Title: Why Men Love Bitches Author: Sherry Argov Publisher: Adams Media Publish Date: 2004 Pages: 255 Genres:: Self-Help, Gender Studies Reviewer: SexHerald Staff

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Nobody loves a benefactor, especially in romance. Welcome to bitch school. Here’s your textbook.

Sherry Argov’s definition of the word “bitch” is not that of the catty, malicious woman who’s happiest when she hurts others. Rather, when Argov says “bitch,” she means: an independent, confident, feminine woman who will not tolerate disrespectful treatment from a man. In her words, she is the “new and improved bitch.” She is a strong person with an equally strong backbone.

A companion guide for women whose “niceness” is often to their detriment, Why Men Love Bitches is a very funny, highly entertaining book that doles out a hefty dollop of common sense and emotional street smarts. Argov’s mission is to reform “Nice girls” and transform them into “Dreamgirls,” aka Bitches.

There is no shortage of how-to-catch-a-man manuals out there, and the advice in them is nothing new. But Argov’s wit, warmth, and spin on this subject are distinctive and cannot be ignored. In her “100 Principles of Attraction,” she emphasizes that the seductive power of dignity and stating your needs will trump looks, money, and sex time and time again.

She illustrates her point hilariously when giving her tips on the nice girl’s guide to faking an orgasm: “Arch your back at a 45 degree angle and pant like a dog.” She continues with the instructions to “Mix it up. This means sometimes you’ll want to slap the pillow then scream, other times you want to scream first, then slap the pillow. Men love variety.”

Ultimately, this book is as much about how a woman can become her most fulfilled self as it is about how she can find a love partner who adores her. While some of Argov’s “act like a prize and you’ll turn him into a believer” tactics might chafe with some women, Argov argues that presenting yourself as a challenge and a prize to be won actually gives you power and your pursuer the pleasure of the chase. “Please yourself,” she says, and “you’ll please him.”

Why Men Love Bitches challenges women who feel they’ve been walked on to step up, and go toe to toe with a love prospect as an equal. It is Argov’s plea to the “nice girls” of the world: Either draw a line in the sand, or risk getting crushed like a shell.