Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me [Paperback]

Ben Karlin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 28, 2009

The Emmy award-winning former executive producer of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report has assembled a stellar lineup of men who have one thing in common: all have been dumped...and are willing to share their pain and the lessons learned.

Relationships end. And in most cases, even the most callow among us, even men, learn something from the experience. Now in this smart, funny, and insightful anthology, some of our most impressive comedic and creative (male) minds, including Stephen Colbert, Nick Hornby, Andy Richter, Bob Odenkirk, Patton Oswalt, Dan Savage, adn Adam Schlesinger, share with us what they've learned from that all-too-universal experience: being dumped. Whether it be major life lessons, like "The Heart is a Choking Hazard," simple truths like, "A Dog is No Reason to Stay Together," or profound realizations like, "Persistence is for Suckers,"THINGS I'VE LEARNED FROM WOMEN WHO'VE DUMPED ME is about that salient something men take away from failed relationships.
Not a touchy-feely, self-help book, this extraordinary collection is packed with stories often painful, sometimes poignant, but always entertaining, from men you probably thought never got dumped -- or if they did, would never admit it.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Amazon Best of the Month, February 2008: New York magazine knew what they were talking about when they said, "If you've laughed in the last ten years, Ben Karlin was responsible." The latest project of this former senior editor of The Onion, former executive producer of both The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report, and co-author and co-editor of America (The Book) collects 212 pages of semi-insightful and mostly hilarious life lessons from a lineup of writers and comedians in a book with the best title so far this year, Things I've Learned from Women Who've Dumped Me. Ben's own mom kicks things off with "I Think My Son Is a Catch," but read on to enjoy contributions from Andy Richter ("Girls Don't Make Passes at Boys with Fat Asses"), Stephen Colbert ("The Heart Is a Choking Hazard"), Jason Nash ("Don't Enter a Karaoke Contest Near Smith College; You Will Lose to Lesbians"), Dan Savage ("I Am a Gay Man"), and David Rees ("Get Dumped Before It Matters"). Filled with High Fidelity-style insight into the inner workings of the modern male mind, this is an anthology for readers of all genders, no matter their relationship status. --Brad Thomas Parsons

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Our Moment with Ben
Ben Karlin is a man who holds a virtual PhD in Modern American Comedy. Karlin's career kicked off as the editor of The Onion and he is the former executive producer of the award-winning The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and co-creator and former executive producer of The Colbert Report. He was also a co-author and co-editor of the bestselling America (The Book) and his latest project takes him back to the book world as the editor of the anthology Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me, 212 pages of semi-insightful and mostly hilarious life lessons from a lineup of writers and comedians. Amazon.com senior editor Brad Thomas Parsons caught up with Karlin to talk about his new book, the writers' strike, the serious job of writing comedy, and what makes him laugh (hint: it isn't America's Funniest Home Videos). You can read the complete interview or listen to the podcast on Amazon Wire.

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

From Publishers Weekly

Karlin, coauthor of Jon Stewart's America, establishes that if there is one thing men have in common, it is their lack of understanding and the misguided information they have acquired about women. With miniessays from famous comedians and writers, including Nick Hornby, Stephen Colbert and Bruce Jay Friedman, this book is organized into short chapters of truth, testimonies and realizations about the women that got away and, sadly, the women that they never had to begin with. Some of the essays offer advice, such as Bob Odenkirk's bitter nine-year plan, where he discusses why nine years is the perfect amount of time to be in a bad relationship (by year nine you [had] tried everything, including depression and deep boredom). Some of the men's experiences proved to be valuable lessons such as Dan Savage's essay I Am a Gay Man, where he finds that women can be detestable, and learns that he doesn't have to fake being straight or join the priesthood and can instead just be a gay man; or Patton Oswalt's realization that his crazy, stripper ex-girlfriend helped him appreciate his wife. Whether the men pathetically recall their failed dating attempts or are celebrating their record number of dumps as learned experiences, these witty, comical approaches to being dumped are sure to entertain anyone who has entered the world of dating. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; Reprint edition (January 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446699462
• ISBN-13: 978-0446699464
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #792,208 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some Very Humorous Writing here..., February 3, 2008

By 

ellen holmes "Sacred CD Creator" (San Francisco Ca USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Things I've Learned from Women Who've Dumped Me (Hardcover)

Feeling kind of down, I escaped into my local bookstore and this was the first book that caught my attention. I read several of the stories and found most of them quite amusing and well-written. One of them, called something like "Sex is the Most Stressful Thing Ever Created in the Universe" by Dan Vebber especially stood out. It was hysterically, laugh-out-loud funny, and really lifted my spirits. I honestly think that particular piece is some of the best writing I've ever encountered. Depending on the individual, this could make a very nice gift to cheer up a friend going though the agony.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny and Heartfelt Collection of Essays, February 8, 2008

By 

Mr. Gone (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Things I've Learned from Women Who've Dumped Me (Hardcover)

TILFWWDM is, on the whole, a delightful collection of essays focusing on the lamentations of men who found themselves at the receiving end of some rather memorable, if painful, dumps. While this may sound depressing rather than hilarious, most of these men adhere to the maxim of looking back and laughing, and as many of them are professional comedians and comedy writers, the end result is often extremely amusing.
The book suffers from the same drawback any collection of essays or short film festival will, in that there is so much range, not every piece is going to be suited to every person's tastes. This is, however, also a plus side, as the wide range of essays ensures there's something in the book for everybody who isn't a humorless stick in the mud.
I for one only disliked two of the essays in the book, and one of those was out of intense jealousy.

Definitely check it out, it'd make the perfect gift to give to the guy you're about to dump.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Their painful memories will make you giggle., March 2, 2008

By 

spitgrrl (libraryland, indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Things I've Learned from Women Who've Dumped Me (Hardcover)

What initially drew me to this anthology was not the topic (men discussing their failed relationships) but rather, I was very excited to see that many of the contributers are some of the best comedians/comedic writers around today. Stephen Colbert, Patton Oswalt, Andy Richter, Will Forte, Bob Odenkirk and Dan Savage are just some of the guys who found it in their hearts to submit tales of their dark and torrid romantic pasts to paper for the amusement of us all. And while these essays certainly are amusing and left this reader chuckling out loud at various points, there is a serious aspect to all of these recollections and each author will spur readers to ponder the power of romantic attachments--both past and present--and why we never really seem able to let go of our memories and how these former flames have helped (for better or worse) make us the person we are today.