THERE IS A vicious rumor going around that men don’t buy books.
If you are a man and you bought this book (or borrowed it),
congratulations! You are a pioneer. A stereotype-busting man among men. A soon-to-be Hero who knows how to be the man that all women wish they had. If your girlfriend or wife bought the book and left it on your
nightstand, we say no harm, no foul. You did not put your own hard-earned money down for the book, but it will reward you nonetheless for any and all time you invest in it.
If you are a woman reading this book, we are glad you are. We can guess
what your motivations might be. Perhaps you want to vet this guide for
accuracy and then give it to the man in your life (and possibly also to your brother, son, friend, neighbor, or male pet; sorry, we can’t help your pet). We want to reassure you that we’ve done the vetting for you, as this guide for men is coauthored by two highly qualified female clinicians who have done the checking under the hood.
We also want to speak up for the man in your life and let you in on one of
his little secrets: In the vast enigmatic world that is Woman, he is dreadfully lost and confused, and as is the case with most men, loath to ask for directions. We’re not being critical or disloyal. Men freely admit this. Women are mysterious. (Men, are we right?) Your man desperately wants to understand how to love you, make you happy, and ensure that you will desire and want him (and only him) forever. He wants to fight with you less. He wants to play with you more. He wants to know how your brain works, what makes your heart beat faster, and how to be the kind of man you need him to be. So be reassured, and feel free to read this book as well. But then give it to the man in your life, or leave it underneath the remote, or in his car, or stuff it in his toolbox, if that’s what it takes. Or you can encourage him to go out and bravely forge his own path to the bookstore and buy a copy for himself.