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    The Average American Male: A Novel
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    The Average American Male: A Novel
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    The Average American Male: A Novel
    Ebook292 pages3 hours

    The Average American Male: A Novel

    By Chad Kultgen

    3/5

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    About this ebook

    “I can’t figure out if this book is a heart-felt dispatch from the front line in the battle of the sexes or a brilliant send-up of the way in which the male point of view has been misrepresented by militant feminists. I suspect it may be both.” --Toby Young, New York Times bestselling author of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People

    An offensive, in-your-face, brutally honest and completely hilarious look at male inner life and sexual fantasy. In the course of this hilariously honest book, our narrator suffers through a relationship with his wannabe-actress girlfriend until he finds the perfect girl. But when he moves into the new relationship, he slowly realizes he thinks that all women are pretty much the same, that his true desires will never be fulfilled, and the decision between living life alone or biting the marriage bullet must be made.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 13, 2009
    ISBN9780061738432
    Author

    Chad Kultgen

    Chad Kultgen is a bestselling author, journalist, screenwriter, and podcast host. His novels include The Lie; The Average American Male; Strange Animals; The Average American Marriage; and Men, Women, and Children. He is also the creator of the NBC series Bad Judge. Follow him on Twitter @ChadKultgen.

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    Reviews for The Average American Male

    3/5

    167 ratings11 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Kultgen's writing style blew my mind. It's so straight-forward and plain, but it worked perfectly with the plotline and really stood out as unique. The book is exactly what the title presents - an average man, his thoughts and daily actions. There were many funny parts that made me actually laugh out loud. I always love a book that doesn't have a happy ending, and this one definitely didn't because it was very realistic. The ending made me a little depressed, but the whole book was so honest that any other ending would have been a cop-out.
    • 3/5
      The Average American Male by Chad Kultgen is plastered with quotes of the "AN appalling book we couldn't put down - Penthouse" over its cover, and informs me that it "sparked a Youtube frenzy". I confess that until I saw it in the shop, I was unaware of this frenzy, but maybe I'm living in the wrong part of the Net. Anyway, an unnamed average American male narrator in his late twenties takes us through his life, which consists of shagging, thinking about shagging, playing video games, and trying to avoid getting married to his girlfriend. The author sets out to shock and starts strongly, but never quite follows through on it. Its message is minimal (sex good, relationships bad says average bloke), the style is weak, and the overall impression is of a juvenile attempt to mimic Bret Easton Ellis. Not worth your time, no matter what Youtube says.
    • 4/5
      I liked this book. It was my first read ever of this nature and it drew me in. The honesty about sexual behavior was so funny and the gay friend Carlos, made me laugh, it surprised me that a straight man knew this guy, overall good read.
    • 3/5
      A blurb on the back cover suggests that this book is either an honest report from the front lines of the battle of the sexes or a send up of the view militant feminists have of men. I would take a slightly altered view -- I believe it is a satire of chic lit (but for men). It has all the ingredients -- sex, relationships, emotional trauma, marriage, romantic misunderstandings. The only thing it lacks is shopping for shoes and a job in the big city.

      My biggest complaint with the book is the lack of definition given to the main character. He's clearly got a one track mind, but ultimately there's little to suggest why two women would stay in a relationship with him for more than a day. He's not particularly funny, kind, or smart. Or, if he is, the author never shows us this. (To be fair, he's funny in a sick way, but his humor is only for the reader. only 1 or 2 lines manage to amuse his friends and girlfriends, that I can recall).

