The Average American Male audiobook

3.5 StarsThis book is so hard to talk about because it operates on two levels and i'm not sure how to comprehend those tiers together. In a literal sense, this book is about a misogynist who objectifies women and uses them for sex, and all of his thoughts reflect that vapid mindset. This is fraught with ableism, fat shaming, slut shaming, and every other problematic facet that can be added to a character, but it's all done to exaggerate how the reader clearly isn't supposed to like the narrator. In a metaphorical sense, I think this book really showcases the cage that masculinity can become. I don't perse think that's what this book was trying to do, but I found that by the end of the book, there was a lot to be said about the life a person lives when they only want to be with women for their bodies and not any sort of emotional bond.Although this book reads like the main character is a sociopath because of his complete lack of empathy and the barbaristic thoughts he has, the way the back cover describes the book makes me take pause. This is called The Average American Male, so one may read it literally and decide, "yeah, this is how guys think. it's horrible, we need to fix it." Or, opposite, one may read it as hyperbolic, as if the author who penned this main character were a "militant feminist" trying to showcase the depravity of men's psyche (again, this is what the back cover says, not me lol). This book definitely made me think about what the author was trying to do with the main character by giving the audience so much freedom to decide if this book is realistic or not. I didn't even realize until writing this review that the narrator is never given a name, and that's just so powerful to me.The story is provocative, borderlining obscene. But something about it worked for me. I can only recommend it to people who can read it past its literalness. It was interesting and I wish I had someone to discuss this with, but at the same time, it's so nasty that I also feel like it needs to be pondered in silence hahaha

Vile, unsympathetic to every female, and completely, unashamedly, and unabashedly, honest. It's a memoir, in a sense. This guy has never existed, and on the other hand, he is EVERY guy that has ever existed. He's the guy that hates it when people call when he's right in the middle of a game of Halo. He's the guy that downloads so much porn that he has separate folders for different fetishes on his desktop. He's the guy that's completely confused as to why Marie Osmond is famous. We never get his name, but we don't need one. He is completely and immediately likable (first chapter heading: "Christmas With Parents". First chapter, in its entirety: "Same old bullshit.") He's a 30 something slacker at a dead end "nothing special" job, whose girlfriend is obsessed with everything he isn't. He's bored with everything (except his xbox) and doesn't understand why she doesn't dump him.The only reason i didn't give this one a full 5, was simply because it didn't have the complexity of The Lie , Chad Kultgen's other, and sadly, only, novel. Where that book had 3 completely separate views of every situation and drama that unfolded in it, this has only one. I'm not saying it gets boring or anything, on the contrary, i loved it and it was a insanely easy read. It was just a bit too simple compared to The Lie . Oh, and the narrator of this book is basically Kyle from The Lie , which, i know this one was released years before, but they were basically the same person. It's not so much as a detriment to this book, more like an observation. Despite his misanthropic and misogynistic personality, Kyle was pretty awesome.The book isn't particularly depressing, but the ending is. The narrator basically just gives a very bleak look on life and love and makes a very, very, VERY bad decision. But, hey, i knew this wouldn't end well. I'd only read one of his books before and now i know. Chad Kultgen, he doesn't like happy endings. I'm okay with that.So, if you can't read about sex (and i mean a lot of sex, and every kind of sex you think you know, and all the kinds you don't know) don't read this book. For me, it was really refreshing. Kultgen is just so completely honest. He cuts the bullshit and, well, lets it all hang out. It may not be up to par with The Lie , but its still full with spouts of hilarity, dirty dialogue, and in its own unique way, ends up being touching.I honestly don't know how his books are getting published, but I'm glad some big company is taking a chance on this guy. I just hope more readers do.

