![Amazon prime logo](https://cdn.statically.io/img/m.media-amazon.com/images/G/01/marketing/prime/new_prime_logo_RGB_blue._CB426090081_.png)
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Amazon Prime includes:
Fast, FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button.
Amazon Prime members enjoy:- Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
- Unlimited Free Two-Day Delivery
- Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
- A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
- Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
- Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access
Important: Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.
Buy new:
-57% $12.16$12.16
Ships from: Amazon Sold by: Prime Deals, USA
Save with Used - Acceptable
$7.21$7.21
Ships from: Amazon Sold by: -OnTimeBooks-
Learn more
1.27 mi | ASHBURN 20147
![Kindle app logo image](https://cdn.statically.io/img/m.media-amazon.com/images/G/01/kindle/app/kindle-app-logo._CB668847749_.png)
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Follow the author
OK
What Do We Need Men For?: A Modest Proposal Hardcover – July 2, 2019
Purchase options and add-ons
A The Washington Post 50 notable works of nonfiction in 2019
"A work of comic genius." ―Mary Norris, The New Yorker
“Darkly humorous and deadly serious.” –Sibbie O'Sullivan, Washington Post
“A compulsively interesting feminist memoir.” –Virginia Heffernan, Slate
"Somehow hilarious, in the way that only E. Jean could have written it" –Leigh Haber, Oprah Magazine
America's longest running advice columnist goes on the road to speak to women about hideous men and whether we need them.
When E. Jean Carroll―possibly the liveliest woman in the world and author of the “Ask E. Jean” advice column in Elle Magazine, realized that her eight million readers and question-writers all seemed to have one thing in common―problems caused by men―she hit the road. Crisscrossing the country with her blue-haired poodle, Lewis Carroll, E. Jean stopped in every town named after a woman between Eden, Vermont and Tallulah, Louisiana to ask women the crucial question: What Do We Need Men For?
E. Jean gave her rollicking road trip a sly, stylish turn when she deepened the story, creating a list called “The Most Hideous Men of My Life,” and began to reflect on her own sometimes very dark history with the opposite sex. What advice would she have given to her past selves―as Miss Cheerleader USA and Miss Indiana University? Or as the fearless journalist, television host, and eventual advice columnist she became? E. Jean intertwines the stories of the fascinating people she meets on her road trip with her “horrible history with the male sex” (including mafia bosses, media titans, boyfriends, husbands, a serial killer, and a president), creating a decidedly dark yet hopeful, hilarious, and thrilling narrative. Her answer to the question What Do We Need Men For? will shock men and delight women.
- Print length288 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSt. Martin's Press
- Publication dateJuly 2, 2019
- Dimensions5.88 x 1.09 x 8.57 inches
- ISBN-101250215439
- ISBN-13978-1250215437
Frequently bought together
![What Do We Need Men For?: A Modest Proposal](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71S1Ds9ruGL._AC_UL116_SR116,116_.jpg)
Customers who bought this item also bought
- Find Me the Votes: A Hard-Charging Georgia Prosecutor, a Rogue President, and the Plot to Steal an American ElectionHardcoverFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Tuesday, Jul 30Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
- A DOG IN HEAT IS A HOT DOG AND OTHER RULES TO LIVE BYCarrollHardcoverFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Tuesday, Jul 30Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
- The Trump Indictments: The Historic Charging Documents with CommentaryPaperbackFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Monday, Jul 29
- On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public ServiceAnthony Fauci M.D.HardcoverFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Monday, Jul 29
- Attack from Within: How Disinformation Is Sabotaging AmericaHardcoverFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Monday, Jul 29
- Taking Down Trump: 12 Rules for Prosecuting Donald Trump by Someone Who Did It SuccessfullyHardcoverFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Monday, Jul 29Only 16 left in stock - order soon.
