Modern Romance: An Investigation, by Aziz Ansari

Yes, THAT Aziz Ansari, the guy from Parks & Recreation. If you've seen any of his recent stand-up, you'll know that Ansari has an interest in modern romance. Texting, swipe apps like Tinder, and online dating have totally altered the romantic landscape. In "Modern Romance," Ansari joins up with a sociologist to find how just how much the new technology, as well as advances in women's rights, have changed the way we look for and find love. Some of it isn't all that surprising, at least for anyone who's participated in online dating. But the presentation is fun and easy to understand, Ansari being witty and charming, and his conclusion that we need to give people a respectful chance and get to know them better is sweet and on-point. I can see older people who are interested in finding out how their children's romantic world differs from their own reading this and getting a very good sense of the climate, and I can see young singles reading it and coming to a mature understanding that for all the amazing things technology lets us accomplish, face to face human interaction will always win out. It's a fun little book on a very interesting subject by a talented comedian who genuinely seems to be a good guy, and I hope it does very well for him.