A lot of people seem to wholly miss the point of this book, both those (few as they may be here on Goodreads) who like and those who are either indifferent or find it offensive/misogynistic/obnoxious/pornographic/juvenile...etc.Now I'll admit that this book is highly up for interpretation, and perhaps I'm the one that's misinterpreting what the book is saying, but I don't think I am, at least not wholly. Here's why: this book speaks directly to me, and it doesn't to most people. Despite the title, the narrator is certainly not "average". He is quite specific and his story and its moral are targeted at someone quite specific. I may be ashamed of the fact that I identify with this character, but I do. The difference between he and I, however, is in the choices we make beyond the inherency.Now let me start off by saying that no, I am not an obnoxious jughead frat brother. In fact, I'm an ardent feminist, so when labels like "misogynistic" are hurled at this, I tread carefully in buying and reading it. However, I don't find this book misogynistic. Yes, it shows hatred towards individual women, but it doesn't level that hatred towards women as a whole. I understand how that criticism can be applied, and to an extent one could say it's valid, but to the same extent it can be said that claims of "a strikeback against militant feminism" are also valid. I wouldn't give much weight to either.*SPOILER ALERT*If you want to understand this novel the way it directly speaks to me, and people like myself, re-read the epic breakup scene on Page 116:"I want to fuck twice a day minimum or at least get my dick sucked. I want you to swallow. I want to butt-fuck you every once in a while and I want you to like it.... I want you to never want to get married or have children."Sounds like your typical obnoxious, 2-dimensional frat boy, right? I've cut out parts of his rant and only posted the relevant portions: Anal, children, marriage. This is me. I am childfree. I had a vasectomy earlier this year to ensure that I'll never have children I don't want. I'm a self-described marriage abolitionist. The institution of marriage I find to be corrupt, counter-romantic, theocratic, too government intrusive into private affairs of the heart, commercialized, and yes, sexist. That doesn't mean I don't want love and companionship and commitment - as the narrator demonstrated he wants when he actively seeks these things with Alyna - it just means I don't want the authoritarianism, sexism and bankrupcy of the institution. And anal sex. I am not satisfied by the vagina. It's foreplay. It's mundanity is overwhelming. It is not satisfactory. A very good friend of mine once said "I'm not a cheater, but I understand why men cheat; it's because they're not getting what they need at home." Not to sound cliche, but, I have needs.But the moral of this story isn't that all men are cheaters. The moral of this story is to put your foot down and demand your needs be satisfied lest you find someone else that will. Re-read the book; he never communicates anything with either Casey or Alyna. When Alyna says she doesn't want marriage or kids, he's so stunned he's silent and just kind of nods along like she'd commented on the weather. When she says how much she loved anal, he just plays it cool, not saying much. Indeed, when she asked him if he'd ever done anal before, he lied and said he hadn't. Communicate with your partner. Let her in, show her who you really are. She's not a mind reader, and she's not going to discern these things from your stoic silence. Quit trying to be average and acknowledge and express your uniqueness.Indeed, this character could have been me, to a tee, had I not realized this years ago. I had the most the ethereal of hopes that I'd find a woman like Alyna, who doesn't want kids or marriage, and I had argument after argument, skeezy scheme after skeezy scheme, to manipulate a woman into anal. I just have too much respect for women to manipulate them like that. I've learned in life and I've learned from this book just to communicate, and be prepared to cut your losses if she's not the right woman. I can't conspire to align her sexuality with mine, nor can I her plans for her destiny. It's most honest, and most effective, to simply state your needs up front and move on if need be.

funny book if you're a guy. if you're a female reader, you might not get the subtle humor of an oversexed 20 something video game player...oh well, you can always join oprah's book club instead.

It's really intelligent to keep us unsuspecting of the "philosophical view" till the very end. I followed the hollow lives of the characters with true sadness, and when the pointlessness is revealed it all makes sense.In his unique rebellious way, Mr. Kultgen sharply illustrates the banality of young women today, and the succumbing and numbing of young men.But it's not all maudlin and tears. Mr.K wakes us up with shock therapy. He is a hard judge, thus the hard language. He takes no prisoners. He's a "holler philosopher"; no sermons, just facts in your face. You'll think I'm crazy, but I find Average Amer. Male. subtle. Fine literature is hidden behind what seems to be trashy language and lots of sex. I usually compare authors and their works, so here it'll have to be J R Allison's Liar. They are both pointing out the same thing, and shocking us to the knowledge. Only one difference. Mr. J.R. is making a mockery of it all, and Mr. K seems to feel more keenly the artist's doom.

