..because you people wouldn't shut the fuck up about it.
(Jump to below the line to get directly to my thoughts about the book.) Seriously though, I always wanted to read it because if so many people recommend it, there has to be some merit to it. And I kinda like Mark's blog, he seems like a reasonable, respectful guy.
When I first read it, several months ago, I didn't get really far before one line just really rubbed me the wrong way and I had to stop (see below). But back then, almost all seduction advice struck me as extremely disrespectful and "unfeminist". I did go through some personal change over the past year or so, so I figured I might be more ready this time and gave it another try. I think the two biggest hurdles I managed to overcome were:

  • I kinda had to accept that my mom probably isn't the most representative woman. Yea, that "realization" sounds laughable but if you grow up with a woman who has that "women don't need men" attitude, it's very hard to accept that most women might enjoy more dominant partners and suggesting to "lead" her isn't actually disrespectful. Also, now that I pay attention to it, I realize that her dominant attitude is professional and she seems to quite enjoy being more submissive in her romantic relationship with her boyfriend (if he lets her).

  • I started approaching it all with a more neutral mindset. For the longest time, I kinda wanted to find a fault in whatever advice I found, for one reason or another, so I jumped at the slightest negative point I found.

Anyway, enough, rambling, here are my thoughts about the book or at least those I remember from reading it once and then skimming over it again:

  1. The whole "be less invested than her" thing still irks me. If both parties involved followed that advice, it would just be an eternal spiral of caring less about your partner, which doesn’t sound all that loving…

  2. "When you’re willing to cut a woman off and tell her when she’s out of line, when you’re willing to tell a woman what you will and will not tolerate in your life(...)" When I picked up the book a second time, I actually remember that this was the very line that made me turn off my ebook reader the first time around and never continue reading. I mean, what the fuck. The 1950s called, they want their gender relations back.

  3. I actually quite liked the bit on Polarization. It makes sense except for the "but" I’m going to get to later.

  4. She continues: "To be honest, I can’t stand ugly people. Like it seriously hurts my soul to look at ugly people. Like I honestly feel physical pain if I have to look at an ugly person."
    I couldn’t contain it anymore, "You must not own any mirrors then."
    You can break off an interaction with someone without being an asshole.

  5. I think the chapter "Lifestyle Choices And Demographics" sums up the "but" I foreshadowed above. Thinking you can just choose what you want in a woman and not care about the other 99% is all fair and good if you really HAVE a choice. But beggars can’t be choosers.

  6. Another thing I liked was the bit about Vocal Tonality. I meet people every day who have a weak or "fake" voice or use way too many fillers.

  7. “How to Be Fascinating” offers some good advice, people should read more and generally consume “worthwhile” pieces of art. On the other hand, I kinda disagree that you should force yourself to broaden your horizon at any cost. If you dislike a musician or author, don’t force yourself to get to know their work. Life’s too short.

  8. Mark recommends quitting porn (as do many users of this sub) because apparently, it kills your motivation. I quit porn over a year ago. Haven’t fapped to porn a single time in over 400 days. And yes, it has many benefits but increased desire to approach women isn’t a benefit, on the contrary…

  9. "Rejecting people (...) is actually an awkward and uncomfortable situation that nobody enjoys."
    Okay, this one confused me and I was mulling it over constantly for several days. This is one of the top reasons why I’m never approaching anyone: I know they would have little choice but to reject me and I don’t want to force them to do that. And you’re agreeing with me? Even by your own metric, the vast majority of women would reject you. Why would I want to do that then? Why would I want to put women in a situation that they don’t enjoy?
    Also, the whole flavor fluff around this bit is pretty arrogant. Women rooting for you and hoping you’ll be the one? Yea, no. 99% of women don’t give a shit about you.

  10. "Always err on the side of aggression."
    Erm...no. If you’re wondering whether to touch her breasts or...not, it’s probably better to go for the less aggressive version.

  11. One of the big ones: "So as a friend of mine says, "give yourself permission to be creepy." (...) There’s no Creepy Police who come and handcuff you and take you away for creeping on some girls every now and then." Yea, there is no specific "Creepy Police". But there is security personnel at museums or malls or other venues. Or just, you know, the regular police? Being too sexually forward can get you in serious trouble or at least earn you a weekend on the Internet Pillory. That convention guy who asked that women if she’d like to come to his room for coffee in an elevator probably "gave himself permission to be creepy".

  12. "If you haven’t kissed enough girls to know if they’d compliment you, then you’re definitely not good enough." Uhm, okay, thanks? So because I haven’t kissed any girls, I suck at it because I haven’t had any practice but girls are unlikely to let me kiss them (repeatedly) because I suck at it because I haven’t had any practice but girls…

  13. "Just know this: the correct answer to the "no sex" objection is always an affirmative while continuing to escalate physically."
    Uh, no, the correct answer to any negation around sex is always to stop? Otherwise, you’re making a very convincing case for "rape classes".

So yea, those are my initial thoughts. I might read the book a second time because despite my numerous quarrels listed above, I don't think it's that bad. If anyone wants to share their opinion on the book (aside from "it was great, I started drowning in pussy after reading it") or address some of my thoughts, that'd be more than welcome.