I wish I had this book before I married, both times.

The Committee: Man’s Inner Voices and Who Left the Toilet Seat Up? is the key to understanding how men think and why their behavior is so bizarre in the eyes of the average woman. Author Bill Loucks educates while entertaining and may very well be asked to relinquish his “manhood” card because he reveals so many of the secrets his species holds dear.

The book’s protagonist is Bob Johnston, a 47-year-old depressed, functioning alcoholic with a failing business and troubled marriage. When his third wife, Nicole, returns to the job market as Bob struggles to maintain a hold of their once thriving enterprise, he settles into a rut of morning to night drinking and self-pity. While Bob realizes the role he has played in the decline of his financial and personal life, he finds it easier to defer blame, decisions, and actions to his internal Committee: Relationships, Finance, Sex, Guilt, Ego, and Fear. These voices, which often hold exhausting fights inside his head, are given accountability for what has happened and will occur in Bob’s life. This makes things a lot easier, plus Bob won’t lose any points this way. The appearance of a new voice one day after a mildly inebriated Bob hits his head brings this little party of pass-the-buck to a halt, resulting in Bob learning to behave differently in the world. 

Robert is Bob’s voice of reason. He makes a point of informing Bob that one voice is what most people have to work with, not the schizophrenic collective that he has corralled. Through interviews with each of the main Committee members (there are also subcommittee members like Self-esteem, which makes the idea of this ensemble even scarier) and a search through Bob’s archive of life experiences (that takes weeks to complete), Robert introduces techniques to assist Bob in taking responsibility for the Committee and his life. Meanwhile, outside of his head, Bob is faced with finding a job (which he does) and adjusting to his wife’s successful venture into real estate (that takes longer, but he gets there). The Committee is often in chaos as the life changes progress. Ego, who is the epitome of the stereotypical cave man, is frequently vocal as is Fear, who manages to agitate all of the Committee members often forcing Bob to ply himself with alcohol to get any sleep at all. 

This book should be required reading for all men and a standard bridal shower gift. Loucks illustrates the internal struggles that many men labor with. In addition to popping the hood on the man-machine and providing a slew of  crass, male-friendly jokes, Loucks uses tough love to force his main character to look deep inside of the problems he would normally throw into the vault to avoid dealing with them. Bob is challenged repeatedly by Robert and is scared into action: “If you choose to continue down the same path knowing there are other options, you relinquish your right to complain.”  

The Committee is brilliant, funny, timely, and effective. It is a story that women can benefit from as well as their men.   

Now I’ll be better prepared when husband number three shows up. 

Melissa Levine
For Independent Professional Book Reviewers
www.bookreviewers.org
01/12/08