This is a really funny and purposely offensive stream-of-consciousness look into a few months in the life of a "typical" young man, as seen through his eyes. I read this at the bookstore; oddly enough it was recommended by a female via her Barnes and Noble "employee picks" card on the bookshelf, with the review "Not, I repeat, NOT for children." The mind of the narrator is obnoxious, sex-obsessed, and profane, but eventually you get used to it, it levels off, and then certain lines just seem to jump out and make you laugh. Highlights for me were whenever he was involved in some conversation with his girlfriend he really wanted no part of and would think of ways to get out of it, like faking a stroke and total amnesia so he could pretend to not remember the entire relationship, another uncomfortable situation resulted in the thought, "I wonder what the odds of a terrorist strike at the mall at this exact moment are," and yet another chapter had him considering shitting his pants so he could end lunch with his girlfriend's mother early. Let me ruin another part for you, after meeting some girls at a bar, he notes, "This confirms my long-held theory that there are two kinds of Asian women: nymphomaniacs and corpses." Then he describes a poster of Gwen Steffani by saying, "She is punching and kicking at nothing, to show her individual style of rebellion." I was paraphrasing there. Anyways, it was really not-nice humor and a really fast read. As for the debate concerning the asshole main character, "Is this really what goes on in the average American male's head, or is it satirical?" my answer is who gives a fuck, it's just a book.

Lots of guys likely gave this minimal stars because they don't want the females in their lives to know how close to the truth this book hits. Inside the head of a large portion of the male populace.

This novel is a fascinating and clearly controversial broadside to political correctness and the cherished illusions so many people hold regarding the difference between the sexes. The book follows the life of a nameless protagonist as he has sex with several different women in a variety of ways, goes through relationship issues with girlfriends, and discusses the vagaries of sex with a number of friends, both gay and straight.The most interesting aspect of the book is the main character's remorseless obsession with sex. He apparently views women only in terms of their ability to give him the thing that he wants, the thing that he must have over and over again and will do almost anything to get. All other aspects of the relationships he has with women are simply stumbling blocks, hoops to jump through, in order to secure the final goal. And once this goal is complete, the chase begins again.This all may seem very simple, but a deeper look reveals that there is more complexity at the heart of the book than the descriptions of pornography, mental images, and sexual acts. There is a deliberate stripping down of a character taking place here, and it is done in a way that illustrates the subtle power of the best fiction. We know, for example, that the main character has a job that he must go to. It is never mentioned, except briefly in passing. We know that he had a childhood and parents who are still present in his life. Ditto for them. We know that he has a name. But it is never revealed.In short, by purposefully omitting these important factors that are a part of anyone's life, the book reveals itself to be a story of only one facet of a man's life, not of the man altogether. It is as if a story were to be written from the point of view of greed only, or of jealousy, or of anger, or of fear.By extricating this one important aspect of the typical male thought process, the author allows us to examine it in detail, like a bug beneath a magnifying glass. From the point of view of how men are supposed to feel these days, many people will view it as completely disgusting. However, leaving aside how we should feel and think about the behavior described, and just examining the behavior itself, a startling purity is revealed, as well as a kind of innocence. The main character seems to be willing to allow almost anything to happen to him, as long as sex comes out in the end. In this way he allows himself to be manipulated, and is somehow forever coming out unhappy. This is because other people, or at least the women in the book, are aware of that power, and they use it. He is almost like some kind of simplistic animal, neither good nor bad, but just desiring one thing which everyone is only willing to give to him in exchange for the semblance (not the real thing, mind you) of actually caring about them in some deep emotional way. When you compare the purity and simplicity of the main character's desire with the subterfuge employed by the other characters, it really makes you question who, exactly, is the "better" person. If there is such a thing.Anyone who wants to think about this book seriously would do well to read Tolstoy's "The Kreutzer Sonata." That short story (actually more of a philosophical treatise) describes what, in Tolstoy's view, lies at the heart of so much of the trouble in marriages. In short, Tolstoy describes us as living in a kind of triplicate deception carried out simultaneously by men, by women, and by society as a whole. Until we fully face the differences between men and women, and actually do something about them, Tolstoy seems to say, the two will perpetually be at war. Whether this war is obvious, or being waged beneath the surface, is a question that different ages must answer differently. But "The Average American Male" brings some parts of at least one side of the argument to the forefront, and for that reason it deserves to be read, and discussed, by anyone interested in this issue.

