Men, love and sex--three topics that women sometimes struggle with. Lucky us, there’s a book that answers our questions in ways that make everything seem much more simple and clear. 

David Zinczenko, Editor-in-chief of Men’s Health magazine, took it upon himself to author this "Complete User’s Guide for Women." He started by gathering results from a Harris poll of 5,000 persons. What Zinczenko found was that men and women have remarkably similar goals in life. Essentially, we all want the same things. It’s the way that we portray those wants that end up confusing the opposite sex. 

There are 25 short chapters to this book, each answering a different question that women tend to ask about men. Chapters explain everything from why men have to be in charge, why they don’t open up about what happened during their work days, what men consider cheating, why they need to be alone to what they really think about your body and what they really want in love. 

What this book does very well is use analogies so women can finally understand why men feel the way they do. Zinczenko associated a woman’s nagging to chipping away at a rock. There are two ways to get to a center of a problem. Shatter the rock in one go instead of chipping away. It’s a lot faster and hurts less (for the guy).  

I brought the book to the beach with me and read part of it to my girlfriend. At one point, she said, “If he didn’t use that analogy, I wouldn’t understand. I get it now, and I can actually relate.” 

Every chapter begins with a poll question and the percentage answers to that question. In that way, readers have the ability to see exactly what men think and feel. Once you get a page or two in, side columns of "Say This, Not That!" and "What it means when" provide some comic relief. At the end, readers find a three bullet chapter sum-up titled "Masculinity Mastered: What You Now Know About Men," followed by a box of two quotes urging women to, "Say This Tonight!"

One of my favorite things to read was those "Say This, Not That!" sections. It taught me that men are sensitive and pounding away at their egos won’t get you anywhere. For instance, tell your guy that he has a right to be pissed, rather than tell him to calm down, because "he wants to be validated, not sedated."

The only thing that I could have done without were those last two quotes at the end of each chapter. One quote is the sexiest thing a man said a woman told him, the other is the sexiest thing a woman said she ever told a man. Maybe it’s just me, but I wouldn’t ask a man to see my tattoo. And that’s not just because I don’t even have one. 

All in all, Men, Love & Sex is a great, quick, beach read. The fact that this book isn’t based on one man’s beliefs but a larger scope of men gives it validity. The ability for female readers to see the percentages of men’s opinions help to give it clarity. Reading quotes from specific men shed more light on what they really 
think, and the inner-chapter side notes give hints to how women can better get their point across without hurting a man’s feelings, because they have thinner skins than you might think.

If you read Cosmo or enjoyed He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt, you’ll like this one, too. Read it. You’ll probably learn something new.