Almost everyone wants to be loved and be in love…
However, sometimes it seems impossible to find that right person even though there are so many ways to meet people nowadays. Well, Aziz’s Ansari’s new book, Modern Romance, tackles the age old question of, “Why is it so hard to find someone that I want to share the rest of my life with? I have downloaded Tinder, OKCupid, ChristianMingle, BlackPeopleMeet, and even Amish Dating and yet I haven’t found the one. Maybe Amish Dating was stretch but really, is there something wrong with me?” Aziz has wondered the same question, or a question somewhat similar, and with that concern in mind, he decided to delve into the world of romance and see what it means to date, be romanced, and everything else that comes along with dating, especially in the modern world.
Aziz partnered up with an NYU sociologist, Eric Klinenberg, to take a look into this topic and after a year’s worth of research, he wrote Modern Romance. This book is essentially an Aziz Ansari standup routine in print form. His unique voice is present throughout the book. One reason that people love Aziz is his outlook on life. He has a funny way of refocusing seemingly ordinary things and zeroing in on very small details that most would not notice. He brings all of that and more to the table with this book. This book is informative, presents a lot of thought provoking topics and discusses them thoroughly. Paired with Aziz’s distinct voice, this book is even more endearing.
Aziz talks about various issues such as online dating, dating in today’s age vs. dating in older generations, cheating, and more. In each chapter, many points shed a light on why Amish Dating isn’t working out too well for you. Right from the first chapter, it is clear how much time, work, effort, and research Aziz put into this book. Chapter 1 focused on what it meant to be dating in today’s world vs what it was like dating years ago. In this chapter, Aziz explores the idea of “emerging adulthood” which is a new concept. In this generation, people spend more time being single, exploring the world and themselves before settling. This is why people are getting married much later in their lives. And this is only the beginning of what Aziz talks about in this book. Ansari also travelled to different countries to see what dating was like there. He also put together countless focus groups to gather information.
We typically zone out when we are inundated with too many facts, however, everything about this book is interesting. We loved how some of the information was presented though screenshots of text messages inspired by true events. Modern Romance is extremely well written. This book knows its target audience and keeps a voice and tone that makes it enjoyable to read. It also features fun footnotes and the breakaway paragraphs where Aziz talks about his love of food or questions the sanity of some of the people he has interviewed. Aziz does a nice job of stepping back and presenting the facts in an objective manner, which is another reason why this book is something special. He doesn’t tell you how or what to think.
Modern Romance is a book about love and romance and dating. This isn’t some self-help book telling you why you suck at dating and why BlackPeopleMeet isn’t working out for you. Instead, this book offers insight into dating today and how different factors such as technology influence our dating habits or how sending the wrong emoji could be a dealbreaker when trying to make plans. This book is a fun read. Modern Romance will most likely become one of the summer’s biggest hits (behind that other romance book Grey).
The book hits stores June 16.
-Vinesh Vora
