15: The Game, Neil Strauss

Bugger: another one I read three or four books ago. Amusing, fast read. Neil paints himself as a very humble, rational, sane guy—the only such human around for most of the book. A little reading on the web reveals he considers himself The Jedi Master of the Seduction Game or some such nonsense. He doesn't seem very humble after all.

The book makes some "good" points, for some value of "good". "Valid"? "Reasonable"? It's more a "this is my story, look how normal and sane I remained among all these crazies, look how I can look back and judge my past actions fairly, lalala, look how many things I learned so quickly because I'm just so dedicated and smart, smart, smart" than a how-to guide. Hmm. I take back that bit about his painting himself as humble in the book. Neil tries to show he's humble, but you end up thinking of him as demanding and relishing your adulation.