Editorial Reviews
Review
A Washington Post TEN BOOKS TO READ IN JULY | A The Washington Post 50 NOTABLE WORKS OF NONFICTION IN 2019 | Los Angeles Times’ 7 BUZZWORTHY BOOKS TO READ THIS JULY | TOP 5 HOT BOOKS by The National Book Review| Refinery 29’s GET YOUR HANDS ON THESE JULY 2019 BOOKS | Bustle's 27 NEW BOOKS OUT IN JULY 2019 TO GET YOU THROUGH THE SWEATY DAYS OF SUMMER | A Dallas Morning News100 best books of 2019 pick | 6 BEST BOOKS TO READ THIS JULY by Town and Country
"If you haven’t read [E. Jean Carroll's] memoir, What Do We Need Men For? I cannot recommend it enough."―The Stranger, Seattle
"Every chapter, every paragraph, every sentence contains some fresh, good-humored turn of phrase." ―Mary Norris, The New Yorker
“Roving, curious, compassionate, whimsical.” –Megan Garber, The Atlantic
"Carroll's lively prose careens in constant pursuit of pleasure...indefatigably funny and full of life." –Lindsay Zoladz, The Ringer
"Carroll has never been interested in fulfilling expectations ... You can read the tale in her book, and you should." ―Next Tribe
"With lively prose, Carroll analyzes women's experiences while driving her polka-dotted Prius through American towns with female names. When her own personal narrative grows dark, she bounces back with merry chapters devoted to quizzes and traveling expenses...This jarring structure is a metaphor for how the 'Silent Generation' made girls swallow the abuse they couldn't reveal..." ―Ann Votaw, The Journal Gazette
"Fans of her longtime “Ask E. Jean” column in Elle will recognize her original voice ...Carroll’s descriptions of the “hideous men” in her life stand out." ―Elizabeth Taylor and Adam Cohen, The National Book Review
"An entertaining and rage making romp of a read." –Clara Bingham, The Guardian
"Whimsical...a book that approaches its high-concept road trip with tongue firmly in cheek." ―Constance Grady, Vox
“Politically and socially urgent.” ―Cristina Arreola, Bustle
“Quirky” ―Kim Hubbard, People
“ELLE's own agony aunt, the incomparable E. Jean Carroll, went on a road trip to ask women a very simple question... Perfection.” ―Estelle Tang, ELLE
“Explosive” ―Elena Nicolau, Refinery 29
“A fun-fueled feminist response to the current cultural and political climate, and I expected to laugh my way through its pages. I wasn’t wrong about the laughter.” ―Melanie Rock, Bustle
"A memoir by way of an old-fashioned American road trip...No reader of Carroll’s column will be surprised to find that such violent moments are interspersed with huge helpings of levity." ―Keziah Weir, Vanity Fair
“What [the book] offers, though, is a kind of literary impressionism, based on 75 years of lived experience―a sense of what it feels like to have pulsing veins and fiery nerves and a teeming mind and be caught within the cold infrastructures of sexism.” ―Megan Garber, The Atlantic
“The writing… is just riveting. But it’s also journalistically very powerful, very precise, very careful” ―Lawrence O’Donnell
"E. Jean is a terrific writer; she has mastered the difficult task of making her words sound like they're delivered in person, over a cocktail. " ―Monica Hesse, The Washington Post
"Very funny” ―The Brian Lehrer Show
"Fantastically written but so friendly to follow...Carroll’s book is readable in a way the Great Thinkers are not and can never be." ―B. David Zarley, Paste Magazine
“Thoughtful, powerful” ―Adam Rathe, Town and Country
“The most bitterly funny, fantastically furious book to explode out of the #metoo moment.” ―Dani Shapiro, bestselling author of Family History
“Buy this book.” ―Ed Kosner, former Editor-in-Chief of Newsweek, New York, and Esquire
“There isn’t another voice out there like E Jean’s.” ―Lorraine Candy, Editor-in-Chief, London Sunday Times
“E. Jean is a know it all.” ―Jane Smiley
"E. Jean Carroll is a force of nature, whose natural vibrancy has held readers in rapture for decades." ―Nina Garcia, Editor-in-Chief, ELLE
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : St. Martin's Press (July 2, 2019)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 288 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1250215439
- ISBN-13 : 978-1250215437
- Item Weight : 12.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.88 x 1.09 x 8.57 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #841,841 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,549 in Feminist Theory (Books)
- #3,872 in Traveler & Explorer Biographies
- #24,761 in Memoirs (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
![E. Jean Carroll](https://cdn.statically.io/img/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/B17QU5WTgmS._SY600_.jpg)
HELLO! HELLO, EVERYBODY! I write the ASK E. JEAN column in ELLE magazine. It is---astonishingly---the longest, currently-running advice column in American publishing. I have a new book coming out in July, from St. Martin's Press. It's called WHAT DO WE NEED MEN FOR?
