There are a few books that receive "classic" status when they are fi rst published,
and John Gray's Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus was just such a book. From the clever title that implies how the mindsets of so many men are alien to so many women, and vice versa, through its homespun observations about the way that these two alien civilizations interact, the metaphor is a useful tool to unpick male/female relationships. Of course, the book doesn't apply to everyone. Putting forward the idea that men are just naturally more competitive than women, or that women are naturally more collegiate in their approach to stress than men is bound to bring up dissent and argument. And yet, somehow, the book throws up truths about relationships that has made it a multi-million seller, and helped untold people bring perspective to their relationships. Perhaps it is simply because the book highlights the fact that people think differently from each other, that they process information differently and react differently in the same situations that has brought about its success. Sociologists and geneticists may well argue about how "true" Gray's observations are, yet, at some level, what he says does seem to hold water.
Whatever the case, Gray manages to encourage us to recognise our difference
from each other, and to do our best to understand the other. For that, he must be commended. That is why this book is a classic.