Men Hate Themselves

Armed with facts, figures, fictional case studies and cheap jokes, Rudnitsky ( The Joy of Depression ) addresses what he locates as one of the burning issues of our day: ``So, do men have any good points?'' Not content to stop at what for him is the consistent refrain here (naah--of course not), Rudnitsky (Russian for condominium, he says) parodies relationship guides with considerable resourcefulness, shameless puns and no subtlety whatsoever. For the statistically inclined, men who hate themselves are indexed by favorite food, favorite pet and favorite rock group (including the Jesse Jackson Five). Individual case studies introduce Wally, a warmhearted fellow who wanted to throw a party for the homeless until he realized how hard it would be to send invitations. Essential character elements are discussed, notably the male ``lie-bido'' responsible for falsehood, chicanery and resume writing. And there is the inevitable multiple choice test, here allowing men to determine their HQ (Hate Quotient). Occasionally the humor degenerates into stale one-liners; blunt sexual and sexist jokes will offend many. (Mar.)