A Book Any Male Would Probably Enjoy
581271
My husband enjoyed the book.  He grumbled when I gave it to him saying he had enough things to read.  Well, he's not grumbling any more.  He would tell me daily about all the fascinating things he read about the Navy Seals, and he finished reading the book in a week (and this is a person who seldom reads books, only financial reports).
3073616
Normally as a man I don't like romantic books. However this book made me rethink my preferences, I liked the writing style of the author which kept me engaged and even though its a book with fictional characters I could take elements of it that I could relate to in my own life and learned something from it for life.
3024477
'Men at Arms' is a book which is a pleasure to read, and one is kept company by Waugh's sumptuous prose and exceptionally good characterisations throughout the book. There can be little doubt, that when Waugh wrote this work, he could claim to be one of the foremost masters of English prose of his time. Waugh's effortlessly rich and varied vocabulary helps to make an otherwise rather dull tale come to life.

'Men at Arms' is the story of Guy Crouchback, a thirty-six-year-old divorcee and one of the last remaining members of the once great, now crumbling, Crouchback family. It is 1939 and Guy is drawn away from his comfortable existence in a small Italian town by his desire to fight for king and country in the imminent war. Guy eventually manages to get into the Royal Corps of Halberdiers, and we follow him as he proceeds with training, as he cultivates friendships with fellow officers, as he goes off on leave, and as he enjoys numerous jovial evenings in the officers' mess. For the majority of this book, one may be forgiven for thinking that there is no war on, and it is not until the last few chapters of the book that Guy and his regiment get remotely close to any action in West Africa.

Waugh manages in the course of the book to hint at Guy's disillusionment with the cause which he finds himself fighting for, impatient with the men around him and angry at his own average abilities, although this melancholy quality is balanced by a humorous edge to the book. 'Men at Arms' is, in my opinion, most remarkable for its characterisations. One finds oneself intensely concerned for, and interested in Guy, impatient to find out what Apthorpe's next revelation about his past will be, and in awe of Brigadier Ritchie-Hook. Waugh achieves what so few writers are able to achieve; the effect of making one feel that one is there, present, beside the main character throughout the book.

One criticism which may be levelled at 'Men at Arms' is that it seems slightly unfinished. The last chapter ends as though tempting the reader with clues as to what is going to happen next. It is perhaps best, in light of this, to read 'Men at Arms' as part of the 'The Sword of Honour Trilogy'. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates the beauty of the English language in the hands of masters like Waugh.
3742472
I enjoy the website, so I assumed that I would like the book.  I did.  This the kind of advice that fathers don't seem to teach their sons anymore.  Much of it is common sense to anyone that's been raised in a traditional southern family.  Recommended as a collection of male social advice, and as a peak into what men of a previous generation were like.  I plan on giving a copy to my 18-year-old son, but he most likely won't read it for years; as of now he knows EVERYTHING there is to know.
2998417
It's strange to find a book that's wholesome and raunchy and poignant at the same time, but I guess that's the life of a sensitive, mild guy who has thrown his lot in with big-time athletics.  It's a great read for anyone who loves baseball and enjoys descriptions of life on the road among stunted adolescents.  There's not much baseball wisdom and no baseball strategy or statistics, but it's full of wonderfully funny descriptions of players, ballparks, and that special feeling of being a competitive athlete (and of the kinds of things that happen that can bring you down off your pedestal, too).

The author, Dirk Hayhurst, is part of the Animal House atmosphere that pervades any male college or pro locker room in any sport, but he's a bit uncomfortable with it and a bit aloof.  You get the feeling that he does a lot of watching and a lot of quietly returning to his hotel room or apartment, while the guys go out and party.  And you get the feeling that the guys think he's okay, but none of them really consider him a good friend.  (It's how I've aleays felt when I've been thrown into locker room situations.)

First, the raunchy.  It's mild by baseball tell-all standards, but there's all sorts of things about players farting in each other's faces, talking about how big their "packages" are, etc.  Hayhurst does a good job of showing how humor pervades the clubhouse and brings together guys from different backgrounds and cultures --- and guys who are, ultimately, competing against each other for the attention of the major league general manager.

