Home / The “Why Are They Like That?” books pull zero punches

The “Why Are They Like That?” books pull zero punches

Why Are They Like That? 12-book series

The Why Are They Like That? 12-book series is the capstone of a 20-year global project to get real people, experts and celebrities to discuss what makes us different from each other. Silly things. Sad things. Funny things. Profound things.

Read with an open mind and we believe you’ll have a much better understanding of how to create more and real friendships, money and love. It’s that simple. (Buy the Paperback or Kindle editions at Amazon.com.)

This award-winning cultural sharing effort isn’t about trying to get ahead with diversity training. It’s meant to uplift all audiences, and to be assigned reading in college diversity courses, to enhance students’ readiness for the polarized world that awaits them.

According to the Census Bureau, non-whites will be the majority in the United States by 2045. This is about moving past talking about how to understand each other to actually talking to each other. Right now.

That’s why there’s no agenda to these books other than getting the conversation going. We can discuss studies and methods for elevating social consciousness all we want, but there is no substitute for real dialogue.

That’s where Why Are They Like That? stands apart from other books on the topic. You will see how people actually talk about race, religion, sex, disability and more. The success of the approach is proven: It’s based on the ground-breaking Y? website project (now YouDareToAsk.com), blog and column that have attracted millions of visitors and worldwide media attention.

Our hope is that by reading, you will become more comfortable asking and answering the questions yourself, expecting the unexpected in return and helping change the ground rules for how we learn about each other.

To that end, we wrap up each book in the series with our “O.U.T.L.O.U.D. Method for Dialogue,” with tips to help you start your own conversations.

And ultimately, that is what this effort is all about: Getting us talking.

Praise for Phillip Milano, his cross-cultural sharing project and books:

  • “Quietly revolutionizing cross-cultural communication…” — Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Leonard Pitts
  • “Tells more about who we are than you’re likely to learn from a dozen sociology texts…” — Washington Post News Service
  • “Mr. Milano has dared to open the field of debate to the maximum…” — Le Monde, Paris
  • “Even the most potentially insulting questions can be peacefully discussed…” – College Press Network
  • “(A) remarkable contribution to cross-cultural understanding…” — The (London) Guardian
  • “Both hilarious and serious…” — FOX News
  • “A very bizarre book …” – Comedian/Podcaster Marc Maron
  • “Whoa! Now for some gut-level dialogue on race…” — The Philadelphia Inquirer

cantbelieve1-1I Can’t Believe You Asked That!

I Can’t Believe You Asked That! (Perigee) by Dare To Ask founder Phillip J. Milano offers compelling, real dialogue – from both everyday people (our users) and celebrities and experts – on even the most sensitive topics:

  • What do blind people “see” in their dreams?
  • Why do white people smell like wet dogs when they come out of the rain?
  • Why do so many gay men love The Wizard of Oz?
  • Do Catholics consider oral sex a sin?

The book has attracted intense scrutiny and media reaction. Politically correct or not, these questions reflect natural, honest, human curiosity about the lives and experiences of other people. Nationally recognized diversity advocate Phillip J. Milano uses these and a host of other questions from the hugely popular You Dare To Ask website to present an unflinching, occasionally bizarre and sometimes hilarious look at the taboo topics so many people wonder about – but usually don’t dare ask.

Milano is the founder of You Dare To Ask, former chairman of the Recruitment and Youth Development Committee of The Newspaper Association of America’s Diversity Board, and a featured speaker nationwide at universities, businesses, conferences and seminars. He is a 25-year newspaper veteran and wrote the award-winning nationally syndicated Dare To Ask column for The Florida Times-Union.

Devour I Can’t Believe You Asked That! yourself, buy it for a family member or friend, or use it in your classroom or diversity seminar. It’s sure to create a buzz – as well as a lasting conversation.

WetDogsBook

Why Do White People Smell Like Wet Dogs When They Come Out of the Rain?

From the foreword to Why Do White People Smell Like Wet Dogs When They Come Out of the Rain? (And Other Questions Worth a Smack on the Head from Mom) by Pulitzer Prize-winning Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts:

If you have yet to leaf through this book, here’s a sampling of the kinds of inquiries you’ll find:

“Is it true that black people have an extra muscle in their calves?”

“Why does it seem that most male hairdressers, florists, entertainers, decorators and clothing designers are gay?”

“Is there a way to tell the difference in Asian nationalities? Is is true that the direction the eyes slant is an indicator?”

“Why do Jewish people eat Matzoh?”

“Why is it that Caucasians seem to spend so much time on lawn care?”

If the questions are profound in their plainness, that’s all right. If they are discomfiting and difficult, put up with it. It’s better to have people asking questions than making up answers. Therein lies the birthplace of ignorance and stereotype. 

You’ve already come this far. Turn the page. Cross the line. Read on.”