‘Modern Romance’ by Aziz Ansari: Book review

Did you read ‘Modern Romance’ by Aziz Ansari? If not, then you should. Here is my review of this amazing book.

My expectations about the book

When I picked up the book ‘Modern Romance’  by the famous stand up comedian ‘Aziz Ansari’ I thought it would be a compilation of hilarious stories on romance . I watched Aziz’s Netflix comedy series ‘Master of None’ and I expected that this book will be similar to that series. (Comedy fiction).  I am glad that I am wrong.

What exactly the book was

This book is the result of a massive research that Aziz conducted along with NYU sociologist Eric Klinenberg. It’s a nonfiction book containing in depth analysis of the relationships of the past generations and the present. As the author aptly states in this book, a few decades ago, finding a soul mate was about finding a ‘good enough’ person , but now,in this generation, ‘good enough’ person  is not good enough. Everyone is searching for a  perfect life partner.

The book covers a range of topics starting from ‘Searching a soul mate’, to ‘online dating ‘ to ‘sexting,cheating’, to ‘settling down’. Aziz Ansari presented the results of his research, added  his humorous analysis about the findings and provided some suggestions at each stage of the relationship.

If you want to cheat yourself  by skipping all the chapters, then just read the conclusion chapter.It provides a recap of the previous chapters.  The fact that Aziz himself got into a long term relationship adds credibility to his suggestions.

Key suggestions mentioned in this book:

1. Finding your life partner is complicated and stressful than it was for previous generations but you are more likely to end up  with a perfect person after all that process.
2. Technology is playing a crucial role in relationships. Use it with caution.
3. Don’t think of online dating as dating – think of it as online introduction service. After that,meet the person in real life rather than just chatting online.
4. Treat potential partners like actual people, not like bubbles on a screen.
5. With so many romantic options available, instead of trying to explore them all ,make sure you properly invest in people and give them a fair chance before moving on to the next one.

My take on the book:

It is an interesting non fiction humorous book. Everyone of us can relate to at least one of the situations presented in this book. If you are  single, then you will have a lot of take away points from this book. If you are already in a happy relationship, then this book will reinforce how lucky you are to find a wonderful life partner.

Do read it. Add it to your good reads reading challenge 🙂 If the above review doesn’t entice you , then the fact that the book topped the ‘Nonfiction’ genre of ‘Goodreads Choice awards 2015’ should do 🙂

If you already read this book, what are your thoughts? Do let me know.