I live in a little cabin on an island (it's about the size of a mattress) in upstate New York. I used to write for SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE and was a contributing editor to ESQUIRE and OUTSIDE. I always wanted to write a graphic novel and title it "OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB SELECTION," and fill it with cute pictures of my dogs. I have noticed one thing about writing: when I get stuck I find that walking into the kitchen sixty or seventy times to eat something really helps.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book funny, frisson-filled, and delightful. They also describe the content as incredibly truthful and relatable. Readers also describe author as remarkable and unique.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book funny, witty, and irreverent. They also say it's a frisson-filled memoir.
"...Except reading this part of the book is indeed funny and, she finds one thing that men are good for--fixing cars because hers starts giving her..." Read more
"...Her writing style is unusual and you will remember her bits and morsels of wisdom. I hope she writes another book after her Donald Trump saga...." Read more
"...at the laptop; her experience as a writer means she composes a deft and powerful paragraph. And the book is filled completely with those paragraphs...." Read more
"...This book is no exception. Am often sad, yet comforting read...." Read more
Customers find the book delightful, entertaining, and compellingly written. They also say the dust jacket is an incredible resource and an excellent piece of journalism. Readers also appreciate the refreshing quality and the absence of false notes.
"E. Jean Carroll is an absolute hoot, a truly remarkable and unique woman, and I love her...." Read more
"...There were no false notes, nothing to make a reader wince. You just sail through it compulsively. I did, anyway...." Read more
"...that book a stunt—a self-aware successful stunt and an excellent piece of journalism...." Read more
"...BUT you are not mean; your book is so gracious and funny and delightful — of course you never nailed any pelts to the ole barn wall. That was me...." Read more
Customers find the book's content incredibly truthful and relatable.
"This book is outrageously funny and deliciously honest...." Read more
"To my mind an incredibly truthful and relatable picture of how our humor and desire to live provide the impetus through trauma..." Read more
"Irreverent, honest, clear and humorous. I connected with too many of the ‘list’ to really even laugh... and yet I laughed!..." Read more
"Also brilliant, funny and true. 100 years from now, when people ask “What the hell happened?” this will be the best answer." Read more
Customers find the author remarkable, unique, and wise. They also say the book is a road trip with an original character.
"E. Jean Carroll is an absolute hoot, a truly remarkable and unique woman, and I love her...." Read more
"...It's a road trip with an original character and an awesome dog...." Read more
"E. Jean is funny and she is wise, and she shares a lifetime of insights on female-male relationships...." Read more
Customers find the writing style breezey, witty, and tender. They also say the author is eccentric and slightly nutty.
"...This book is no exception. Am often sad, yet comforting read...." Read more
"A breezy and witty read by an eccentric slightly nutty author. Fun." Read more
"Funny & tender..." Read more
-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Then, I was fairly certain about her tone in asking the question, but I went out on Elle's online site and selected just two of those "Asks" that are available there... Yes, they were funny, perhaps a little sarcastic sometimes, but, then, straight to the point! I was smiling even before I started to write...
First, she knew she needed to do research, asking just one question. What Do We Need Men For? But where would we begin asking. Well, the author chose to go traveling to every town that had a woman's name as part of the location; for example, Marysville, Ohio... So she planned her itinerary based upon that one assumption... Got in her car, got everything ready to travel for herself and her traveling companion, Lewis Carroll... And she was off!
