slant on the subject matter keeps
it from being a self-help book, but her many descriptions and stories will
undoubtedly lead readers to identify with some characterizations in the book.

With chapters titled "The Ballad of The Yogurt Girl" and "The War of Art, or
Aiken v. Studdard in the World Series of Love", Tyler is entertaining and
truthful in her depictions of people at work and at play. Many times the
chapters read like a conversation that Tyler was having with a friend - one
that started off on one subject, but ended up somewhere else entirely - and it
still managed to hold my attention. Where else can you find, in one chapter,
a discussion of people mimicking the personalities of Ruben Studdard and Clay
Aiken at a karoke bar and end up with a discussion of The Art War as it relates
to dating?

Using language that is spoken by those in their twenties, Tyler addresses issues
that have long been debated in sociology classes and in bars throughout the
country. How does a girl land a hot guy, beat out the competition and maintain
her dignity? What does a woman do when she has made a fool of herself during
her quest for a man? These as well as a multitude of other topics are
among those touched on by Tyler. Her underlying message is to be yourself in
the face of any dating or social disaster and all will be fine in the
end. Regardless of the subject that Tyler flows to, she is entertaining and
has put together a book that is simply fun and amusing.

Reviewed by Diane Marbury
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Aisha Tyler has a strong and unique voice in her writing. Her genuineness and grounded perspective is what makes her humor so appealing to me. Her writing is unpretentious and honest. She rants about reality tv, unrealistic expectations, platonic relationships, dating, and sexism ( without going off on a feminist crazed rant ) to name just a few topics. She also explores the idea 'What is sexy?'.

This book was a funny, refreshing read. Highly recommended!

Reading this book is like having a conversation with your best girlriend. To some this may be quite abnoxious, but to others it is quite refreshing. The book is quirky, which is not surprising being that the author herself is quirky. There are random refrences, roundabout points, and side conversations with the reader. All these things make the book fun. "Fun" being the operative word. You can't take this book too seriously. The whole aim of the book is to tackle some fairly heavy, slightly mundane issues in a lighthearted way. The topics addressed are conversations shared amongst girlfriends. In conversations with our best friends we make roundaabout points, we go off on tangents, and we make random interjections. This book parallels the dynamics of such conversations. One of the elements of the book that I found most endearing was Tyler's ability to make complex allegorical comparisons without losing the reader. Tyler also interjects some amusing language and "conversation" throughout the book. Making the book more like a tęte-à-tęte or heart-to-heart. The book is truly an amalgamation. That is why Ms. Tyler found it difficult to describe the book in the introduction. This book cannot be described. To some this is a dreadful proposition. To me it is refreshing.

This has to be the funniest, most honest, critical commentary on the POST-modern girl. Tyler is the voice in your head....only funnier. Her vignettes are painfully funny. I laughed out loud walking down the street, on the train, and in my home. I must read for all the girls out there.

I should have known better. I flipped through the book at Borders and didn't see anything that would particularly make me laugh. But I was impressed by Aisha Tyler's appearance on the Tavis Smiley show, and Tavis Smiley said that he loved the book, so I thought I would buy it anyway.

This book is poorly written. Tyler's attempts to connect with 20/30somethings come across as sloppy and flat, not engaging. Tyler has a tendency to chat on the side with the reader in a way that inspires irritation rather than trust. On p. 17 she implores, "Don't get ahead of me here, it's still early. Even I don't know what I'm going to say." On p. 218 she has this gem, "And I hate to say this--in fact, my face is contorting a little bit just for thinking it, because I know you're going to throw up your hands and chuck the book across the room again, yelling 'What is the deal with this chick?...' I just hope you bought this thing in hardback--the spines are much better able to withstand repeated drywall collisions--but the fastest way to a guy's heart is through his stomach." It's hard to get more anticlimactic than this. This language usage would work great as stand-up comedy material, but as written text it's plain awful.

Having allowed Tyler a free rein with prose, the editor seems to also relieved her/himself of the duty of proofreading the manuscript at all. I'm glad Tyler apologized on vii, because I know she could have, and should have, done better. The editor also owes us an apology, and perhaps that's why "Introduction/apologia" appears twice in the table of contents.

