Things I've Learned from Women Who've Dumped Me

Reviewed by Andrey Bilko for RebeccasReads (4/09) This book is a collection of 46 essays (or "lessons" as they are called in the book), which deal with the subject of breaking up, or more specifically about getting dumped by a female. All of these stories were written by male writers and comedians like Andy Richter, Dan Savage, Will Forte, Adam Schelesinger, and of course, the infamous Stephen Colbert, who tell us their experiences of getting dumped in a very comical way. The book is very well organized and each "lesson" is a separate contribution from a different writer. Each "lesson" is fairly short and a very quick read, something you can read on the beach (even though there would be so many distractions, you will still be able to understand what is going on). I really enjoyed reading the book. It is often very nice to get away from serious texts and dive into something as entertaining as "Things I've Learned..." While reading, I would continuously find myself giggling, thinking about how true some of these stories are, either from personal experience or friends' stories. Reading the book is like listening to a stand-up comedy, the only difference being that you, the reader, are the stand-up comic, so the delivery may not always be the most effective. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes comedy and wants to take a break from watching Comedy Central all day long. I would also suggest this book to those who haven't read anything since college and would like to see whether they are still capable of reading. This text is a great jump-starter! Just kidding, but you understand what I mean. This book is very entertaining and with summer around the corner, it is a perfect text to take on a vacation and just enjoy and giggle. Lots of giggling or maybe even full-blown laughing... Anyways, enjoy it guys! It may bring back many comical memories of your own.

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (2/09) Perhaps I am a little jaded, but I have to admit, when I first saw the title, I expected it to be one of those books that you open up to discover all the pages are blank. Maybe I am a little more than jaded, because when you dump someone, especially if they weren't treating you well, you really, really, want them to have learned something. Well, this isn't that type of book. I can honestly say that no one that I have ever dumped remotely resembled any of the authors in this anthology. I found each story to carry its own individual stamp. This made it more enjoyable for me to read. Each person had their own story to tell. Some were about unrequited first loves from their school days and others were more about their recent experiences. Even though there was a lot of humor in these pages, I also found touches of nostalgia and lessons learned. I really appreciated that the author included a story written by someone, who as a young man was trying to deal with his homosexuality by pretending to be heterosexual. Self-disclosure is evident in these pages. Being that some of the authors are well known today, I appreciated that they were willing to share as much as they did. I also liked that many of the authors are now in happy relationships, mostly with wives, and that they moved on from their former relationships. Both men and women will enjoy these stories. In addition to enjoying what each author shared, or sometimes cringing along with them, their experiences show that there are a lot more similarities between men and women in regards to relationships than I realized. We are similar in that we sometimes try to hang on longer than we should, and in that what we might remember about a relationship, might not be like what are exes remember - if they remember us at all! If you are interested in an enjoyable book that will teach you something about relationships, "The Things I've Learned from Women Who Dumped Me" by Ben Karlin is the one for you. If you know someone that just got dumped, this would make the perfect gift for him. Perhaps you could even give it to your ex... Make comment on weblog

A hilarious collection essays documenting the authors experiences on the emotional rollercoaster of their dating lives, sprinkled with some great comedy in between. Once again, this book shows that perspective is everything in life - every time it happens, it feels like it's the end of the world, and yet, looking back, it almost always seems so absurd. A great read and highly amusing!

This is a great book. Funny and well written. Quick read which is great for short breaks from any hectic schedule

Because I could not get them to go out with me! Just kidding, but I loved this book, I was laughing until the very last page. I don't know, maybe it's because I have had a lot of bad things happen to me or I used to be so negative, but whatever, I really enjoyed all of the essays and it is kind of hard to find connection with each and every story you read, that's why this is a collection, some for you, some for me and some for others, but thankfully, they were all for me. I love it! I am the author of: One Boy's Struggle: A Memoir: Surviving Life with Undiagnosed ADD