My 1,000 Americans: A Year-Long Journey through the Personals

Rating:
Summary: What's the problem?
Review: I am not completely sure what exactly I anticipated when I purchased this book. Probably a rather funny if not insightful case study of the modern dating scene. I should have been more careful about the signs that pointed to the obvious quality of the book. 1,000 stories on less than 250 pages - you do the math. Obviously, 1,000 "success stories" would be rather boring, so it is natural to expect some indecency (which sells better than virtue).

The book starts rather nicely with may witty and interesting observations but then it all just goes straight down. One doesn't have to be Einstein to figure out that the social group of single men in their forties is mostly comprised of those individua who have physical of psychological problems with relationships. How naive should one be to express surprise and disbelief when encountering a large number of such people, especially in such an assembly line fashion?!

The worst however is some feeling of a freak show. Yes, these men are weird - that's why they are single and looking for personals ads especially those mentioning the F word (I meant 'fun' in case you thought about something else). Such people are ill and need help rather than 20 lines drenched in superiority and sheer cruelty.

I did finish the book - only to realise that I just had to read a 244-page tabloid. I threw it away and washed my hands.

Rating:
Summary: SO Hilarious!!
Review: I love comedy, and frequent comedy clubs. But it's VERY rarely that a BOOK makes me laugh out loud. But this book did. Ms. Morton has a very deadpan way of describing the most bizarre human behavior you can imagine (and some of these men's quirks are WAY BEYOND most people's imagination). She has wit, compassion, good-humour, and curiousity. I highly recommend this book!

Rating:
Summary: I love her
Review: I love this woman,I met her and I am in rhis book. I just wish I could contact her now. 11 people I know recognised me from her more than accurate description of me. Thanks Rochelle, the book is hysterical, best read of the year especially for me. No I wan't the King or the date who trod on fish nor am I married, but maybe I will be, I have a new lease of life.

Rating:
Summary: Laugh and Learn
Review: I've read both of Rochelle Morton's books (this one and "Eat Your Lonely Heart Out"). I thought they were both hysterical and can well imagine that Ms Morton didn't have to spend time making up any of the content ("truth is stranger than fiction" and all that). I found both books extremely funny and couldn't put them down - I read both in the space of less than a week! I can imagine that a lot of guys (see previous reviews) wouldn't be thrilled with the outcome of her research, but having met a large number of men through the personals myself, can vouch that her experiences are probably extremely accurately portrayed. I also stopped the line at meeting any men who were married or who made innuendos (therefore probably weeding out the most unlikely candidates), but still met a wide selection of unusual characters (men who hadn't grown up, were unbelievably rude, arrogant, outright liars, complete cheapskates, talked about themselves all the time, or who also seemed to honestly believe that meeting a professional, non-flirtatious woman for a meal meant that she was likely to hop into the sack with him! Amazing). I believe every word of it.

I enjoyed the books immensely and can only recommend them - Ms Morton's closing humourous lines on each date were an absolute riot. I wish she'd published all of her dates, not just these selected ones. I'd definitely recommend any woman who is thinking of meeting men through personals to read this book before she embarks on her journey - it would give her a good idea of what is around the corner.


Rating:
Summary: Oh my God
Review: Is this girl brave or what? I laughed so hard at some of the dates she had. What a blast! I want to meet some of them and most odf all I'd love to have the balls to do what she did. n absolutely brilliant peek into "who is out there". She is really so funny, I had pains in my side from laughing. I would reccomend this book to men and women.

Rating:
Summary: Educational, interesting, and depressing
Review: Ms. Morton shows us the dirty underbelly of the world of personals dating. It's ugly. The only problem I have with the book is that she goes on these dates without any effort or contemplation of being romantically involved with these men from the beginning. Most of these men were totally undeserving of a second date (are there men out there like this?) but it doesn't seem fair for those men who may have actually been looking for an honest relationship. So as ugly as Ms. Morton shows America how bad the dating scene is, she also comes from a pre-not interested stand point.

Rating:
Summary: My 1,000 Americans: A Year-Long Journey Through the Personal
Review: No, I am not in this book and I am very sorry to waste my time to read it. Cynical, annoying and unfair. I have much better suggestion for all that man in the book. Why not to write a little review about date with Ms. Morton and publish another book with the title something like "1000 American portraits of one woman". Well, every game has it own rules and the main rule of "seek for fun times" game is PRIVACY, which does not exist in Ms. Morton code of rules. So tell me, how can you judge people if you have big ethical issue in the first place? Entertaining? I don't think so! Sorry Ms. Morton - cannot score that way.

Rating:
Summary: What's the problem?
Review: So she made fun of the jerks that are out there, about time someone did. Married men do not need to be OUT THERE Stay home with your wife mister. Between my friends and I, we could write a book about our terrible dates so I for one know where she is coming from. Just the other day a guy exposed himself himself to me in the park and the I saw him 20 minutes later and he smiled and put his hand out for me to shake. No thank you.
Men are men all over and I applaud Ms Morton for telling it like it is. I laughed and laughed, why? Because it's a very funny book.

Rating:
Summary: Obtuse and ungenerous
Review: This is a surprisingly mean-spirited and disingenuous book. Ms. Morton runs a sexy personal ad ("English female, 30s, slim and attractive, seeks professional male for fun times") and then is shocked, shocked to find herself in the company of men looking for sex. Some of the respondents are in fact entertainingly weird. However, I was more often struck by Morton's vicious rejection of even the most pedestrian quirks. She seems to have no real interest in or understanding of the human drama around her. These guys may be creeps, but many of them deserve a better date than Ms. Morton.

Rating:
Summary: Obtuse and ungenerous
Review: This is a surprisingly mean-spirited and disingenuous book. Ms. Morton runs a sexy personal ad ("English female, 30s, slim and attractive, seeks professional male for fun times") and then is shocked, shocked to find herself in the company of men looking for sex. Some of the respondents are in fact entertainingly weird. However, I was more often struck by Morton's vicious rejection of even the most pedestrian quirks. She seems to have no real interest in or understanding of the human drama around her. These guys may be creeps, but many of them deserve a better date than Ms. Morton.