Then, the poignant.  Early in the book, after a couple of chapters about the silliness of spring training speeches, Hayhurst gives a glimpse at why he's sticking it out in Class A minors after four years of not doing very well.  First, there's black humor about living with his crotchetly grandmother, who makes him sleep on a plastic-covered mattress in a junk-filled room and tells him "Go to hell" whenever he suggests that she actually throw out some junk. The next chapter describes his family, which can only be called hellish: A father who's fallen into depression due to a accident 20 years ago that left him mostly incapacitated; a drunk brother who beat up Hayhurst repeatedly throughout their teen years; and a mom burned out by caring for the two deadbeats.  The trio of losers lives on welfare, and Hayhurst visits them as rarely as possible, as all he gets from them is anger and indifference that he has actually tried to make something of himself.

Then, the wholesome.  Hayhurst is a rules follower, which makes him an anomaly in baseball circles (and in his own family culture).  He is a meek guy.  He doesn't drink, and he's a virgin late into his 20s. This comes out about midway through the book, as he gives a glimpse into his hope for a pristine life without alcohol-fueled violence and with a lovely, caring wife.  As the book chronicles a season in which he had his most significant success in the minors and moves up to AA for a team that wins a championship, he gets into the wholesome, cliched baseball writing that went out of style in about 1960's kids' books.  Needless to say, I didn't like the part about "the team came together ... one for all, all for one," etc.  But those are likely to be genuine feelings, so you can't argue with it.

The book ends on an even more upbeat note.  I won't spoil it.
4233395
Would reccomend to any man who wants to grow in the area of personal development and how to be a man. I would also recommend the books: The Rational Male by Rollo Tomassi, The Manual by W. Anton, The Way of the Superior Man by David Deida, How to Be a 3% Man by Corey Wayne, and No More Mr. Nice Guy by Robert Glover, just to name a few.
3859609
Aaron Goldfarb has written a book that any male between the age of 25-35 can relate to in some way.  Do we compromise so that we can achieve success at the expense of our dreams, or do we chase our dreams only to fail and discover that we will have to compromise our dreams to be a success?  I guess that's a run on sentence, but who cares, point made.  Catch-22 meets "Office Space" meets Henry Miller meets J.D. Salinger, that's what you can expect from this hilarious novel.  Read it at work, that's what I did.  I think the author would appreciate that.
804135
The book is well written for men by a man and offers a very practical ways to make an effort. I mainly bought this out of curiosity, but found myself guilty of a lot of things I had never thought of as annoying to my wife. Sure enough, she would admit to annoyances I never knew existed. We are happy and in a good place, but it never hurts to be proactive
1962458
You may not vote for him, but you will enjoy the book.
4263819
Overall, Eric Ludy's GOD'S GIFT TO WOMEN -- his first book just for guys -- was a pretty good read. He's fairly easy to follow along with, and when he tells a story, you'll find yourself flipping the pages pretty quickly. The message that Ludy has for men of today is a great one: men need to stand up and be counted for the battle.

But even having a great message and good stories, Ludy manages to distract the reader with lots and lots of metaphors. Especially in the Epilogue, as Ludy is trying to wrap everything back up with a nifty four-page ending, he stuffs as many analogies as he can into just a paragraph, some of which are not original, but over-hacked by nearly everyone else in the writing world. At times I found myself nodding along with his metaphors, but others I felt myself cringing at -- they were just too corny.

The other snag Ludy runs into is his wordiness. He can't seem to keep his writing condensed. In some paragraphs, he explains the same point in nearly twenty different ways, when the first two were perfectly fine. And with a 260-page book, he definitely could have cut out about a third and been just fine getting his message across. He needs to trim the fat.

I've heard that he plans on re-releasing this title soon, and I really hope he edits this down a little bit. With just a few edits, GOD'S GIFT TO WOMEN could be a really powerful book to inspire a lot of young men to live for Christ.

