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Why We'll Never Understand Each Other: A Non-Sequitur Look At Relationships
Non Sequitur has been entertaining fans for more than a decade, with its Twilight Zone of cartoon moments. Day after day, Non Sequitur hilariously jabs at the feats and foibles of life, skewering everyone from politicians to teenagers. Wiley's irreverent, satirical wit, combined with his superbly crafted illustrations, confirms that the universe is one big joke at humanity's expense.That said, some of Non Sequitur's most popular panels have been the ones where Wiley has offered his takes on "What he heard/what she said." In strip after strip, the cartoonist succinctly captures the absurd and unexpected miscommunications that lie at the heart of every relationship. For What he "Let's go drain the life force from your body." What she "Let's go shopping."o What he "Honey, why don't you put your head in a vise and I'll turn the handle until your skull explodes." What she "Honey, why don't we turn off the TV and just talk."o What she "Life as we know it will cease to exist unless you can alter the space-time continuum." What he "Honey, are you almost ready yet?"Everyone who's ever tried talking to anyone about anything will find Why We'll Never Understand Each Other to be the perfect way to laugh about it all, and maybe-or maybe not-try again.
- GenresComicsHumorComic Strips
144 pages, Paperback
First published April 2, 2003
About the author
Wiley Miller
37 books16 followersI began my career in art illustrating educational films. But my interest was always in print and cartooning, so in 1977 I moved from film in Southern California to work as a staff artist and editorial cartoonist for the Greensboro Daily News and the Greensboro Record (they were the morning and evening papers at the time and have since merged into one).
In 1979 I moved on to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Ca.), as doing the staff art for one paper instead of two gave me more time to do editorial cartoons.
My editorial cartoons then went into syndication with Copley News Service in 1980.
Unfortunately, I was laid off in the recession of 1981, which, fortunately, led me to create my first comic strip, "Fenton", which was syndicated by Field Syndicate. It had moderate success, but my love was still with editorial cartooning.
When the position came open at the San Francisco Examiner in 1984, I went for it and somehow got it. I enjoyed a good run there until the recession of 1991 hit in the wake of the Gulf War.
Learning from my previous experience with recessions and the lack of job security for anyone in art, I decided to make my way out before the ax fell and created Non Sequitur, which went into syndication with the Washington Post Writers Group in 1992. It was met with immediate success, but it's growth with a small syndicate was limited.
When I reached that limit, I moved over to Universal Press Syndicate in 2000, where the strip now appears in 800 papers world wide.
Now, of course, I taken a new turn in my career, taking a story I did in the Sunday editions in 2005 called "Ordinary Basil" and made it into my first children's book with Blue Sky Press (a Scholastic imprint).
The second book in the series, "Attack of the Volcano Monkeys", came out a year later, with a third book now in the works.
In 1979 I moved on to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Ca.), as doing the staff art for one paper instead of two gave me more time to do editorial cartoons.
My editorial cartoons then went into syndication with Copley News Service in 1980.
Unfortunately, I was laid off in the recession of 1981, which, fortunately, led me to create my first comic strip, "Fenton", which was syndicated by Field Syndicate. It had moderate success, but my love was still with editorial cartooning.
When the position came open at the San Francisco Examiner in 1984, I went for it and somehow got it. I enjoyed a good run there until the recession of 1991 hit in the wake of the Gulf War.
Learning from my previous experience with recessions and the lack of job security for anyone in art, I decided to make my way out before the ax fell and created Non Sequitur, which went into syndication with the Washington Post Writers Group in 1992. It was met with immediate success, but it's growth with a small syndicate was limited.
When I reached that limit, I moved over to Universal Press Syndicate in 2000, where the strip now appears in 800 papers world wide.
Now, of course, I taken a new turn in my career, taking a story I did in the Sunday editions in 2005 called "Ordinary Basil" and made it into my first children's book with Blue Sky Press (a Scholastic imprint).
The second book in the series, "Attack of the Volcano Monkeys", came out a year later, with a third book now in the works.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 15, 2025
I have been married for 43 years today! And I STILL can't understand my wife. This book hit me where I live!
It's a RIOT.
And the fact that it is CRAMMED TO CAPACITY with my favorite one-panel syndicated cartoon - Non Sequitur - sure didn't hurt none.
That Says it ALL.
Don't get me wrong - I love my better half like there's no tomorrow (I Mean that, BTW!) but I still can't see what makes her tick.
Most of the time her Zest for Life fills the room! But now that we're both elderly, our gloom sometimes descends like the Deep Purple of a Winter's Dusk.
That's why old folks are often taciturn.
It's a vision of our mortality.
I got this book today for less than two bucks on Amazon! It's worth its weight in Gold.
Should you buy it?
Well, you'll laugh like a flipping idiot -
Though afterwards you'll KNOW yourself a lot better.
But - you'll Still be every bit as ignorant of the why's and wherefore's of your Significant Other...
As you ALWAYS were.
It's a RIOT.
And the fact that it is CRAMMED TO CAPACITY with my favorite one-panel syndicated cartoon - Non Sequitur - sure didn't hurt none.
That Says it ALL.
Don't get me wrong - I love my better half like there's no tomorrow (I Mean that, BTW!) but I still can't see what makes her tick.
Most of the time her Zest for Life fills the room! But now that we're both elderly, our gloom sometimes descends like the Deep Purple of a Winter's Dusk.
That's why old folks are often taciturn.
It's a vision of our mortality.
I got this book today for less than two bucks on Amazon! It's worth its weight in Gold.
Should you buy it?
Well, you'll laugh like a flipping idiot -
Though afterwards you'll KNOW yourself a lot better.
But - you'll Still be every bit as ignorant of the why's and wherefore's of your Significant Other...
As you ALWAYS were.
January 6, 2026
This book is amazing—it really should be retitled "The Cynic's Guide to Performative Love." It highlights that the real problem with many relationships lies in how they start: with a performance rather than reality.
To me, the key to a healthy relationship is the willingness to understand and communicate your wants, while also learning how to understand your partner's communication style. This book is 5/5 for me because it perfectly contrasts the problems of performative love with how a real couple actually functions.
I wouldn’t call myself a cynic; I believe love is natural when we stop performing and just try to be ourselves. The older we get, the easier it is to become cynical, but this book reminds us that the best parts of life are in the small moments of giving. Once we understand that, love isn't impossible—it’s just natural.
To me, the key to a healthy relationship is the willingness to understand and communicate your wants, while also learning how to understand your partner's communication style. This book is 5/5 for me because it perfectly contrasts the problems of performative love with how a real couple actually functions.
I wouldn’t call myself a cynic; I believe love is natural when we stop performing and just try to be ourselves. The older we get, the easier it is to become cynical, but this book reminds us that the best parts of life are in the small moments of giving. Once we understand that, love isn't impossible—it’s just natural.
November 23, 2021
It was okay but not much more than that. It was also very difficult to read on Hoopla but I tried to rate this based on the book itself. Just okay.
February 19, 2023
It's fine
A small slice of themed humour. I will read it again in time but this would be perhaps a coffee table book kept at the bottom of the stack.
A small slice of themed humour. I will read it again in time but this would be perhaps a coffee table book kept at the bottom of the stack.
May 13, 2024
Relaxing entertainment.
Read
November 30, 2024Love the he/she said he/she heard bits. Hehe. Learning to pause is half the battle.
August 8, 2015
Fifteen minutes of entertainment - some of the jokes made me chuckle. If you're a fan of Non-Sequitur, it's worth a read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews