Female Problems: An Unhelpful Guide

by Nicole Hollander

"Female Problems: An Unhelpful Guide"-- From the creator of "Sylvia, " a hilarious book covering topics women deal with--from guys to fashion, to the pressures to be the perfect hostess! This abridged version includes 50 cartoons and illustrations along with marvelous musings. The "Sylvia" strip is syndicated nationally and internationally by Tribune Media Services and appears in over 80 newspapers.

Genres: Comics, Humor, Womens, Cartoon

140 pages, Unbound

First published December 1, 1995

About the author

I am best known for writing and drawing the syndicated cartoon strip, SYLVIA, which appears daily and weekly in more than 30 newspapers across the country, including The Boston Globe, The Berkeley Daily Planet, Women’s e News Online and The Houston Chronicle (online). Sylvia strips appear on BadGirlChats as well. I am represented by the Tribune Media Services Syndicate.

I continue to write and draw Sylvia at Badgirlchats.com, a blog composed of original writing, comments and reactions to what's in the news.

I am currently teaching college courses at the Art Institute in graphic novel writing as well as storytelling and memoir workshops at Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago, but I still love speaking at events and book readings.

Reviews

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sylvia was one of my mother's favorite cartoons in the 1990s, especially "The Woman Who Does Everything More Beautifully Than You." I've been thinking about her lately and had to track her down. An early feminist cartoon strip that cracks me up, still - with Sylvia in her bathtub, on the phone, smoking, and berating most of modern culture. TWWDEMBTY: "Sunday: Monogrammed the children's underwear and color-coordinated their school outfits for the year. John, our wonderful handyman, made them lovely pencil cases from our old barn recently struck by lightning. We're using the rest of the wood to build an addition to the local pet shelter and a planetarium in the backyard." etc.

[Ginger Vampyre · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really hoping this would be a funny book about female camaraderie. Instead it was like having a disjointed conversation with that woman at the bar who won't stop talking about how much her divorce cost, after she has had a few too many bottles of wine. Interspersed with dozens of stand alone comic panels using the same recycled stereotypical single woman in her forties jokes that have been around since the 50's. I realize this book was written in the mid 90, while it is now 2019, but get some new material and get over it.

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

If had gone throught the chapter listings I would have saved myself the trouble of reading this book. Why I gave up feminism is a chapter and the author uses wonderful phrases like feminazi. So, be aware.

The author makes TONS of pop culture references that are extremely dated. Further, often while reading this I had no idea what the joke was. I didn't understand what it was trying to say.

It wasn't funny and was a waste of my time and money.

[Carla Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title’s right on—it truly is an unhelpful guide. This was a less entertaining read than I’d hoped, though I did get a few giggles out of it. --notes from 2005

[Victoria & David Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vic read it.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid three stars. Ironically, before I started this, I had the thought that I rarely use three stars, and a few essays in, I found myself thinking this would be a good candidate for three stars. The universe is in balance. The humor is mediocre but not bad, the substance is not exactly hefty, but not devoid of any thought. This book is a solid, middle of the road piece of writing. I would say that each chapter/story/essay/whatever-you-call-it-when-a-person-who-has-written-a-series-of-newspaper-columns-compiles-them-into-a-collection-for-a-book has a solid enough premise and probably one good joke. I found myself skimming them all, but never wishing I hadn't picked up the book. One section was well written enough that I found myself not skimming, and I enjoyed it. It might have been six pages long. I can't remember and won't check.

This wasn't written to be a book, and it seems to me that the author was used to being conservative with space and time, slamming out a few droll comments on a subject that women can relate to, without really offering any resolution on any topic. She writes and then she stops. Don't expect this type of thing to have conclusions anywhere, except perhaps in the included sketchy comics. They are the same quality: not side-splittingly funny, but alright. A cast of characters who are essentially personifications of people women know don't really exist but kind of pretend are out there. It wasn't ground-breaking, nor was it a waste of time.