The Struggle is REAL - The Social Injustice of Being Single by Kate Bolick

The struggle is REAL people!! Forget the strike of blacks in Ferguson. Forget cake baking and religious freedoms. Forget that gay people are fighting for the right to marry.  Forget the gays that ISIS has thrown off buildings - forget the women being stoned to death by Muslims for 'adultery' because  Kate Bolick (who grew up vacationing on islands with CLAY tennis courts people!) has written about the REAL STRUGGLE today - the struggle to remain single in a world in which science (because SCIENCE) and sociology and tradition suggest men and women marry. So glad she brought this awareness to this extremely rampant social injustice: Spinsterhood.

From my Amazon Review:
If you grew up in a privileged elitist household where a routine summer vacation involved vacationing on islands off the North East coast - while your parents played tennis all day on clay courts - perhaps you will enjoy this.
This book is one big contradiction and a thinly veiled attempt by author Bolick to prove herself a far superior being than the average intellectual. Bolick opens the book by explaining that she was quite popular in highschool. Then when to college and that's when she was taken down a peg and lost her Queen Bee status - this feels like quite the stab at regaining that hold - unfortunately she does it by throwing old bosses and old boyfriends gleefully under the gold plated tires of her father's Bentley.
Bolick says EVERY woman is obsessed with "who to marry" and it starts when they are young children. Maybe in the crowd she grew up in, but my friends and I were "obsessed" with what our career path would be.
Bolick contradicts herself in almost every chapter - she seems to say she was raised to believe women could become anything and that we are strong and intelligent, yetttttt - she is not strong enough, perhaps more importantly, not courageous enough to stand up for "single-hood" and spends her time researching women who either said no to marriage or regretted marriage. Bolick is seeking validation - which ultimately undermines her narrative.
Though she states she worked 4 jobs at once, she also made several references to the fact her father has financed her whole life and will continue to do so - most women do not have such luxury of "finding themselves" leisurely knowing they have a huge net to catch them at anytime. And what, pray-tell, is Independent or Brave about that? I have a strong feeling that her four jobs at once story was more along the lines of Brian Williams.
Also - for someone who seems to be promoting the power of women, she had terse words to say regarding women she worked with in the publishing industry, as well as girlfriends of her ex's - no matter how hard she tries to hide it, it's obvious she is quite envious and/or resentful and this also undermines her "WOMEN ARE AWESOME" theory - because the only women who are awesome seem to be the ones she feels superior to.
She only dates men who come by wealth by way of family heritage, which gives the men she dates time to ready and write poetry, paint, discover themselves. It's quite hysterical and perhaps this is why she has so much trouble with men; she can't find any real men who understand that workboots aren't a fashion statement.
The end of the book is probably the most intellectually handicapped: Bolick tells us all about a pilgramge (she literally uses that word) to an island to "rough it" for TWO hours with her current elite boyfriend, (even though she doesn't NEED one) and her rich (but tres bohemian girlfriend) then ferry back to rich boyfriends island home (owned by his parents, of course) where they will eat lobster drenched in melted butter and share several bottles of wine - sitting on the porch and talking into the night.
If I rated a book based on pretentiousness - this would be 10 stars.

Rolling Stones Pedophile Problem - Sabrina Erdely

From The Daily Mail:

"Sabrina Erdely - employed writer at Rolling Stone Magazine says she isn't going anywhere despite the news that the UVA Rape Story was completely fabricated.
Erdely states her job is secure  because she hasdirt on founder Jann Wenner and his son Gus Wenner.  She has threatened to spill Jann Wenner's secrets to exwife Jane, which will cost Jann Wenner even more money but more importantly, might cost his children to choose their mother over Jann, and Jann suffers from extreme self adulation; it would crush him.

Erdely also confided to several close friends that many employees of Rolling Stone have carte blanche to do what they want because they have evidence connecting  Jann Wenner to the movie/documentary "An Open Secret" about the pedophile problem in Hollywood (which is why wife Jane left Jann who then took a gay lover).  It's not only a problem (using clout to lure teenage boys to bed)  in Hollywood, it's a problem throughout the entertainment industry. Rolling Stone knew going in that UVA story was false but even if it came out, it would take focus off the story that has been brewing about Jann Wenner's association and participation in these parties.

Erdely approached Wenner about doing a story Iasha Rivers, former volunteer for Al Sharpton's  National Action Network and Macy executive . Ms. Rivers is an stunningly beautiful young African American woman who accused Civil Rights attorney Sanford Rubenstein (a white man in his 70's and attorney for Eric Garner's family at time of accusation) of raping her following Al Sharpton's 70th birthday party.

Wenner is said to have laughed (though it's not clear if it was Jann or his son Gus who is said to be running things (into the ground) and admonished Erdely, "You don't bite the hand that feeds you." And stated that if she continued to pursue the Rivers article, she'd be ostracized."

My observation: it's ironic that the Left still continue to rally around Sabrina Erdely, however, she was warned that if she defends a black female by going after a white civil liberties lawyer - she will be vilified by the left.

Here's another recent article in the New York Post about Sanford Rubenstein and his 21 year old black girlfriend who states he wanted to see her raped by a gang of men. Wow.

