One of the 33 books you need to read before the age of 30.” — The Independent
“One of the 9 books that defined 2015.” — Tech Insider
“A brutally honest and emotionally exhaustive account of his search for sexual freedom. . . . Yes, there are orgies and swinger parties, but there are also far more intense discussions about the meaning of intimacy and the underlying causes of sexual behavior.” — Booklist
“[Strauss] charms us with confessions of his screwed-up childhood and the many idiotic beliefs and mistakes that have plagued him, then upsells us on the notion that we can be masters of the universe-and he can teach us how. Color me seduced.” — Laura Miller, Slate
“The guy who wrote The Game and lived The Game searches for love and learns that it’s way, way harder. And funnier.” — Joel Stein, Time magazine
“The Truth is fantastic...In the course of exorcising his pickup artist demons, Strauss learns and exposes the barriers to intimacy that so many of us are carrying around. If you’ve struggled with monogamy, or loved someone who has, this book is revelatory.” — Chicago Tribune
“The epiphanies revealed are simultaneously incredibly obvious and richly profound... I want you to read this book. I want your partners to read this book. More than that, I want you to think critically about what it says about you and the world around you and your romantic relationships.” — Grantland
One of the 9 books that defined 2015.
The Truth is fantastic...In the course of exorcising his pickup artist demons, Strauss learns and exposes the barriers to intimacy that so many of us are carrying around. If you’ve struggled with monogamy, or loved someone who has, this book is revelatory.
One of the 33 books you need to read before the age of 30.
The guy who wrote The Game and lived The Game searches for love and learns that it’s way, way harder. And funnier.
A brutally honest and emotionally exhaustive account of his search for sexual freedom. . . . Yes, there are orgies and swinger parties, but there are also far more intense discussions about the meaning of intimacy and the underlying causes of sexual behavior.
[Strauss] charms us with confessions of his screwed-up childhood and the many idiotic beliefs and mistakes that have plagued him, then upsells us on the notion that we can be masters of the universe-and he can teach us how. Color me seduced.
The epiphanies revealed are simultaneously incredibly obvious and richly profound... I want you to read this book. I want your partners to read this book. More than that, I want you to think critically about what it says about you and the world around you and your romantic relationships.
A brutally honest and emotionally exhaustive account of his search for sexual freedom. . . . Yes, there are orgies and swinger parties, but there are also far more intense discussions about the meaning of intimacy and the underlying causes of sexual behavior.
The Truth is fantastic...In the course of exorcising his pickup artist demons, Strauss learns and exposes the barriers to intimacy that so many of us are carrying around. If you’ve struggled with monogamy, or loved someone who has, this book is revelatory.
2015-08-03
Rolling Stone scribe and infamous Lothario Strauss (Everyone Loves You When You're Dead: Journeys into Fame and Madness, 2011, etc.) chronicles a lascivious seesaw battle between monogamy and debauchery. For years, sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll seemed to be the author's mantra, even his very reason for being. The Game, Strauss' notorious 2005 book about the art of seducing beautiful women, helped to catapult the journalist to the heights of literary fortune and fame. But after traveling the globe partying with rock stars and fashionistas in a nonstop thrill ride of overindulgence, Strauss met Ingrid, a woman so wonderful in his eyes that he determined to bury his libertine ways forever and dedicate himself to her exclusively. Of course, he immediately screwed up, reverted to his hound-dog ways and discovered that the only possible way of salvaging Ingrid's affections was to check into a high-priced rehab clinic for sex addicts. Strauss' dark humor and intelligence illuminate his (seemingly useless) initial efforts to get with the program, and the encounters with tightly wound psychologists and hapless addicts like himself are both entertaining and thought-provoking. Unable, or unwilling, to accept monogamy, Strauss again reversed course, ditched therapy, and rededicated himself to the pursuit of a polyamorous lifestyle. What follows is an oddly tedious odyssey of orgiastic excess that appears doomed to everyone except Strauss himself. Still, the edgy author's relentless introspection and willingness to openly navigate the landscape of his sex-soaked psyche are compelling, if often frustrating for readers. "It's a lot to take in and I struggle to understand it all. Then I decide I don't need to understand it," he writes. "I just need to do it." Music impresario Rick Rubin serves as Strauss' guiding light, intermittently popping in and out with sage advice. Some readers may have no sympathy for the author, but he delivers an emotionally charged, provocative memoir of a man learning to confront his sexual demons.
