SKINNY BASTARD A Kick in the Ass for Real Men Who Want to Stop Being Fat and Start Getting Buff

In this book's equally foul-mouthed antecedent, SKINNY BITCH, the authors—the two most vocal proponents of “thinness as virtue” since Wallis Simpson—gobbled up female diet trends with voracious aplomb. Here they tackle men's diets with the same tongue-lashing and lip-smacking zest, but their vegan-based philosophy leaves little room for error—meat, carbs, alcohol, soda, diet soda, and coffee are all intensely vilified, not merely as health and lifestyle decisions but also as deterrents to successful sexual conquest. Put in these terms, it's easy to see this book as a kind of shrill manifesto—which is no fault of narrator Hillary Huber. Her sinewy delivery, rich with well-timed pauses and thoughtful inflection, evokes the authors' scolding contempt with droll precision. Whether you agree with this book's extreme philosophy, it is inarguably provocative food for thought. J.S.H. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2009]