Review: The Joke's On Me.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 1, 2012
Stephen Williams has an incredible knack for getting his readers' collective attention. His writing style is reminiscent of Ernest Hemingway---short, active sentences that mince no words. Williams wastes little time in setting the tone of his writing by providing vivid descriptions of his character(s); the background and subsequent foreshadowing; any and all conflict that arises; and brings all situations and plot twists together to a satisfying conclusion that leaves this reader satiated.In "Scary Pranks: Give Spook to Hook," Williams proffers the reader a new twist to the timeless art of male-to-female seduction, and just in time for the Halloween week to boot. He provides the reader numerous romantic hypotheticals in the form of practical jokes that fall under the aegis of the woman's best interests, which in turn provides fodder for numerous potential sexy outcomes, ostensibly in the guy's favor.This is precisely where things get tricky.In a perfect world, all people would find true love and happiness, war would cease, the Cubs would win a World Series, no one would be poor and/or starving, and televangelists would fly coach. "Pranks" provides scenarios in which Romeo has numerous decent options for putting empathy into practice and (hopefully) creating a subsequent atmosphere for intimacy with a woman on all levels. This is certainly what the author is telling the reader throughout the book. But what started me thinking was this: given the situations presented throughout the tome, is there a potential for any of these approaches to backfire?As wonderful as it may seem, not everything works out according to plan, even with one's best efforts. I would have found stronger satisfaction had the author expanded more upon alternative endings just in case things went awry during the course of seduction. There is always a chance, no matter how improbable it may seem, that the aforementioned prank can backfire: it always pays to know and gauge one's audience in order to pull it off with aplomb. Being able to do this would make the emotional and sexual intimacy that much better.Williams provides the reader numerous strategies for seduction, and in so doing, demonstrates that, while the destination is certainly important, the journey itself is just as valuable. Human beings are complex creatures; in the ever-changing world of human relationships, we have the maddening propensity to send our paramours mixed messages in addition to compartmentalizing our daily routines, multitasking to the point of overload, and, in general, making our lives ever more difficult and complex. Simply being cognizant of these pitfalls allows one to practice prioritizing our relationships---which, when combined with discipline, fortitude, planning and foresight, can add deeper, more developed levels of intimacy.Still, "Pranks" is a useful source of ideas, and even if you do not follow through with any of them, just being aware and informed of the content can be educating and liberating. As someone who is not inclined towards Howie Mandel-esque humor, I still found Williams's modus operandi informative, engaging, and highly entertaining. This particular niche title will certainly find acceptance and approval among certain individuals.