Book review: I SUCK AT GIRLS by Justin Halpern

I SUCK AT GIRLS by Justin Halpern

You're probably aware of the Twitter feed "Sh*t My Dad Says," along with the bestselling book and the TV show starring William Shatner. Yes, The Shat. If you're not, you're in for a treat. Basically, the author writes down stuff his dad says, which is always hilarious, and tweets it. This evolved into a bestselling book and then a TV show.

In his new book, Halpern chronicles the evolution of his relationships with girls (and then women) until he meets and falls in love with the woman he wants to marry. Interspersed throughout is wisdom from his dad, including the advice to take a day off and think about everything he's learned about women and love, and from those musings comes this book.

Halpern is a funny writer and a good storyteller; his reminiscences from his early childhood through his 'teens & twenties are full of poignant, awkward, and funny bits that make you smile with recognition. They don't teach this stuff in school, and it's refreshing to see that others blunder through just as blindly. You laugh because that's all you can do; it's funny because we've all been there. If you're looking for a quick, light read that will leave you smiling, this is the book for you.

Book review: JACKIE AFTER O by Tina Cassidy

JACKIE AFTER O: One Remarkable Year When Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Defied Expectations & Rediscovered Her Dreams

by Tina Cassidy

I have to admit that before I read this book, I didn't know a whole lot about Jackie. I knew who she was, of course, and could remember a few salacious "JACKIE O!" headlines in the tabloids from the time this book is set (1975), but to me she was just a famous person in big sunglasses whose life I couldn't really imagine. The few items I'd read from her White House years made me think she was a typical 50's housewife, content to raise the kids and go shopping while her husband saved the free world from Soviet bombs (and carried on affairs with multiple women). I didn't think she was all that bright. I never really gave a thought to what her life must have been like, except to be sad for her that her husband was killed in such a public and awful manner.

What I didn't know was that she was very well educated, well-read, and interested in history to the extent that she helped save Lafayette Square in Washington D.C. while in the White House. She restored that house into a museum of American craftsmanship and art after decades of neglect. There was a lot more to her than just a fashion plate.

Cassidy gives plenty of background, and meticulously cites sources for events and dialogue. She brings together a narrative that gives a clear picture of what was going on in Jackie's life the year her second husband, Aristotle Onassis, died, and how she put her life back together in New York, going into the publishing industry. You learn how and why Jackie chose such a seemingly odd occupation for herself, and how she flourished there. In the midst of the second wave of feminism, she broke out of the mold of women who acted dumber than they were to get a man, and chose a career not for the money, but for fulfillment.

This book fills in the gap between the double widow and the professional editor and conservationist that made up the public image of one of the most famous women of the 20th century, touching on her relationships with her kids, her sister, and her step family and famous in-laws. If you are fascinated with Jackie, as so many people still are, this book is for you. I certainly have a new appreciation for and admiration of her.