And you thought your breakup was bad…
The cynically entertaining Things I’ve Learned From Women Who’ve Dumped Me is nothing like your momma’s Chicken Soup books
By Carlye Wisel
Published: February 1st, 2008 | 6:59pm
For a man who has practically been in charge of modern-day comedic entertainment, it’s surprising that Ben Karlin, former executive producer of both The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report — the latter which he additionally co-created — provides the most serious, moving quote throughout the book he edited.
In regards to an ex-girlfriend, he remarks, “The whole time, one question slowly built in my mind: What if this is the person I never run out of falling in love with?”
It seems as though each of the 34 contributors to Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me — all male, with the exception of Barbara Karlin, the precious, inferably Jewish mother of Ben who authored the foreword — found a definitive answer to the aforementioned question throughout the book’s comical vignettes.
For some, it provided an opportunity to reflect on old feelings with a former flame. Will Forte’s main squeeze was swooped up by a motorcycle-riding study partner who was “just a friend,” David Wain’s encounter was (typically) awkward and slightly bizarre, and Eric Slovin’s disappointment came when his wealthy and classy secret admirer tuned out to be all that, and old enough to be his grandmother.
Among the hilariously honest stories, Dan Savage provides one of the best, if solely for its vaginal imagery: “It felt like I’d slipped my hand into a large, lukewarm piece of lasagna that had been stood on its side. Only this lasagna had a pulse. And hair, this lasagna was covered in hair.” The unsurprising title of his contribution? “I Am a Gay Man.”
The contributors reflect on encounters that are sometimes laughably unforgettable, while still discussing those that are painfully inescapable. But, although some vignettes hit a serious note, they still allude to breakup pain with an easily relatable, congenial humor that keeps the tone of the book fluid throughout. Instead of a sappy recollection of lost loves and rejection, Things I’ve Learned From Women Who’ve Dumped Me provides enough variety and substantiality to keep heartbreak humorous.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me (Grand Central Publishing)
Edited by Ben Karlin
240 pages
List Price: $23.99
Issue #35
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