Guys are Waffles, Girls are Spaghetti

by Chad Eastham, Bill Farrel, Pam Farrel

Boy meets Girl; Boy wonders what in the world Girl is talking aboutand how he will ever keep up. Girl wonders what is wrong with Boy.Enter, Waffles and Spaghetti—every teen's guide to figuring out the opposite sex and understanding and valuing our unique differences.

In a pivotal time of their development and social lives, teens are left to try and understand one another without much guidance.  The purpose of this book is to help better understand themselves as well those from the "alien gender".

Guys' brains are like waffles—they keep their lives compartmentalized in boxes. Girls' brains are like spaghetti—everything in their life is connected to everything else. This book for teens includes brain development, social habits, differences in emotions, and relationship building skills for teens to develop early in their life.  Loaded with humor and fun examples, this is a great way for teens to learn about healthy relationships with the opposite sex.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Relationships, Self Help, Psychology, Faith, Audiobook

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Bridget · Rating 1 out of 5]

Extraordinarily unconvincing and narrow-mindedly moralistic; this book had some truly parochial, sexist, cisnormative advice for teenagers, desperate to keep them in a conservative bubble. Shudder.

[Niki · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book because I love the metaphor but I couldn't get past the religious and somewhat sexist comments to get more than half way through

[~tea~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lol this book explained almost perfectly how guys and girls brains work. Before readin this guys made zero sense to me, and they still do. But hopefully now I won’t be so intimidated by them! Hopefully.......

[Mariano Antolin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book covers a pretty mature topic. ( I Reccommend this only to mature readers.) The book, “Guys are Waffles, Girls are Spaghetti”, is about understanding youre opposite gender. Guys and girls have there differences, but as they are different, they are also the same. Understanding the opposite gender is not easy, and this book tells you all about it. Some times its hard to understand what girls are saying, and what they really mean, and this book clearly states what they say, versus what they mean. Sometimes it’s hard for girls to understand boys. Why are they so into action movies, or why they throw a tantrum when there favorite team doesn’t win? The opposite gender has a lot of differences, but at the same time, lots of similarities. I dont think this book could be any more realistic because it states the problems of today’s world, and... I wont go to far into that. I dont think the author could’ve done any better with this book. The book was clearly meant for that kind of discussion, so that’s what I got, and I cant really complain about that. Alrighty! I guess that wraps it up.

[Makayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all if you have never heard of Chad Eastham, He is awesome. He does tons of stuff with the Revolve Tour and I have had been lucky enough to see him in person twice. In this book he talks about the differences of guys and girls and he talks about dating and he gives lots of tips. He is also a Christian author and so this book isn't all about sex before marriage, he talks about how waiting till marriage is better. Also, if you didn't quite enjoy the book, I kissed dating goodbye, then you will defiantly like this book. Chad talks about how dating 18 and above is the better thing to do, your more mature, and you don't have as much of those ballistic hormones. I, didn't quite enjoy the book I kissed dating goodbye, I think that there is nothing wrong with dating, especially when your mature enough for it and so that is why I really enjoyed this book. It talks about dating but at the right age!

[Devan Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some time around November I went to Pennslvania to attend something called The Revolve Tour, a Tour that allows girls middle school and up to come together and hear what these people have to say. It envolves Music, Life in God's eyes and teen situations that all of us have gone through. One of the speakers i enjoyed the most was Chad Eastam, he really caught my attention with what he had to say. In this book, you will read about what a guy wants in a girl, what a girl wants in a guy, why girls talk so much, why guys play video games 24/7 and so many other topics that will just make you want to READ READ READ!!! You will also discover how guys are like waffles and girls are like spaghetti.....it may seem confusing from the cover but once you read this you will TOTALLY get it. SO READ IT!!! IT'S GREAT!!!!!!!!

[Jan Wollet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for middle school/early high school kids to read.

[Cate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I mostly agreed with the psychological aspects of gender differences Eastham presents in this book, but it sounded as if he didn't conduct scientific research to back his claims. He said he's interviewed "thousands" of teens, but even the preferences of a thousand teens doesn't accurately portray the literal millions of teens around the world. Also, Eastham went beyond describing the brain functions of males and females to state that "all girls" lean toward traditionally feminine interests and "all guys" lean toward traditionally masculine interests. In fact, the book presented such stereotypical views, I thought I was reading a 1950s handbook on gender. As a woman, I can confidently say I enjoy sports (yes, even watching sports), I'm not talkative, I would never go to a tanning bed, etc. Although there is nothing wrong with being a "traditional" woman or liking "traditionally feminine" things, to say that "all girls" enjoy specific things simply isn't true, and is very narrow-minded. The same goes for guys. Furthermore, there is no psychological nor sociological research that puts women and men into the boxes Eastham offers. I'm not saying there are no biological gender differences. I'm saying that the "all guys watch football" and "all girls wear frilly skirts and paint their nails" mindsets are absurd.