*spoilers*The Average American Male is a funny book through a through, written from the point of view of a man we never learn the name of. Which is kinda the point. He's supposed to be average, anyone, even if he isn't. He's supposed to be something men can recognize to some point; a gamer, a frat guy, someone with an anal fetish, someone who's stuck in a relationship with someone he just doesn't love anymore. Not every man is like this, but it's something that keeps occurring. Just like not every woman is a manipulative bitch who tries to trap their boyfriend by getting knocked up. But it happens. In this case, it happens. Looking through the reviews, I see people might not get the point of this book. Or maybe I'm the one who's interpreting it wrong. What I see is someone who doesn't feel happy in a relationship because the sex isn't good enough and because they want different things. It's perfectly normal to not want to get married or have kids. If you trap a rat and put heat on it, it's going to start digging and crawling to get away. The male character (whom I'm going to call "John" from now on) does somewhat the same. He starts looking around, just like most people do in unhappy relationships. He thinks he finds happiness in a new girl, but like a lot of women, she starts out great (loves sex, doesn’t want marriage/kids, and experiments with anal) and turns for the worse. Basically, she turns into his ex. The Average American Male, for me, shows the hypocrisy and manipulative ways which so often are rooted in women. I'm not saying "John" is without fault. Far from it. He cheats, he tricks, he lies, but we're used to reading that the man is in the wrong. Women love blaming their boyfriends for everything (again, not everyone, but many) when most of the time, they're just as much at fault in their own heartache. Now, I read this when I was 17 (and I'm a girl) and I loved it. It made me laugh so hard people looked at me weird - and I finished it in a day. It just drew me in. I loved reading it from "the other side" of things, but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who can't stomach reading about sex, the annoyance of being cut off from playing Halo, and having your porn systemized so neatly that you can relocate your favorite clips under a minute. I wouldn't call this a literary masterpiece, but it's good. It's well-written and controversial. You get your hopes up and have them torn down - because Kultgen just doesn't do happy ending. "John" is someone you hate and love at the same time. Like when you start liking the bad guy in a TV-show or a movie. You have to like him. When he meets the new girl, you cheer for them to make it. When he breaks up with his ex, you applaud his speech. When he has to drive her and her mother home, you feel the same level of awkwardness as he does. This is nothing short of awesome. Truly. A great laugh on a rainy day.

Outrageously offensive but wonderfully so. Crass, cruel and explicit but with a hilariously crude sense of humor. The book reads like the journal of a sex obsessed boy next door and his brutally honest take-no-prisoners point of view. It’s shallow, satirical fantasy but with an interesting perspective on the way the male mind works. It’s pure filth but highly entertaining. I enjoyed every second of it.. I’m not so sure I care to admit that but I think, perhaps, that might be the whole point.

I like this book and would like to read it aloud to women who spray tan obsessively, watch the view/sunrise, follow sex tips in cosmopolitan and find the show friends funny. The protagonist is likely to be the extremest essence of almost every male I know and love, though with more/less insight into his actions. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. If anything, honesty can be offensive and dangerous in small concise doses, which is what Kultgen delivers.I really like this book and it could only have been improved with pictures.

Um "must read" pra geração Y. Chad Kultgen é o Chuck Palaniuk dos '10. Dos seus 3 livros, este - o primeiro - é o melhor.

Disagreeing with the sentiments of this vile character doesnt mean it isn't an enjoyable read or that it isn't based on truth. One cannot blame the book for something it doesn't claim to be: high literature. As a female, this book makes me sick, but I also wholeheartedly enjoyed it. And as a side note, if you read this book through to the end, you do get the feeling that the character regrets being the way that he is or atleast is frustrated with himself; only, rather than take responsibility, he feels it is a nature he cannot change. There is a truth in that realization that rings true to me.

3 days and 246 pages later. The first book I´ve read of the author, and i got this book after watching the movie: Men, women and children. After a long time, there wasn´t a book that made me feel the need to read it, like this one. First of all, is a really strong and sexual book. Second, you have to keep your mind totally open and try to get in the mood of the book. What is the mood? modern sexism. And something very American. I totally feel like an american, with all the junk food, the malls, and the "hot bitches". Is that enough american?This book is...weird, kind of transgressive, and full of sex. Full of what a man's mind is: SEX, SEX, SEX. And more sex. But this... this thing about only thinking about sex is really our fault? I don´t think so, I think we´re just victims (stupid victims) of our social environment, which over time has been accelerating, creating more stupid men, and more needy women. The characters, are so fucking maddening, every and single one of them, one is totally a dick, other is more stupid, one is the stereotype of the gays, another is the needy girl, another is the hot bitch, they don´t contribute in anything. The real good is what the behind the plot, all the context in what is written on. This book taste likes a mix between less than zero and american psycho, we have the desinterest for life and the sexualism of the other. In the end we got more questions than answers, but i really liked the end, and everything gets open for a sequel. All is cycling.There is nothing else to go on with another of his books. Maybe there will be a formal review.

