"The Game" by Neil Strauss

Very interesting book, claims to be pure documentary, directly from life, but it is more like "docutainment" as not everybody can meet Tom Cruise, Courtney Love and Britney Spears. It is the story of how story of how the lovable geek who never gets laid, Neil Strauss, transforms into the playboy and ladies' man "Style" which is his nicknam e in the "seduction community." Strauss goes undercover in the "community" to learn how to be a pick-up artist, that is to get women to like him and have sex with him (and threesomes, and what he calls MLTRs - Multiple Long Term Relationships). Apparently there is a body of knowledge, and with some effort and courage, every regular joe can learn the precisely scripted questions and answers and clear sequence of steps. The gurus of the seduction community claim that anyone can transform himself into mini Warren Beatty, or mini-whatever seduction guru is teaching the course.

Strauss tells us in the book about all the interesting and flawed characters who become pick-up gurus from "Average Frustrated Chumps" (AFC) in the lingo of the community. Mystery always wants to be the center of attention, TylerDurden seeks power, Papa wants to prove himself to his father, etc. The first 50 pages of the book are almost like a manual for the first steps of pickup, as Strauss learns them, and is probably the best written part, because it draws the regular reader in, because it seems that it is written for him, but later when all kinds of celebrities start to pop in and even live with Strauss (Courtney Love). Also the Holliwood Lifestyle (literally) with a mansion off Sunset Boulevard, while dedicating yourself full-time to bettering oneself and picking up women (or trying to) all the time, is not really possible for people who have to work for a living.

The actual community still exists online albeit less vivacious than when Strauss was there in 2003, but all the forums and the PUAs are still there. The book continues for a way too long though, and becomes overindulgent at certain times . It shows a lot of drama in the PUA community and Strauss concentrates on the colorful characters of the PUAs, and especially the mPUAs (master pick-up artist, or guru). The book is organized in the steps of the Mystery method, created by Mystery, one of the original mPUAs, and follows his theory of how groups interact or "social dynamics". And PUAs and mPUAs are not exempt from in-fighting and competing amongst each other, stealing girlfriends and badmouthing each other in the the online forums when it comes to get students as pick-up and teaching pick-up becomes a profitable business as well.