Things I?ve Learned from Women Who?ve Dumped Me
by Ben Karlin (ed.) ? Grand Central Publishing ? Available now
by Becky Ferreira
The overarching message of this new anthology is that humor is the safest refuge for the heart-broken. Edited by Emmy-winner Ben Karlin, it converts festering grudges and secret longings into hard-won lessons, ranging from Will Forte’s exhortation ‘Beware of Math Tutors Who Ride Motorcycles’ to Karlin’s downer, ‘You Too Will Get Crushed’.
Tales of romantic woe are presented as screenplays, interviews, annotated song lyrics, seminars and drawings. Black highlighter obscures the bulk of Stephen Colbert’s confessions, while Bob Kerrey’s sobering tale of lost love acts as an emotional anchor to the rest of the book. Fantastic one-liners are sprinkled liberally throughout, like Karlin’s observation that it’s “odd how there’s no plural for the word revenge itself” because he “wanted revenges.” Whether you’re a dumper, a dumpee or an innocent bystander, this book is an unparalleled refresher course on all that is ugly, laughable and spectacular about failed love.
Tales of romantic woe are presented as screenplays, interviews, annotated song lyrics, seminars and drawings. Black highlighter obscures the bulk of Stephen Colbert’s confessions, while Bob Kerrey’s sobering tale of lost love acts as an emotional anchor to the rest of the book. Fantastic one-liners are sprinkled liberally throughout, like Karlin’s observation that it’s “odd how there’s no plural for the word revenge itself” because he “wanted revenges.” Whether you’re a dumper, a dumpee or an innocent bystander, this book is an unparalleled refresher course on all that is ugly, laughable and spectacular about failed love.
