I can be tough on some books and SO easy on others, I know that. I'm pretty tough on Pete Hautman's books. I've panned the last few I've read, but I liked How to Steal a Car so much that I keep trying. What Boys Really Want could have been a book I really enjoyed, but it did something that made me so ticked that I have to say it was just okay.
It started off great! It's a two person POV book: Adam and Lita, best friends, juniors in high school AND they live in Minneapolis AND hang out at the Mall of America!
And the concept is cool, Adam decides to write a book telling girls all about guys. The only thing is, he copies some of his info from a website that Lita told him about, a Q and A deal that she writes. Adam doesn't know that Lita is the blog's author and Adam doesn't understand that you can't just change someone else's words around and still claim the words as your own. The book is funny and it's full of mistaken assumptions and it's a light and cheerful read.
So what is the problem? The problem is the character of Brett. Lita meets him while he is working on his car and she assumes that he's nothing but a grease-monkey (her words) but when she finds out he's actually a student at the University of Minnesota, suddenly everything is okay. That's fine. Lita is allowed to have preferences regarding the careers and education of the guys she wants to date. My problem is, what is WRONG with someone being a mechanic? What is WRONG with a guy who didn't go to college? I just think the whole thing was classist and promoted stereotypes about those who don't go to college but seek meaningful employment in other areas. I mean, what would we do without our mechanics? Take our cars to a history professor? Everyone has their talents. Everyone has value.
So because of that, I just couldn't get on this book's bus and I just can't recommend a book that puts down a whole group of people in that way.
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