Okay, so I actually really like this book. If you take it at face value, it’s garbage, one might even go so far as to call it garbaggio. But it’s a straightforward book with a less straight forward meaning. If you’re going to enjoy this, you’re gonna HAVE to like reading unlikable, irredeemable characters. The narrator is trash, trigger warnings on every page. But for some reason I still enjoyed it.

I found this book pretty funny, somewhat enlightening because I’m pretty confident this is actually what guys think about and I’ve definitely learned a couple things, and it was super easy to read. It is not a book for everyone though so if you don’t laugh in the first two or three chapters, just quit and accept that it is not meant for your reading pleasure.

I haven't been so riveted by a book so recently that I finished a book so quickly. It engulfed me. Is a very misogynistic book but it hits it's mark more times then not I love this book and it's feral kernels of truth it goes perfectly with tucker max's "I hope they serve beer in hell" it's a must read for men and if women really want to know what men are liked or think stripped of all the sheen and bullshit they should read this to find out the horrible truth now true not all men are the same it's not fair to lump us all together but all the thoughts you read have crossed most men's minds at least more then once no one is perfect not even you ladies (and if you do think you are perfect you obviously think a little too much of yourself.) but just as films, books and television lump all of you ladies together. it is a fair assessment that men have some of the same characteristics thoughts and desires. These two books should be passed around like a secret for male bonding. Sow e can give each other knowing looks and use certain terms so we know we each read the book or ask which was your favorite story or where are you up to in the book the books really have a certain charm. I may have already said too much. I'm giving the secret away d'oh the first secret of fight club is you don't talk about fight club oh man there I go again. That you feel guilty for enjoying but relish it like it's your id run wild. It lures you sort of like rap music. Sometimes it has the most disturbing graphic lyrics that you listen to. your like oh my god but then you really get into the beat and crave it. Then all of a sudden you accept the song hook, line and sinker. You find yourself singing songs like "pop that pussy" or from "Until the Sweat drips from my balls skeet skeet skeet skeet." And you are singing to the song aloud with no shame because you are just so into it but don't take the lyrics literally. it's like that. Trust me it's such a good read Just as you have chick lit you could call this dude lit. I know you all thought I was going to say dick.

Ini memang buku dewasa. Bukan buku "inspirasi" yang ditulis dengan santun agar banyak orang tergugah dan ramai-ramai menjadi orang baik. Tapi, inilah buku yang jujur. Setidaknya, dengan membaca buku ini, ada hal-hal yang mungkin kita pikirkan tapi tak tega kita keluarkan, mampu ditulis dengan jelas oleh Kultgen.Sebaiknya perempuan tidak membaca buku ini, karena mungkin akan muak dan muntah. Tapi, di akhir cerita kita tahu, penulis bukanlah seorang chauvinis yang ingin merendahkan perempuan. Sebenarnya ini novel tentang cinta. Tapi, jika orang lain menulis apa yang terjadi di luaran--pria yang tersenyum dan membuka pintu, makan malam romantis, panggilan sayang--Kultgen menuliskan apa yang ada di kepalanya. Dengan telanjang. Tentang betapa bosannya dia dengan pasangan, betapa inginnya dia meludahi orang yang baru dia kasih senyum.Pada akhirnya kita sadar, ada banyak kepura-puraan dalam pergaulan kita sehari-hari, disangkal atau diakui. Dan terkadang, kepura-puraan itu penting.

I hate to break it to the girl who was not impressed, but honestly, if you cant see the humor in the book, you are prolly something of the following. Considering that she has met men like this, she could be a casey! Or maybe she doesnt like the facts of life, that men react to what women do, the way they really do act like complete, well, the book shows it pretty well, and just aren't happy with how it shows the average american female?And btw to the guy about american psycho, that is an american psycho book with violence replacing the sex in this book. Plus, if the author of american psycho really cared (even as much as you for some reason do) than im sure we would be reprinting and readvertising his book, so yeah.Onto the book however, excellent book, good and quick read. Really gives a good dosage of humor with a nice touch of bluntness. Overall very good, can't wait to read The Lie.