I'm with Stupid: One Man. One Woman. 10,000 Years of Misunderstanding Between the Sexes Cleared Right Up (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Gina Barreca (Author) "GINA: Why are there two sexes?..." (more)
Key Phrases: matriarchal society, Valentine's Day, The Washington Post, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Original, hilarious, brilliant...For women, it offers invaluable insights into meaningful communication in a relationship. For men: Fart jokes! -- Dave Barry

Very, very funny. And terrifyingly clever. -- Fay Weldon

Review

Dave Barry

This original, hilarious, brilliant book is a godsend to both sexes. For women, it offers invaluable insights into the obstacles that so often prevent meaningful communication in a relationship. For men: Fart jokes!

Fay Weldon

Very, very funny. And terrifyingly clever.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (February 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743244206
• ISBN-13: 978-0743244206
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,069,756 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not stupid at all!, July 13, 2004

By	Tom Knapp "Rambles.NET editor" (Lancaster, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Gene and Gina talk like an old, married couple.

They're not married. They've never met. But they bicker -- affectionately, mind you -- with the comfortable familiarity of longtime chums. And in their book-length dialogue, they set straight all of the issues, myths, misconceptions and bugbears that have dogged the heels of male-female relationships since the first neolithic couple argued over the color of their cave wall art.

OK, so maybe I'm with Stupid doesn't quite live up to its ambitious subtitle: "One Man. One Woman. 10,000 Years of Misunderstanding Between the Sexes Cleared Right Up." But it comes pretty close.

During the course of the book, they engage in pointed discourse on matters ranging from parallel parking and the subtleties of color to the roles of men and women in history, pronouns, perfect vacations and Marilyn Monroe's weight. There is talk of sex, of course, as well as the obvious topics of marriage, infidelity and public restrooms. Gucci has its day, as do car sales, poetry, pubic hair, movies, pornography and sports. And, obviously, there is a raging debate over jokes, varied opinions on the merits of humor, farts and the evolution of the giggle.

I'm with Stupid will make you laugh. It will make you think, perhaps in ways quite foreign to you no matter what your gender. It's smart and clever, irreverent and wise. Read it, then share it with someone you love.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keeping It Up: Gene and Gina's guide to great communication, February 25, 2004

By	"sarite" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

From a Mercedes-buying contest devised to test which gender truly possesses killer, negotiating-instincts, to analyzing a pubic-hair baring model in a Gucci ad, readers enter "Gene&Ginaland" without security in site. I'm With Stupid, co-authored by Washington Post's Gene Weingarten, and University of Connecticut Professor, Gina Barreca, proves that great communication between the sexes is not necessarily analagous with finishing one another's sentences. While Gene thinks that the preeminent women's sport is "synchronized nagging," Gina dubbs Hemingway as "the premature ejaculator of American literature." They introduce perspective and expertise, consulting with Dr. Noguchi, the Los Angeles coroner who performed Marilyn Monroe's autopsy, whose knowledge on Marilyn's weight helps them disect the issue if size (hers!) really does matter in dating. Further, they reference the Talmud on notions on romantic love.

They are as hilarious as they are poignant; forgivable as they are unforgiving. Their answers and insights are spontaneous, yet well thought out. They poke fun at their own genders' fears, guilty-pleasures and misconceptions. They even poke fun at poking. Together, though miles apart, both in distance and thought, this dynamic duo allow each other and their fans the opportunity to break down society's barriers to finding a path toward a gender- understanding. There is no determined pattern in their debates as to which party must initiate their conversations. Nor is there an expectation modeled for their audience that one or the other must have the last word. Weingarten and Barreca prove that though different, the genders are equally powerful and subversive, neither set before the other. In our time where Viagra reigns supreme, I'm With Stupid is apropos, and momentous, proving that it really does not matter whom comes first, as long as both ultimately come together.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Laughed Out Loud, What More Can One Ask?, June 5, 2005

By	Timothy Haugh (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

What remains to be said in the battle of the sexes? Quite a lot, it seems. In fact, it's likely a subject that will never cease to fascinate. What's often missing in the discussion, however, is humor. Humor is something Gene & Gina have in spades.

In this extended conversation between two clever comedians, Gene & Gina cover a lot of old ground and some new but their banter is always fun and fresh. They also have very distinct personalities: Gene as the old newspaper hack and Gina as the slumming academic. I also find their occasional guests highly entertaining as well as their silences (In the chapter on jokes that offend women, GINA: Why don't you tell the one you told me about the three tampons walking down the street? GENE: GINA: Go ahead. The whole class is waiting. GENE: )

Overall, there's something slightly offensive, deeply truthful and very funny about this book. I found myself laughing out loud more than a few times. That's all I really ask for in a book I pick up for fun.