He Texted

February 3, 2014
Winning and McDermott, creators of HeTexted.com—where women evaluate “obtuse male texting”—assist readers in navigating romance in the information age with the help of three “Brobassadors” who provide a male perspective. Among the array of topics covered are how to reveal subtext in a Facebook friend request, surprising phrases you should never text a guy, and musings on the disparity between a texted vs. a verbal “I love you.” “The Ultimate Facebook Wall Decoder” provides interpretations for men and women on everything from their user handle to their photos and the qualities we look for on another’s page. One man counters the erroneous thinking behind the “two biggest excuses girls make for bad male behavior” and exposes the truth about what he does with nude pics. The authors also draw from HeTexted users, such as the woman whose ex-boyfriend invited her over at 3 a.m. “just to talk” as well as many user-submitted screenshots. McDermott lampoons emojis, noting how “you can irony a thing to death until it’s reborn to earnestness.” The authors’ and the Brobassadors’ adherence to normative gender roles and double standards is bothersome, but unfortunately that’s still the way of the world.

April 1, 2014

Drawing on real questions and responses from their wildly popular blog HeTexted (hetexted.com), coauthors Winning and Henderson McDermott, with the assistance of a few good men, provide answers to the familiar "what did he mean by that?" The authors provide context and subtext to every sample "conversation" and show if "he's into you" or not. What makes for compelling reading are the comments that show how to distinguish good chemistry from bad, how to judge the length and timing of a text, and what to do about sexting. VERDICT A valuable book for anyone who is currently dating, and a fun, voyeuristic treat for those who aren't.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.