Recommended age: no one (because the only research Eastham did was watching 1950s sitcoms and interviewing a few teens at his local church)


Update (literally two minutes ago): I forgot to add that, not only does Eastham review the essentials for gender conformism in society, but he also makes excuses for "guy behavior" while offering ideas for how girls can change. For example, a guy "throwing a tantrum" when his team loses is no big deal, but a girl who cries needs to understand that feelings makes guys uncomfortable, and girls should learn to keep their emotions in check around the opposite gender. What a lovely message for teens and young adults.

[Allie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, so.. Where to start?
Originally when I started reading this book, my first thought was "Oh! This is cute. I like this." Then I realized it was based around religion/God. I have nothing against that. But I thuoght it was overdone from time to time. But, until I got to page 158, I had every intention of giving this book four stars.
Then, as you already noticed, I got to page 158 and my eyes about popped out of their sockets. WHAAAT IS THIS!?! Okay, so in case you don't know/don't have the book I'm going to read to you what this girl wrote in.
"I'm SICK OF GUYS. I'm sick of them for a couple of reasons. The main one is because I made a mistake and I slept with two different guys... Now guys at my school won't leave me alone. They harass me at my locker at school, I have things shot down my shirt all the time, I have my butt grabbed about twenty times a day, and I know I'm an easy target... I've told billions of teachers who don't do anything." This is shortened, but still word for word. Now, you must know that Chad on every letter published in this book, Chad responded with helpful advice. HOWEVER, on this particular letter, his response was "Like it or not, your actions will help determine your reputation. Be careful with them." My mouth literally dropped when I read this. THIS IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT! THIS IS NOT OKAY! I understand you are against sex before marriage.. but this girl is in desperate need for help.
I was absolutely disgusted. This brought me down to about 2.5 stars.
THEN, I read the part about Pam and Bill not kissing until they were engaged.
Okay, overboard. This star gets two stars.. that was me being nice.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chad Eastham's Guys Like Girls Who . . . hugely influenced me in high school so it was with both excitement and trepidation that I finally picked up Guys Are Waffles, Girls Are Spaghetti. It is always dangerous reading a favorite author after a 6 year break. You change. Your perception of life changes. Can anything really live up to what it once was?
Well, I think this book does. I'm not the intended audience (teenagers) but I found the book helped me understand teenagers better. It was funny and serious and easy to read. It showed grace and kindness but also comes straight with the truth. There is a mix of stories, facts, and zany quips.
I think it would appeal to boys and girls, adults and teens.
Worth the read!

[Mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book sophomore year of high school, I believe, and I remember laughing so hard I cried. It's incredibly witty, and downright informative without being preachy.

The author, Chad, has a way with words that are relatable to the teenage demographic without being overly "teenagery." It's a line so thin most authors cross it, but Chad must have an extraordinary optometrist because he saw that line and he camped out right at the edge of perfection.

This book is geared toward Christians, also, but in my opinion, even if you don't identify as a Christian, you can still learn a lot and be amused by the writing. I loved the experience of reading such a fun, quirky, and youthful book!

[Sydney White · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very informative. I love how the author describes how boys think. They are so confusing at points in life and I don’t understand what they are talking about. I think something that was very informative about this was they way the author talked about his personal life with theses things. I think the book could have been more interesting if the author could have said things about other peoples lives. so if you are confused with the other gender read this book it will tell you all you need t know.

[Isaac · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t like this book a lot because it showed all the differences between boys and girls and their were some weird stuff in some part of the book that made me uncomfortable. Like in one part that said that boy meant on thing and then that their was something that they really meant which kinda made me uncomftarable. their were some parts that were realistic but most of them weren’t true about what boys thought and that girls thought so yea.

[Fanta · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book should be read about 2 times to really get the concept like this deep like DEEP!

This book has good advice on dating, relationships and way girls and guys brains work .

[Miguel Campoverde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chad Eastham His strengths were him being descriptive and made sure we got his idea and where he was coming from. A realistic part in the book is when him and a couple of friends used a survey and put in what’s the most attractive about girls and what’s not. A non-realistic part is there was a part saying what a girl wants in a relationship but all girls want different things in a relationship. He could make the book better by to being so one sided and is always on one sex. He is supposed to be neutral

[Dot · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read this book I took in a lot of information on both genders. The details were very descriptive and enjoyed the point of view of different people. The book has also taught to have more respect for the other gender. Something cool was that it told how girls handle certain situations that guys do differently. It has also answered many questions of the opposite gender. What makes that book so realistic is that people have similar interests and situations they go through.I recommend for older kids like 14 and. Since is has some medium content.

[SaintAnthonyDelaMay · Rating 3 out of 5]

About 2.9, leafed through the pages but still liked it. I really liked the beginning and how well it actually explains the difference between how men and women think, and I've picked up a few things that I will be keeping in mind when socializing with both sexes. However, after that the middle completely bored me out and the last parts just made me feel blank. Nothing bad about the book, just thought most of what he said are generally obvious to me at the momnet or it just seemed like common knowledge to me now.

[Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me just start off with saying this book was weird/interesting. I really can’t put it into words but talked a lot about sex. It was a interesting read though. The one thing the author could do to improve is make it a bit more shorter than like 200 pages. And it would be cool to see if they made a kids version so every one could read this book. But other wise it was a good book 4/5 stars I don’t know if I would read this again.

[Kasi Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book, "Guys Are Waffles, Girls Are Spaghetti" written by Chad Eastham with Bill and Pam Farrel was an informative, nonfiction book. It was in sections by 13 chapters, with a study guide and questions throughout the chapters. The main author, Chad gave background information about the main idea of the book, stating how there is an analogy that reveals the differences and similarities between males and females (Eastham et al. X). This analogy was, boys are more like waffles, while girls are like spaghetti. While Bill and Pam went into depth with the analogy of with an example from personal experience (Eastham et al. XIV). From their writing background of the book, "Men are like Waffles, Women are like Spaghetti" they helped Chad to put information in teenage context. To get a more understanding of the topics during each chapter, there were drawn pictures, for example a brain to explain where each part is. Also there was letters written by people to give input on certain topics, or ask for opinions. To understand some words, there was definitions, but those words weren’t too difficult. Another author was Mackenzie, she was Chad’s editor to voice her opinions (Eastham et al. VII). Her comments were humorous and serious at the same time. There are no characters in this book, just the author stating facts and knowledge to remember when dealing with guys or girls in confusing or difficult times. The theme of this book is how we are different but same at the same time. This ties all together with the purpose of the book, because boys and girls brains are different, they come at a certain subject with different thoughts or feelings. It shows that guys’ “boxes” in their brains, and they stay in that box to deal with only one thing. While girls on the other hand, every thought and feeling is connected, and how every “noodle” is touched when dealing with a topic (Eastham et al. 10,14). While reading this book,, it will come to an understanding of how true the analogy is. Overall the main idea of this book is how confusing, the opposite gender could be, and it’s because of how the brains are developed. Many types of scenarios were given, and girls took a different approach than guys would. There were 2 chapters, one focusing on each gender. They were called, “Crying in the bathroom” and “Cussing in the woods.” Crying in the bathroom focused on a girl’s view with emotions, and how it helps when released (Eastham et al. 47). Girls described in this book needs to be listened to, and cared for. The other chapter discussed how guys could be more aggressive toward a topic, for example sports. Throughout this book it quotes Bible verses and talks about God often. This stands out to inform the reader, that the author, Chad has religious background. Which he includes it in his writing, mostly to show that God created you for you, and has a plan for life. This book is a great read, especially for teenagers wondering about basic issues in life, like communication skills or body language in gender’s. In the U.S this book is $14.99, and was published in 2009.

[Josie Fair · Rating 5 out of 5]

extremely insightful and helpful!! this book helped me better understand not only myself but also others and how i can better interact with them. i could share all the benefits from this book, but then no one would actually read it, so i encourage everyone to check it out for themselves. you might be surprised what you learn.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great read till the last chapter where the writer describes sex in too many details for my comfort. I had a hard time keeping my mind pure and do not think it's for teenagers. I understand though that I grew up where things like that are not openly talked about. And teens living in a more modern world perhaps are exposed to this more anyways. Besides that I really enjoyed this book.

[Camdaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book and found it to be a pretty interesting book. It taught me a lot of stuff about women. But I do not think all teenagers should read this book. If you want to read this book please talk to your parents first have them read it. Otherwise it is good.

[Elijah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a very interesting book. It is very informative on how boys and girls are very different in their teen years and in their adult years. This book was an okay book I wouldn't recommend it though. that's why I didn't give it a very high score. But it was average.

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent book, if I were to recommend it to someone I would recommend it to someone who’s extremely thirsty for love. Hoping that after reading this book they might not care as much about a relationship at a young age.

[Angelika Fish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book it really helped me understand the difference of how men think in a fun creative way. I high recommend this book to all ages boys and girls who what a deep understanding of how girls and boys think.

[Scott Hayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will be coming back to this one, and probably buying it as a gift for nieces and nephews in their teen years. Solid science. Quirky humor. Biblical. I wish somebody had given me this book when I was a teenager.

[ar olkeke · Rating 2 out of 5]

pros: got me through being 12 and dumb as hell about girls (still dont understand girls but im at least fine w that)

cons: my old therapist who really just told me to pray about everything recommended me this book at the same time as A Thousand Words starring Eddie Murphy (that movie sucks)

[Erik]

Definitely meant for younger teens, but I considered having my 18-year-old read it. It is simple and not overly graphic but gets right down to guys and gals, pulling no punches. It is a little goofy in places, but again, it gets to the question. Very well grounded in Christian ethics.

[Alicia Lazzazero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely meant to buy the adult version of this book and this is the teen version, but it still explained a lot about how our brains work and why. Explained a lot looking back in retrospect. Just going to buy the adult version now!

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME!!!