All in all, I say check this out and just skip ahead a little when it sounds like he's repeating himself, because the message is a good one for this generation to hear.
865985
I rather enjoyed this book, though it was geared towards men. I bought it for my husband, but I read it before he could get his hands on it. A fabulous, informative read.
306300
An easy read geared towards 17-25 year old males that like to drink and aspire to womanize before settling down.
3933454
I ordered this book on the 13th when it was released, it arrived in the mail on the 16th, and I finished reading it this morning.

All in all, I found it to be a quick read, written primarily in an easy conversational tone. There were a few typographical errors, as well as some passages that could have benefited from additional refinement - but nothing that interfered with readability or the conveyance of the author's message.

This is not a book of long-winded prosaic philosophy or literary genius, and it does not try to be. It is one man's firsthand account of standing up against violent censorship. It is full of information, passion, and refreshingly politically-incorrect opinions and assertions.

Much of what is written in this book is available in various places online - if you care to dig around and compile it yourself, you can get the gist of the story without paying a dime. Personally, I think this book is worth the read, as it pieces everything together from the author's perspective, affording greater insight into his thought processes and motivations - as well as filling in some blanks and giving a clearer picture of how certain scenarios played out chronologically.

I have had no dealings or interactions with the author myself, but have been following his work since stumbling onto one of his websites a few years ago. Much of what he has written doesn't pertain to me directly, but I appreciate his particular style of cutting through the overarching political narrative, and his insight into modern gender relations.

As a traditionally-minded American woman, it is good to see someone taking a stand for traditional masculinity and traditional gender roles (from a modern, inclusive, not-fundamentally-religious perspective). It is GOOD to see how much attention (both positive and negative) this author and these issues have received right here in my country in recent years. The author may have begun his writing career as a so-called "pickup artist," but he has evolved into something of a champion for strong, traditional families as the building blocks of a strong society - an idea that is being deliberately marginalized in mainstream culture and media, to considerable effect.

The greater part of my motivation in purchasing this book was to support the continuation of the author's writing career. I may not always agree with everything he says or how he says it, but I think the men of my country (and, by extension, the women), stand to benefit from exposure to this counterpoint of traditional ideology in the face of the liberal extremism that is overrunning our culture. I hope he continues to expound these ideas in future writings.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much new information and context I gleaned from the book, despite having followed the story online from the time the lecture tour was announced. I would recommend this book to anybody who is curious about the events that transpired, as well as anybody who holds opinions, views, or beliefs that they are hesitant to voice for fear of persecution - be it from co-workers, friends, family, employers, or the local establishment.

To criticize this book on the basis of its editorial imperfection or the simplistic style of the author's voice is to squarely miss the point.

To disparage this book (or the author) based on its ideological content, without having taken the time to 1) actually read it, and 2) thoroughly research and understand not just the author's message but the sociopolitical context in which it was written and published, is to willfully embrace and give rise to ignorance.

To campaign for the sale or distribution of this book to be banned, on a platform of sensational misinformation, intimidation, and outright lies, is to place yourself in direct opposition to the fundamental principles of liberty upon which this country was founded - and shame on you.
4291259
I wasn't sure I would like this book as it was really a macho, burping, farting, hard drinking, shooting, slashing type of book.  Definitely a man tale, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.  The main character seemed determined to kill himself by drinking himself to death.  I could see a guy doing this sort of thing if left on his own, but he was still likable somehow.  Turns out that he is really more trusting of people than you would expect.

Overall, in spite of the macho nature of the book, I did enjoy it and it was a good read!
999293
I would recommend this book for men as it not only offers some really interesting insights into women but, frankly, most of the romantic tips would work for men too.  Actually, I bought it because I was interested in brief histories of some of the women mentioned -- like Catherine the Great and Carole Lombard.  It ends up being a really fun historical read but also quite wise.  I've given it to several of my women friends.
3931522
I liked the book. I think it is very simple to read, and that most young men who are interested in these types of situations would find it useful.
4650467
This book was Great. As a man reading this, all I could think of was how many of my female peers would really benefit from reading this book.