To Snark or not to Snark... Book Review

Science… for Her! By Megan Amram

--Spoiler Alert—

I didn't like this book.

Now that that’s out of the way, I can tell you why.

Normally, I like satire and sarcasm and snarky comments.  There is an element of danger when putting it in writing, however, because snark doesn't always transfer from speech to text.  This book is an excellent example of how the intelligence and humor from sarcasm can backfire and make the author appear unintelligent, crass, and downright disgusting.

Laid out in a interesting hybrid of science textbook and glossy Cosmo magazine, Science… for Her! starts out visually interesting but the experience goes rapidly downhill from there.  I think part of the problem is that it appears to be one of the current crop of science and math books that presents dry material in fresh, colorful ways to entice potential learners who are anesthetized by the intense graphics of video games and television.  But, as our cataloger will tell you, nowhere in any of the subject tracings (different choices of things that the book is about to help us decide where to put it on the shelf) is there anything relating to science.  This “science” book is filed solely under humor.  But even that is debatable.

I've heard several different sides in the male/female debate about empowerment, male dominant cultures, male bashing, feminism… the list goes on.  But I contend that it doesn't matter your gender or orientation, crude is crude and disgusting has its limits.  There is a point at which humor is lost and it seems as though an author is racing to reach the limits of decency—this one won that race. Whether insulting religion, politics, personal preferences, or just talking about sex, Sex, or SEX, Amram shoots past humorously insulting and aims straight for offensive and disgusting, losing any credibility or reputation for intelligence in the process. 

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