The content is largely a re-hash of what we've heard elsewhere, but some of it is good re-hash. My favorite part of the book is when she trashes dating-centered reality shows(p. 30-31). But a lot of the content is clearly directed towards the young urban professional woman set (read: healthy disposable income)--her ode to the spa experience on pp. 36-50 left me convinced that even if money doesn't buy happiness, it in fact does. Her love song to the pedicure: "The rush I feel as I slip my naked feet into that bubbling hot water...and hear the manicurist demand that I pick a color! is akin only to the golden, breathless moments before a very good orgasm." I wonder where she gets her pedicures. Another part that left me wondering: "Sex is not love. Chocolate is love. And puppies. And TiVo. Get it straight." Yes, this is supposed to be humor. And I get what she's trying to say. But it's just plain wrong to imply that puppies and TiVo are equally akin to love. Such messages pack little punch for those of us who can't afford cable TV, let alone TiVo.

This book could have been really good. Tyler has some good points, even stuff that might pass for wisdom. If all of us women could be gutsy, self-confident, powerful women that "got their swerve on," this world would be a better place. But this book is not the best place to get your swerve on. It's not even a good read for a hearty chuckle, and that's unfortunate because Tyler's main gifts lie in her humor. It's a rough draft of what I hope will be a truly kick-ass second book.

Aisha's Swerve is a cornucopia of advice for with-it women, women who ascribe to be more liberated and self-empowered. Swerve is also a book chock-full of Ms. Tyler's random thoughts about everything from beer, one-night stands, music videos, The View, marriage, strippers, to so much more.

Aisha's got a big mouth and a wicked sense of humor and is unafraid to use either. I liked that. She's sassy (a word she abhors in a chapter dubbed "The Uppity Bitch Paradox," but it fits), intelligent (she has a government degree from Dartmouth, for God's sake) and able to debate about any subject (and she will). Her ranting is all about women taking charge of their lives and not being objectified by society's standards of beauty or sex.

Aisha's observations aren't all that reckless - just down-to-earth, honest sentiments from a woman who's not afraid to be herself...which is what she wants every woman to be.

So go on! Get your Swerve on!

This book is totally what society needs right now! IT IS A LAUGH OUT LOUD IN PUBLIC type of book. Aisha makes some serious points about real life situation, and gives real life opinions on how one "could" handle them. And every real issue doesn't have to have a "really" serious after responce. But some people are to serious about life and they fall victim to things they just really have no controll over. So those people need another way of looking at life, a comedic view of the world.

But most of all, persons reading this book have to take it as it is, A DANG GOOD TIME! It's not "Origins of Species" by: Charles Darwin. It's not suppose to change the literary world. It is what it is. Humor in it's most intelligent form. And it doesn't hurt that it's coming from a sophisticated young black woman either. ;)

I bought this book for a penny. Sure, the shipping was more, but the fact that there were several of them available for a penny should have told me something.

The reason I wanted to read it was because I heard Aisha Tyler on Dr. Drew and Adam's "Loveline" show. She struck me as funny, articulate, and deeply human.

She was appearing on the show to promote this book. My impression of her from that broadcast was so positive that I resolved to read her book.

Wow. I consider myself a finisher: be it video games, movies, books -- whatever -- I stick through to the end.

But I put this down about 40% of the way through and probably won't be going back to it.

It was disorganized, disjointed, and unfunny. I think she, somewhere, described her writings here as "rambling observations." Well, that's not humorous self-deprecation. They are indeed rambling.

In fact, the whole thing reads like a giant introduction! She never really seemed to get to the point, saying over and over that she was "just gonna tell it like it is," etc., etc. But what the "it" was eluded me.

But the book's lack of a central thesis is hardly its worst problem. Aisha Tyler's style apparently works best with her voice, in the way she interacts with others, and improvises.

When she sits down to gather her thoughts, it's almost like she's some debauched 14-year-old. Not funny, and not insightful.

Have seen the lady in F·r·i·e·n·d·s..she is so adorable and funny. It's usually hard for a girl to come out this funny..but she does and she's really good!

Aisha's book really does encourage female-empowerment in a very informal and chatty - yet subtly philosophical - way. First of all she's SMART AS A WHIP and is the genuine real deal! She's the kind of girlfriend you would want to call at least once a day (yes...like Oprah's Gayle) , just to help you keep your eyes open wider , to lighten up a bit, and not capsize your own boat.

It was an easy relaxed read, and I really look forward to more books from her in the future.

I would also like to add that for those who don't 'get her', it says a lot more about you than it does about her. (Sorry.)