Rating: ****
Tags: Humor, Topic, Men; Women & Relationships, Family & Relationships, Love & Romance, Marriage & Family, Lang:en
Publisher: Penguin
Published: June 15, 2015
Added: September 2, 2019
Modified: September 7, 2019
Summary
Sigit Purwadi's
Library -
The #1 New York Times Bestseller A hilarious, thoughtful, and in-depth exploration of
the pleasures and perils of modern romance from Aziz
Ansari, the star of
Master of None and one of this
generation’s sharpest comedic voices** At some point, every one of us embarks on a journey
to find love. We meet people, date, get into and out of
relationships, all with the hope of finding someone with
whom we share a deep connection. This seems standard
now, but it’s wildly different from what people
did even just decades ago. Single people today have
more romantic options than at any point in
human history. With technology, our abilities to
connect with and sort through these options are
staggering. So why are so many people frustrated? Some of our problems are unique to our
time. “Why did this guy just text me an emoji of a
pizza?” “Should I go out with this girl even
though she listed Combos as one of her favorite snack
foods? Combos?!” “My girlfriend just got a
message from some dude named Nathan. Who’s Nathan?
Did he just send her a photo of his penis? Should I
check just to be sure?” But the transformation of our romantic
lives can’t be explained by technology alone. In a
short period of time, the whole culture of finding
love has changed dramatically. A few decades
ago, people would find a decent person who lived
in their neighborhood. Their families would
meet and, after deciding neither party seemed like
a murderer, they would get married and soon have a
kid, all by the time they were twenty-four.
Today, people marry later than ever and spend years
of their lives on a quest to find the perfect person,
a soul mate. For years, Aziz Ansari has been aiming his comic
insight at modern romance, but for
Modern Romance , the book, he decided he needed
to take things to another level. He teamed up with
NYU sociologist Eric Klinenberg and designed a
massive research project, including hundreds of
interviews and focus groups conducted everywhere
from Tokyo to Buenos Aires to Wichita. They
analyzed behavioral data and surveys and created their
own online research forum on Reddit, which
drew thousands of messages. They enlisted the
world’s leading social scientists, including
Andrew Cherlin, Eli Finkel, Helen Fisher, Sheena
Iyengar, Barry Schwartz, Sherry Turkle, and Robb Willer.
The result is unlike any social science or humor book
we’ve seen before. In
Modern Romance , Ansari combines his irreverent
humor with cutting-edge social science to give us an
unforgettable tour of our new romantic world.**
An Amazon Best Book of June 2015: Aziz
Ansari’s first book
Modern Love is thoughtful, deep, and outright
hilarious: it’s definitely not your run-of-the-mill
actor/comedian book offering, and it works. He takes a hot
topic that has been a part of his recent
stand-up—navigating this minefield called
dating—and brings it to a whole new level. The book
includes extensive research, data, and insight from leading
experts in the field (he co-wrote it with a social
scientist)—all sprinkled with Ansari’s signature,
and spot-on, voice of a generation. Would I have read
Modern Love by [insert name of expert here]? No way.
If I am going to take a long hard look at this subject, I
want Ansari along for the ride. Aziz lets you know the
struggle is real, and we’re all going through it, so be
nice.
--Deborah Bass
New York Times
:
VOX:
*The A.V. Club :
*Contexts*
The Source
:
*Bookforum
:
Kirkus Reviews
:
Natasha Gilmore, *Publishers Weekly:
*
Steven Levitt, coauthor of the #1
New York Times bestselling
Freakonomics** :
Jonathan Safran Foer, author of *Eating
Animals
: *
Sherry Turkle, Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor
of the Social Studies of Science and Technology,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology; author of
Reclaiming Conversation : **
Dave Eggers, author of
Your Fathers, Where Are They? And the Prophets, Do They
Live Forever? :
Helen Fisher, Senior Research Fellow, The Kinsey
Institute; author of
Why Him? Why Her? :
Amazon.com Review
Review
"A sprightly, easygoing hybrid of fact, observation,
advice and comedy."
USA Today
:
"With topics like online dating apps to serious social
science research, the book is sure to have you laughing if
not taking a few notes.”
The Guardian :
“Entertaining and illuminating.”
Rolling Stone
:
“A hilarious, often unsettling account of what
young singles go through as they search for love in the
digital age.”
* *Boston Globe :
“A funny and scholarly examination of the 24-hour
romance cycle.”
