Roosh V: the Bang books and his later turn
Roosh V is the pen name of Daryush Valizadeh, a self-published author who wrote the Bang series of country-by-country dating guides. He is also one of the few people in pickup who publicly reversed course: in 2019 he converted to Orthodox Christianity, took many of his books off sale, and later shut down his forum.
Background
According to Wikipedia, Valizadeh was born on June 14, 1979, in Washington, D.C. He graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2001 with a degree in microbiology. His first book, Bang: The Pickup Bible That Helps You Get More Lays, came out in 2007 and was self-published. Wikipedia counts more than a dozen dating and travel guides in total, and its seduction community article puts the number at 14.
He also ran a blog, then a discussion forum called the Roosh V Forum, and a site called Return of Kings.
The Bang books
After Bang, the series continued with books for individual countries, such as Bang Ukraine. Wikipedia describes the guides as dating and travel books. Other titles included The Best of Roosh, a two-volume collection of his writing: Volume 1, Deep Into Game (212 pages), and Volume 2, Understanding Women (274 pages), as he listed them on a June 13, 2019 post.
The country-guide format is the part that stands out. Instead of one general method, each book treated the place as part of the plan, from where people go out to how conversations start.
That idea shows up in other travel material too. See meeting people while traveling for the practical version.
What changed in 2018 and 2019
These are documented events, in order, per Wikipedia:
- September 10, 2018: Amazon removed several of his books from its self-publishing platform.
- October 1, 2018: Return of Kings stopped publishing new articles after PayPal and Disqus ended their partnerships with the site.
- March 29, 2019: Valizadeh announced he had converted to Christianity through the Armenian Apostolic Church. He later joined the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.
- After 2019: He removed numerous books from publication and banned discussion of extramarital sex on the forum.
- October 29, 2023: He closed the Roosh V Forum after 15 years. His stated reason was "I have a regular job now and want to live a normal Orthodox life."
- December 1, 2023: The blog and forum archives were taken down.
That means the books and forum that once defined his work are no longer offered by him.
Where Roosh fits in the history
Roosh worked differently from the coaching companies. A short history of the pickup community covers the workshops and bootcamps of the same period. His was a one-person publishing operation: he wrote and sold the books himself and ran his own forum. For where he sits alongside the other major names, see famous pickup artists.
What to take from Roosh
The only part of his output that holds up as a practical idea is the idea that location matters. Here's how to apply it, whether you're on a trip or in your own city.
- Research before you arrive. Spend 30 minutes looking up three places where people actually socialize in the area: a cafe district, a park or promenade, and an evening venue.
- Learn five phrases. In a new country, "excuse me," "hi, I'm [your name]," "where are you from?", "thank you," and "have a good day" cover most openings.
- Set an approach target per day. Three approaches a day for a five-day trip is 15 conversations. Mark each Success, Rejected, or Pass in Flow (offline logging works if you don't have data abroad).
- Keep a short note on each place. After a day out, write down which spot gave you the easiest conversations and what time of day it was.
- Adjust to local norms. If people say no more often in one setting, move to another. Don't push the same setting harder.
- Respect the answer. If she isn't interested, thank her and go.