GJ Reviews: "How to Piss Off Men: 106 Things to Say to Shatter the Male Ego" by Kyle Prue

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for giving me a copy of the audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

So this isn't my encounter with Kyle Prue. Wait, that sounds creepy. Let's try that again. I'm a fan of Prue's work on Tiktok (I refuse to say "content"). My sister sent me a few of his videos when he got big and he always gets a chuckle and "Oh, that's so mean!" from me. Books, however as a different beast than videos and I was curious about how his video style would translate to written form.

Synopsis Origin Story: A friend asked Kyle for advice about a unique situation. She hated her best friend's partner and asked for a few things to say to the guy. Nothing outright cruel, that's too easy. No, something that still gently wears away at his psyche long after she's gone. Kyle gave her suggestions and eventually went on Tiktok to share other brutal things to say to men. Millions of views and a quite a few death threats later and here we are! A whole book with an audiobook read by the manical menace himself. 

Review: So the that made me request the audiobook was that Kyle was narrating the book himself. I'm not sure how many of you have seen his videos but he has such a unique voice and cadence that I doubt the audiobook would have worked as well.

In the prologue, Prue reminds the audience that he is a straight white male and thus can say some of these scathing statements with more protection than folks from other communities. Throughout the book, Prue would make a statement and follow it with the reminder of "I'm a straight white man, I cannot advise you to use this at your own risk," It has a strange mix of humor and genuine worry that I appreciate.

I really had fun with this book. With books like this, it can gradually lose its initial charm and just feel like a list. With this though, Prue sprinkles in personal anecdotes and observations he's made over the years. It helps shift the tone of the book from surface level humor book to an interesting look on humanity. And yes, I mean humanity. I'm a cis woman and there were a few quips were I felt like I caught a stray. Prue also shares which  comments that was used against him to brutal effect. 

In the book, Prue discusses the fine balance he uses when he crafts a new weapon-, I mean statement to say to a man. He explains that he doesn't want to use a blank insult as it makes the audience defensive and shut down. No, his goal is to make the target rethink the encounter, maybe even his own life with a seemingly well meant remark. That takes finesse, years of observation and creativity that many aren't willing to use and that I, an incredibly petty person and a writer, appreciate. I can feel myself start to see the special code Prue uses and nearly used my new skills on an unsuspecting target. Turns out Prue is also good at teaching! 

Prue makes a point to state that contrary to rumors, he doesn't hate men. In fact, he asked the men who feel outrage at the book and the videos to examine themselves. Prue even goes on to call the patriarchy a box that imprisons the men it claims to protect. In this, he details his own experience with outrage and it's honestly touching and gives me hope.

As a special perk, there's an audiobook exclusive of Kyle and his mother, Kelly Prue talking about the book and giving some advice to some fans. It's delightful and made me laugh.

Overall, I rate this book 5 stars. I will absolutely be listening to this again in the future and recommend it to my snarkiest friends.