Modern Romance

I only picked this book up because it was on special for $2 on the Kindle and I thought the cover was cool. I had no idea what it was about, but I thought I was in for a real treat when I found out the book was written by the star of Master of None, Aziz Ansari. It can't be bad, I thought. 

And basically, this is the most enjoyable book I've read in a while. I read it in just 24 hours, and laughed at least 288 times. Here's why.

Summary

It is known that Aziz Ansari is a little fanatic about relationships. We see it in his series, through his numerous (mis)adventures with girls. Here, he wanted to shed light on what is happening with relationships, with the arrival of social networks, dating sites and texting.

So he worked with a scientist, Eric Klinenberg, to analyze studies, interview a bunch of experts on the subject, and even do his own experiments. Together, they traveled to five countries around the world to see how it's done there and compared data from 50 years ago with data from today.

It is a scientific book, but full of jokes and personal experiences. Its surprising, up-la-vie and absurd humor makes the subject, which could in my opinion be depressing for some, very light. You think, maybe it's not so bad after all. It's just different.

Review

I think I laughed out loud at least once per page. Yes, I was giggling to myself. I couldn't help it, and I didn't even want to. If someone asked me what was going on, I was proud to tell the latest fact I learned, or to try to translate Aziz's joke.

It's a humor you can't get enough of. It is completely surprising every time, because his jokes often come right after a statistic or a purely objective observation. "That reminds me of..." And then he tells a totally absurd story, and you wonder how anyone in the world could have a head that is twisted enough to have come to this.

At the same time, I learned a lot. I'm interested in and fascinated by the subject of dating (I've had some tumultuous years on the dating front, like anyone else maybe, but I found it pretty nerve-wracking), so I've read several articles and even dating guides, and I'd say that three-quarters of what he was talking about in the book I'd never heard or even imagined. I especially liked the part where he travels to Japan and Argentina. You realize how much humans want the same thing. It's just the way they do it that differs, and by a lot.

An article I read today, however, cast a shadow over all of this. A testimony of a girl who has a date with Aziz Ansari, and who basically says that he assaulted her. Knowing that he assaults girls in his spare time can make his views on dating a little less believable, let's say. And suddenly I'm less inclined to find him funny.

Still, I encourage you to separate the artist from the person, and read this book, because it is great.