*Paste Magazine* :
“The book is an obsessive exploration of what
makes hearts flutter and break across the globe, but most
importantly, it dissects those ideas through the lens of a
right-and-left swiping society. And as a result,
Ansari’s final product doesn’t only feel
complete—it’s hilariously executed, even without
his unmistakable high-register voice belting the punchlines.
At 250 pages, Modern Romance is a lean, pithy read
that’s perfect to reach the tech-obsessed generation it
explores.”
“An engaging look at the often head-scratching,
frequently infuriating mating behaviors that shape our love
lives.”
“With his first foray into the literary sphere,
Ansari handedly accomplishes what he set out to do.
Modern Romance provides insight into what
people do to find love. He infuses their stories with his
sass and parallels their shame with much of his own. On top
of that, Ansari’s advice is easy to follow and backed
with science and research.
Modern Romance is the pinnacle of romantic guides
— at least until a new dating app makes it
obsolete.”
“It’s hard to think of another celebrity
book that also feels like breaking news… Aside from the
jokes, the science of Modern Romance* holds water, and
is absolutely fascinating.”
“This book is awesome.”
“This book is essentially an Aziz Ansari standup
routine in print form. His unique voice is present
throughout the book. One reason that people love Aziz is
his outlook on life. He has a funny way of refocusing
seemingly ordinary things and zeroing in on very small
details that most would not notice. He brings all of that and
more to the table with this book. This book is informative,
presents a lot of thought provoking topics and discusses them
thoroughly. Paired with Aziz’s distinct voice, this
book is even more endearing.”
The Daily Beast
:
“Funny, informative, and surprisingly
earnest.”
The Atlantic :
“Modern Romance reads like
a CliffsNotes to relationshipping as it is
currently experienced by (mostly middle-class, Ansari admits,
and mostly straight) Americans. It’s the familiar stuff
of research and sitcomedy, distilled into a funny, and highly
readable, summary.”
Bustle
:
“You’re not going to find a traditional
humor book. And that’s a good thing. Modern
Romance is something a bit more unique: a
comprehensive, in-depth sociological investigation into the
‘many challenges of looking for love in the digital
age.’ Modern Romance gives an impressive overview
of how the dating game has changed with the advent of cell
phones and the Internet. But there’s also some
practical advice peppered in there by Ansari himself.”
O, The Oprah Magazine :
“Even comedy phenoms get dumped. But when it was
this Parks and Recreation star’s turn, he channeled the
rejection into an extensive (and riotous) investigation of
the current state of dating, going as far as recruiting an
NYU sociologist to be his
collaborator/wingman.”
“A social-science book that’s pleasant to
read and a comedy book that actually has something to
say.” * *
“The ever hip and funny comedian and Parks and
Recreation star embarks on a surprisingly insightful
exploration of the complex realities of dating today….
Ansari’s eminently readable book is successful, in
part, because it not only lays out the history, evolution,
and pitfalls of dating, it also offers sound advice on how to
actually win today’s constantly shifting game of love.
Often hilarious, consistently informative, and unusually
helpful.” *
“Ansari, a comedian and TV actor, has co-written
a book with a legitimate sociologist about what it means to
date in the modern era. When technology and instant
gratification are changing the landscape of human
interactions, dating is weirder than ever, and I'm looking
forward to Ansari's sense of humor and cultural criticism on
the topic, which he's started to address in his
stand-up.”
“Always-hilarious Aziz Ansari proves you can be
smart and funny at the same time. Not only did I laugh
my ass off, I really learned stuff. Where was this book when
I was 22 years old? ”
“Laughing is my second least-favorite thing in
the world after thinking. This book was torture. Not a
page passed without an unwanted eruption of giggles or
insight. Aziz is funny as hell, and smart as shit.”
“It's the voices that will have you reading this
remarkable book in one sitting! The voices of old people who
married someone who lived in their apartment building or the
building next door and the voices of the young people who
check out hundreds of romantic possibilities a night, with so
much choice that choice becomes impossible. And then there is
the voice of Ansari himself, funny, of course, but also
deeply compassionate. This book defines serious
fun.”
“
Modern Romance is just like Aziz Ansari
himself—charming, thoughtful, reasonable, and able to
distill the madness of the world into something both sane and
wildly funny.”
“Ansari and Klinenberg elegantly capture the
entirely new ways that singles communicate, court, and find
love today. Modern Romance is a captivating read,
with deep insight into history, science, and culture, and
loads of wit and charm. Along the way, you may even collect
some valuable tips for finding a soul mate.”