I definitely had some preconceived notions about the pickup artist community before reading this book, but it's hard to justify judging something without trying to understand it first.

The pickup artist community is its own subculture. They have their own forums, their own vocabulary. They've fine-tuned their interactions with women to determine the quickest way to develop interest and then 'close'. And then they pass on this knowledge through sessions where they charge thousands of dollars. Some students want to be a part of the movement so much that they drop out of school or quit their jobs.

I think this idea is comparable to the desire to make money. There are many different ways to do it, and those that have found a solution whether through trial and error or some other means can charge for passing that information on. Money in exchange for value. Similarly, men that have trouble attracting women will seek ways to change that fact, including paying for such guidance.

I don't see anything fundamentally wrong with this. It is simply another way to improve oneself. However, I do think that such knowledge can be used for good or bad. Good in this case being to attract women to find the one you love; bad being to attract women simply to have sex. To return to the comparison with making money, it may be likely that someone can succeed (making lots of money, attracting lots of different, beautiful women) but without a more worthwhile motivation, they will utlimately feel unfulfilled.

The book goes into specific methods that pickup artists use, but more importantly, also includes an underlying message that the game is not the 'be all and end all'. When the lines and gimmicks run their course, there actually needs to be some substance behind the person, something that is often lacking in those that devote their entire lives to pickup.

There were a couple of lines in the book that particuarly stood out to me:
"If there was anything I'd learned, it's that the man never chooses the woman. All he can do is give her an opportunity to choose him."

Recommended: Yes



P.S. On another note, this is the fourth book I've read this year - one goal for 2009 accomplished.