      Ultimately, I think the book works and while I'm not the average American male (who apparently masturbates so much that he probably is constantly dehydrated and tired) I can definitely see some truth in the harsh realities of the character's situation. I suspect this book will be taken too literally by men who will champion it as a defense of their chauvinism, much like Tyler Durden of Fight Club is often seen as the liberating hero of Chuck Palahniuk's own dark comedy. In the end, I wonder if the author really means for this to be satire or if he really thinks of women this way. I doubt he's this sad and shallow, but I anxiously await his followup to see if he has something new to say, hopefully with a bit more depth.
    • 4/5
      I found this book to be pretty hilarious... and I'm female. Maybe that's entirely why I found it so funny. I would describe this book as taking the average male's crude thoughts and cranking up the volume.
    • 3/5
      Super entertaining. Graphic, but entertaining.
    • 5/5
      If you didn't enjoy The Average American Male, then the book quite simply wasn't aimed at you. Kultgen delivers a funny parody of the so-called "Average American Male"; a nameless protagonist who's every action is driven by sex.The book is funny as hell, but not everyone will get or enjoy the raunchy humor. It's certainly not for everybody, but if you think that it might be for you, don't hesitate. Buy this book now!
    • 2/5
      A young american man gives us a few weeks of his life as he gets engaged against his will, breaks up with his girlfriend, finds another, and gets engaged again. Through it all he's blunt about how often he thinks about sex and how little he thinks about other people's interests.This books feels like it's sort of trying to be American Psycho. It has strong language and a character meant to shock and possibly horrify. It's not super horrifying, though. He might be a sociopath but he's an average one. As the story goes on there are moments that suggest the author intends deeper meaning to the story, but not a lot deeper. It's compelling like a train wreck--a train wreck with a lot of masturbation and swearing. A very quick read.I can't honestly say whether I enjoyed it or not. This is a book I read.
    • 3/5
      I thought thisa book was funny in a very depressing way. I like the format of short stories telling a persons' life. Im not sure how much this is a representation of all males.none the less, it is super funny!Def worth the read
    • 5/5
      I read this once in my early twenties and decided to do a reread to see if I still liked it. I actually loved it. There's definitely a nostalgia factor to this. Our protagonist, the Average American Male (AAM), is constantly spending time in shopping centers, shopping in and eating at places that barely exist anymore. And he also talks in a way that you don't often hear anymore since the proliferation of social media has made people more PC and self aware. But it's also just a funny, sort of nihilist book that says a lot in a very quick and minimalist writing style.Part of the fun of this book is deciding for yourself if Kultgen's version of The Average American Male is accurate. His AAM is a misogynist. He is a little bit racist, homophobic, and ableist. And given how our recent elections have gone, I'd argue that Kultgen is pretty spot on. There is a sort of oversimplification and exaggeration to it that keeps the book entertaining, but there is truth in his depiction. And Kultgen isn't just piling on and shitting on the AAM. The misogynist falls in love with women. The homophobe has a gay friend. The racist is attracted to Asian women. And the ableist finds joy in people with disabilities. It's totally fucked up in a lot of cases, but he's mostly harmless in his daily interactions and he does have true, genuine feelings for people. He is not a sociopath, he is an AAM. Also, it's definitely debatable, but I think Kultgen's actual portrayal of women, gay men, Asian women, and people with Down Syndrome ran contrary to stereotypes several times in this book. While we only see these people through AAM's very shallow eyes, it was easy to imagine them as unique individuals.I've definitely met AAMs before, but I was also super interested in the women in this story and the book's general commentary on marriage. Average is also a synonym for "mediocre." And a big theme in this book is about settling. There are definitely women who care more about getting married than who they're actually getting married to. I've met women who have set deadlines for marriage and met them! The women AAM dated were sort of aimless in their careers, raised by parents who were pressuring them to marry, and clearly settling for an AAM who was giving them almost nothing in terms true love and devotion. Society had set them up to desire marriage above all else and they scheme to get it, to comedic outcomes. In a sort of nihilist fashion, AAM declares that every woman he dates will be the same so he should give up on shopping for an ideal partner. Of course, he never looks inward. He never asks himself why he only seems to be attracted to younger women without real careers or how his constant lying and inattention leave him not understanding the changing desires of his partners. The AAM is just so average, so basic, so mediocre...I love it.
    • 1/5
      if i couldve gave half a star i wouldve or maybe none. a few paragraphs in i was done.i know sometimes offensive can be funny but throwing around c*nt as he describes what he deems a gross woman just made me quit reading
      its like when someone insults another person n says "i was joking"yet its not even funny nor quirky or cute for someome to be rude or judgemental simply bc they lack seld esteem n social skills to carry on an actual conversation. i spent more time writing this comment than reading this book.***cara