Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man:
What Men Really Think about Love Relationships, Intimacy and Commitment
by Steve Harvey
Amistad/Harper Collins Publishers
Hardcover, $23.99
240 pages
ISBN: 978-0-06-172897-6



Book Review by Kam Williams

“I want every woman who truly wants a solid relationship… to forget everything she’s been taught about men—erase the myths, the heresy, everything your mother told you, everything your girlfriends told you, all the advice you’ve read in magazines and seen on television—and find out here, in these pages, who men really are… If you’re tired of being played with, then I want you to use this book as a tool—to take each of the principles, rules, and tips in this no-nonsense guide and use them to anticipate a man’s game plan.
No matter how good you are to a man, no matter how good you are for him, until you understand what his makeup is, what drives him, what motivates him, and how he loves, you will be vulnerable to his deception and the games he plays. But with this book, you can get into a man’s mindset and understand him better, so that you can put into play your plans, your dreams, and your desires, and best of all, you can figure out if he’s planning to be with you or just playing with you.”
 Excerpted from the Introduction (pages 6-7)

Stand-up comic/sitcom star/TV show host/stage performer/movie
actor/radio DJ/producer Steve Harvey was already a true Renaissance Man before he recently added relationship advice guru to his bag of tricks. After its release in January of this year, his book, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think about Love Relationships, Intimacy and Commitment skyrocketed to #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list, and still enjoys that lofty spot as we go to publication (see http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/books/bestseller/besthardadvice.html).
Apparently, the secrets about men he reveals on the pages of this much-needed how-to-tome are resonating with frustrated females of every demographic. As a result, Steve is not only making the rounds of the top talk shows like Oprah and Ellen, but expanding his own entertainment empire as his eponymous, nationally-syndicated morning radio show enters new markets, most recently replacing Tom Joyner in Chicago.
Let’s face it, Steve Harvey is a juggernaut who’s on quite a roll. And this critic is not at all surprised by this development, given that I’ve immensely enjoyed his last two stand-up DVDs and have also found the brother to be both hilarious and insightful every time I’ve had the opportunity to interview him.
As for the content of Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, the title drops a big hint as to the sort of common sense advice inside. Still, every bit as important as the tough-love brand of relationship advice Steve has to share is his folksy, down-home tone which practically leaps off the pages in Technicolor, because he has convincingly translated his trademark charismatic anecdotal style to print despite the inherent limitations of the literary format.
But the big question remains: will the book deliver on its promise of helping you land Mr. Right? I’m not comfortable speculating about that, after all, I’m not a woman and thus not really a part of the target audience. That disclaimer aside, I’d say that he does have guys pegged, so his ideas at the very least are likely to prove valuable to impressionable young ladies who have been raised without a father figure in their lives, since Steve’s basic function here is to shed light on the difference between what men say and how they behave.
Traitor.