Review: Why Men Love Bitches by Sherry Argov

Title: Why Men Love Bitches

Author: Sherry Argov

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

Publisher: Adams Media

Genre: Self-Help, Psychology, Relationships

From Doormat to Dreamgirl—A Woman's Guide to Holding Her Own in a Relationship

Do you feel like you are too nice? Sherry Argov's Why Men Love Bitches delivers a unique perspective as to why men are attracted to a strong woman who stands up for herself. With saucy detail on every page, this no-nonsense guide reveals why a strong woman is much more desirable than a "yes woman" who routinely sacrifices herself. The author provides compelling answers to the tough questions women often ask:

· Why are men so romantic in the beginning and why do they change?
· Why do men take nice girls for granted?
· Why does a man respect a woman when she stands up for herself?

Full of advice, hilarious real-life relationship scenarios, "she says/he thinks" tables, and the author's unique "Attraction Principles," Why Men Love Bitches gives you bottom-line answers. It helps you know who you are, stand your ground, and relate to men on a whole new level. Once you've discovered the feisty attitude men find so magnetic, you'll not only increase the romantic chemistry—you'll gain your man's love and respect with far less effort.

Review: Irreversible Damage by Abigail Shrier

Title: Irreversible Damage

Author: Abigail Shrier

Publication Date: June 30, 2020

Publisher: Regnery Publishing

Genre: Politics, Non-fiction, Parenting

Irreversible Damage is an exploration of a mystery: Why, in the last decade, has the diagnosis "gender dysphoria," transformed from a vanishingly rare affliction, applying almost exclusively to boys and men, to an epidemic among teenage girls?

Author Abigail Shrier presents shocking statistics and stories from real families to show that America and the West have become fertile ground for a "transgender craze" that has nothing to do with real gender dysphoria and everything to do with our cultural frailty. Teenage girls are taking courses of testosterone and disfiguring their bodies. Parents are undermined; experts are over-relied upon; dissenters in science and medicine are intimidated; free speech truckles under renewed attack; socialized medicine bears hidden consequences; and an intersectional era has arisen in which the desire to escape a dominant identity encourages individuals to take cover in victim groups.

Every person who has ever had a skeptical thought about the sudden rush toward a non-binary future but been afraid to express it—this book is for you.

Quarantine Thoughts

It's been a long time. 

In the span of a year since The Whimsical Olive has been updated, so much has happened. Currently, I'm stuck in a three day quarantine as a requirement of Hong Kong's travel policies in order to study here for four months. I was about to lose my mind to boredom until I found this old gem--I forgot it had even existed. However, as the name of this blog suggests, this is the blog of The Whimsical Olive--posts are spontaneous, freespirited, and random. I never liked forcing myself to write on a regular basis unless I have legitimate inspiration, hence I gave up on becoming a professional writer long ago. 

It feels so strange to be writing again--this part of me that I have buried deep into the ground like the treasures on Monte Cristo--I am finally digging them up again and taking revenge on my enemies (just kidding). One thing I was always afraid of was introspection; writing became too painful, too raw, and made me feel too vulnerable. Perhaps there was a time period where I revelled in these emotions but I felt self absorbed doing so. But something I've learned over the year is that those emotions will always be there, they are never gone, only repressed. They come out in ways you don't expect, outbursts that are random, and discomfort that feels alien. The easy way out is to run away. The hard thing to do is to face your demons.