Review: Some men are just too sensitive!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 07 7, 2014
I was given a copy of “If Women Ran the World” by Laurie Anne.  I won a copy of this book from the website www.librarything.com.  It’s a great site that is similar to goodreads, but is more thorough in its book reviews.  It’s become my newest addiction.I have classified this book as fiction and satire.  I would also say that this book would fit great into Feminist Utopian.  (I had to look this one up.)  I’m certain that there are more categories that this could fall into, but I’m not spending the hour to weed through all of those categories, sub-categories and such.*****In “If Women Ran the World” we’re introduced to the world of where men and women have swapped roles in life.  Women are the bread winners, CEO’s, the head of the household.  Men have taken on the role of being at home taking care of the house and kids.  Basically what we know of our roles in life have been totally turned upside-down.Patrick Johnson has just had sex with Vanessa Wilson and she is caught sneaking out the door.  Feeling used, cheap and taken advantage of, Patrick wants to know when he and Vanessa will get together again.  Coming up with an excuse to hurry up and leave, Vanessa bolts for the door and throws up the lamest excuses that most women now day hear.  Patrick is super sensitive and is wanting more out of a relationship than what he just got.  He’s wanting pillow talk, his sexual needs fulfilled, basically all that touchy feely kind of stuff.Robert Johnson is married to Kristina.  Robert is the house dad and has the task of tending to the kids, running the house, making sure things are in order on the home front for when Kristina comes home from work.  She’s working hard to make partner at her firm.  She goes out for beers after work.  She’s added a few pounds since they have been married.  She doesn’t acknowledge all that Robert does around the house and for the family.  He goes to the gym to stay in shape.  He makes sure that her meals are prepared.Bill Johnson, father to Patrick and Robert, has just suffered the most devastating thing in his life.  His wife of twenty-six years has divorced him.  She is now in a relationship with her much younger yoga instructor.  Bill is now trying to tackle the world of dating and getting back out there.  Having been told that he needs to go to the “Leopard” club where younger successful women are looking to hook up with older single men.In a world where men are struggling to get ahead and feel oppressed, they want equal rights and equal pay.  Women feel that men should be at home taking care of the house and kids.  It’s such a tricky world that has been spun, but so similar to what we live in now.*****I had actually won a copy of this book back on March 29, 2014.  I had been swamped with book review requests that I didn’t get a chance to read the book until this weekend.  I have mixed feelings about this book.  I don’t like to even talk about a book until I have completely read the entire work.  However, with this book, I honestly couldn’t get into the book.  I ended up getting a little over half way through and couldn’t finish the book.I found subject of the book interesting.  However, it read more like a chick flick with the roles reversed.  I guess I’m not the “typical” female.  I don’t like the gushy romance novels like my grandmother loved to read.  I also don’t consider myself a feminist.  Granted I once worked in an administrative position, made good money, have a degree in accounting and business management, raised a child for 10 years as a single mother and now am considered a stay-at-home mom that runs the house and our farm.  I just didn’t find all the touchy-feely stuff to endearing.I know a couple of men that stay-at-home with their kids while their wife works.  I guess this makes it hard for me to understand and get into this book.  I ended up discussing this book with them and they just laughed.  When I inquired about how they feel about their wives being the bread-winner and the typical roles reversed, they both said that it was their choice, not their wives.  Actually the wives had argued about their decision.  However, now the wives love the fact that their husbands stay home with the kids.I do feel bad that I couldn’t finish this book, but it was just too out there for me.  I by no means hated it.  But I also didn’t love it.  I feel like I’m about in the middle of the road on the story.  At another time, I’ll try and revisit this book and see if I feel differently, until then, I’m giving it 3 stars.