A Liberal Wonders Why There Is No Mystery In Sex

Amore: An American Father's Roman Holiday by Roger Friedland.  This is a difficult book to review. I appreciated the scenery and experience that Friedland and his family had in Italy. Though at times, Friedland was heavy handed with description which bogged it down at almost 400 pages. I feel like

this book could have been a better read had it been cut by at least 100 pages.
I, too, share Friedland's concern when I turn on the TV, watch movies, listen to FM stations during school mornings and am constantly barraged by sexual jokes, innuendos, etc. I kept reading and reading hoping to discover where it had all gone wrong in America and what the "big" difference is when compared to Rome, Italy.
So, while I was compelled to keep reading (and found the characters of Rome quirky and interesting) - I was highly disappointed with Friedland's ironic reasoning.
He blames the lack of family values and the barrage of sex on feminism - yet he also blasts religion, George Bush while praising Democrats (his mother is a card carrying Communist) and Obama.
He praises Obama as a leader that the youth are longing for and looking to for guidance. I cant...even...while reading this book, reporter James Foley had just been beheaded by ISIS. Obama was on a 2 week vacation and took time out to do a five minute press conference then literally was on a golf course fist bumping his golf buddies less than 6 minutes after the speech - all while the Foley family were tearfully, tragically, giving a press conference regarding the brutal murder of their son. Obama jetted off to Las Vegas the day after 4 American's were slain in Benghazi. Obama spends more time appearing on talk shows and entertaining celebrities in the White House than he does actually leading. A leader? Hardly.
It is not feminism that has caused a moral decay in this country.
Let's start with the unraveling of families in the black community. This started with Lyndon B Johnson's plan to give welfare to poor - IF the father is the family was not present. The black family before the 60's was strong both in faith and in each other. Today, over 70% of black children are raised by single mothers.
I great up at the hand of a liberal mother. I can't begin to tell you the confusion and sense of entitlement it had on me. I grew up thinking that sex was a "right" and not an honor to be shared with someone very significant.
Though feminism is an important part of our history, it has been hijacked by politics and the entertainment industry. Who runs Hollywood? The left. Even "Glee" a "family" show promoted affairs (married teachers cheating - hey, it's okay!). And Grey's Anatomy is should be called Sex With Everyone Hospital.
In Rome - Friedland states that "Character is Fate" - that criminals aren't tolerated (rape is virtually non-existent compared to USA stats). In America, we not only lack Character, we have a political party that consistently cheats on their wives (Edwards, Wiener, Clinton, Spitzer, Kennedy) yet, this same political party screeches that women are powerful and men should respect them (but rarely do Democrat men walk their talk! Obama pays women 18% less than men, and of the 200+ times he's golfed (so far) how many have been with women? ONCE.)
Democrats advocate for criminals. They do not hold criminals accountable - and instead seek to lay blame on a "broken system" of some sort which they can fix if you donate!
Friedland states in America, men have to "depend on wives" and are isolated from men, which creates resentment. I highly agree. But look at who created that culture: Democrats.
Let men have their own golf courses! I thought it was a sad day indeed when Augusta accepted women. Is nothing sacred?
I loved going to bridal showers and baby showers where I could bond with women and gossip about men and talk about fashion and just be myself. Now, I dread (and often skip) the parties if they are "co-ed" - please. Now I have to be on my best behavior and frankly, it sucks.
on page 308 (galley copy) - Friedland states that Religion seeks to control lovemaking because it is the way to control the lives of others. Huh. Well, you could easily switch out the word "religion" to "Democrats" and point to abortion (anything that stops something from living is murder. That is a fact.) You could point out the hysteria over Sandra Fluke - who was smart enough to attend Georgetown University, but apparently, not smart enough to be able to figure out how to afford a pack of condoms at 1.99.
There is an incident where Hannah (his daughter) flips out because she is expected to cheat by her classmates. In Rome, cheating is the equivalent of socialism. Students believe the smart should share the answers with those who didn't study or aren't as gifted. Hannah flips out and believes "Reward is proportional to effort."
HAHAHA. How ironic. This made me furious! Because YES, reward is PROPORTIONAL to effort. At one time, it was the AMERICAN WAY until it was hijacked by the Democrats who preach "fair share!" Was not long ago that Michelle Obama called for American's to sacrifice. Huh. Well, I would think that the Obama's would somehow practice what they preach and not jet off to ski vacations, million dollars lavish vacations abroad, etc, when they (the Obama's) - urge Americans to sacrifice.
And yet, Friedland wonders why America is doomed?
It is Friedland and his political beliefs that have doomed our children. What he worries about, what he observes, are spot on. That he can't figure out how it happened and blames the far right and (ironically) feminism, is actually quite scary.
Excellent reads for Friedland (or anyone wondering where the decay of our youth took place) might want to read: Andrew Brietbart: Righteous Indignation, Blacklash by Deneen Borelli, or any book by Ben Carson.
David Mamet's book on how he woke up from his liberal nightmare is also a really fascinating and smart read: The Secret Knowledge: On the Dismantling of America.
I could go on and on and about my observances and disagreements to the points Friedland makes, but honestly, if his immersion in Rome didn't wake his mind to the importance of family, character, respect, values, morals, faith, and to realize that all those things are the very things Democrats sneer at and replace with self gratification at all cost, dependency on government not family and community, then I doubt a passionate review would make any sort of sense to him.
Well, when I began this review, I was unsure how many stars to rate this but now I can confidently give it 1...it was too long, it was an entertaining look at Italy, but nothing I haven't read (Frances Mayes and assorted other writers,  and the new fiction book Abroad by Katie Crouch - set in Italy based on Amanda Knox story, brilliant!) and had I journeyed many days with Friedland reading an overly long book only to discover his reasoning for the decay of love in the USA was frankly, illogical and ridiculous, was not worth the time I invested.
However, the one silver lining was this quote that I love, "Without stories you exist...but it is not life." And that was from a woman in Rome. Beautiful.