Then when she gets there, she might put up her sign on the top of her car, "Free Advice" or she's stopped for a meal and start talking to the women, and sometimes men, who she meets! Cool, Right?! BTW, I've seen some critical comments from men who reviewed the book. I think this is definitely Chic Lit"; but if you're a man who, when his woman asks you to go talk to a woman with a kilt on and a dog with aquamarine hair, and you go...then you are probably the men who will be allowed to stay when we women take over...
Ironically, my caretaker who drives for me, takes me to the doctor, etc., and I had just been discussing that we both felt that women needed to take over businesses, for a start... I, for one, had already determined that men who are involved with service companies, such as Home Depot, or even KFC, have NO empathy (and few skills or ability to learn) with which they interact with their customers! Else we women wouldn't be ranting as much as we do...daily...
So I was prepared to sit back and enjoy the trip... And, it began with a superb but quite descriptive Prologue for us. And soon we are traveling across the nation to only cities with women's names...
What I wasn't prepared for was the author's own "list" as part of her book--think personal tell-all memoir... And my tears of sorrow as I read... You see, the author and I are about the same age... We have both experienced sexual abuse as a young child... We are both members of the #MeToo Movement... And have survived quite well! But hearing the specifics is always hard!
The Most Hideous Men in My Life...Carroll starts numbering these molestors or otherwise abusive actors as she goes... Personally, I found the break of this sharing about those men who had treated E. Jean horribly needed... The book goes back and forth between her trips and stops, until, perhaps, something sets the author back to a terrible time in her life, when a man was involved. Each time, there is a familiar ring to the words...
Heading to Elyria, Ohio. with Aretha blaring, the author stops at Oberlin College to meet up with some college girls! She puts out her sign, but this time she turns the tables on two students... I Need Advice! And another interview begins... She explains that none of the problems she's been receiving on Ask E. Jean are from men. One student quickly responds that is because all problems are caused by men... Good start, right?!
In fact, except for providing sperm for children, most of the responses were, honestly, that they could get along without men... Some even bragged that they could do anything better than men--this from a proud woman who worked a farm and had discovered that there weren't too many men willing to put in the work! Single, farming and doing fine!
Now this didn't surprise me, nor will it surprise readers, will it? Except reading this part of the book is indeed funny and, she finds one thing that men are good for--fixing cars because hers starts giving her problems and is forced to stay overnight... frustrated... But she finds women to talk to everywhere she goes!
If you can't answer the question, What Do We Need Men For?, I highly recommend you read the book... While it is definitely written to share and have fun between and among women, some men might also enjoy it, although my recommendation is to women! LOL
GABixlerReviews
The delight and the refreshing quality are down to E. Jean Carroll's tone and to her writing chops. She knows what she's doing at the laptop; her experience as a writer means she composes a deft and powerful paragraph. And the book is filled completely with those paragraphs. There were no false notes, nothing to make a reader wince. You just sail through it compulsively. I did, anyway.
Her e'lan, for lack of a better word, is infectious. The energy of the book does remind me a bit of one of my favorites: Tom Wolfe, the confidence and exuberance. But Wolfe could never write anything as subtle and multifaceted as this, not in a million years. E. Jean Carroll knows that a REAL artist gives a gift to her reader when she writes, and I found myself blinking back tears at her graciousness and generosity as I finished reading.
Buy it, read it, count yourself lucky enough to be living at a time when writers like this are still working and still feel like sharing with us the gift of their experiences and their consummate skills.
I think the main reason I didn’t like it was because I was expecting something funny here. I was looking for something light and humorous, and I enjoy a bit of men-bashing. That is not what this book is. It is basically a series of stories of child sexual abuse, misogyny, sexual assault, and rape, mostly committed against the author, interspersed with stories from her road trip that are neither enlightening nor particularly funny. Perhaps if I would have gone into this with my eyes open, I would’ve enjoyed it more.
I knew nothing about Ms. Carroll and her work before picking this up off the shelf. I have since learned that she was fired from her longtime job writing at Elle because of her accusation of rape against Donald Trump. In my opinion, this is another crime against the author. I wish her success in her case against Trump and I hope writing this was cathartic. Still, that doesn’t change my opinion of this book. It’s not funny. If you are ready for something harrowing, perhaps this is a book for you.