The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn Iggulden, Hal Iggulden
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Book Reviews of The Dangerous Book for Boys
Book Review: A teacher's strong recommendation
Summary: 5 Stars
I often get rambunctious boys who dominate the classroom. This book can be used by a teacher to chill the homes.
American readers will be offput by its British Empire Fun Fair tone but I teach in a former colony.
We need not trash "the politically correct" to like this book. It adds and does not detract from the feminist conversation because, "oppression of girls" should not create a new oppression of the high spirits, the rambunctiousness, the courage, and the instinctive sense of honour of boys.
Use this book to get the lads on parade. If they are tossing chip butties about the classroom, enter roaring right you lot, slam this book upon the desk, open it up and in a loud voice read to them right, today we shall learn to hunt, and kill, and eat a rabbit with a gun.
This may be done with gun in hand in many American towns, but it is best to leave the gun at home elsewhere.
The girls need not feel left out for there is a fundamental asymmetry between the reactions of girls to a book marked for boys, and of boys to a book marked for girls: for girls, as a section of the book tells us in appropriate language, are mysterious and full of fancy lights on the inside, and it is well for the lad to enter what the Freud chap called the latency phase. Whereas girls have a necessary interest in the outside world of moors, and rabbits and the sea.
As it is, in the US and the UK, altogether too many boys are being railroaded towards Prison Planet by an overgentrified educational system, that reflects no true "political correctness", if we understand "political correctness" to be the code of the person who, like the Victorian ideal gentleman, would not harm others unnecessarily and only seeks to generalize this for the modern world, but instead a disgustingly middle class silence on the realities of life.
Book Review: G. K. Chesterton on Boys
Summary: 5 Stars
What a marvelous idea for a book! It puts into action what G. K. Chesterton wrote in a 1906 magazine article:
*****
A child's instinct is almost perfect in the matter of fighting; a child always stands for the good militarism as against the bad. The child's hero is always the man or boy who defends himself suddenly and splendidly against aggression. The child's hero is never the man or boy who attempts by his mere personal force to extend his mere personal influence. In all boys' books, in all boys' conversation, the hero is one person and the bully the other. That combination of the hero and bully in one, which people now call the Strong Man or the Superman, would be simply unintelligible to any schoolboy....
But really to talk of this small human creature, who never picks up an umbrella without trying to use it as a sword, who will hardly read a book in which there is no fighting, who out of the Bible itself generally remembers the "bluggy" [bloody] parts, who never walks down the garden without imagining himself to be stuck all over with swords and daggers--to take this human creature and talk about the wickedness of teaching him to be military, seems rather a wild piece of humour. He has already not only the tradition of fighting, but a far manlier and more genial tradition of fighting than our own. No; I am not in favour of the child being taught militarism. I am in favour of the child teaching it.
****
And for those rainy days with mommy makes the young warrior stay indoors, get him wonderful, imaginative books such as Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn, and Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, along with tales of exploration like those of Ernest Shackleton and the two brave young men in Across Asia on a Bicycle
--Michael W. Perry, Untangling Tolkien
Book Review: A Trip Back to Your Youth and Great Opportunities to Connect with Sons, Nephews, and Grandsons
Summary: 5 Stars
Put together all of your cub scout and boy scout manuals, your favorite books about masculine activities, and your favorite memories about growing up as a boy, and you'll find them all somewhere in The Dangerous Book for Boys. In addition, you'll find answers to questions you've always wondered about . . . written at a boy's level of understanding.
As I read pages about tying knots, forming and launching paper airplanes, picking out a Swiss army knife, heat at the equator, making a bow and arrows, understanding grammar, making timers and tripwires, reading U.S. Naval flag codes, creating and decoding ciphers, forming crystals, learning to juggle, practicing first aid, star charts of constellations, and famous battles, I was once again eight years old. I didn't know it was possible, but my body felt smaller and suppler. I could remember where I'd first learned about all of those things, in many cases remembering what I hadn't thought of in decades.
As a connection to the younger generation, this book is marvelous because you can create a common territory beyond the borders of video games, MP3 files, and exotic sports. In addition, you can relate to you young friend or relative your own experiences in these areas, fields that young people don't know how to visit otherwise.
After you've looked at this book, I'm sure you'll agree with me that every boy deserves the chance to add this learning and these experiences to his boyhood.
I'm sure there will be another edition of this book someday. When it comes out, Mr. Iggulden, please do me a favor and include a section on the rules of cricket. I've never been able to completely follow that game. Then, you'll have made my second childhood perfect.
Book Review: Incredible book for teen aged boys (as well as younger and older)!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'd read about the Dangerous Book for Boys and I got it recently for my godson. He opened the boxes from Amazon before I could get home (he was looking for the new Harry Potter book I'd ordered) and he saw The Dangerous Book for Boys.
"Who's that for?" he asked me when I got home.
I hesitated, because I had thoughts of giving it to him for Christmas, then I quickly realized that at fourteen years old, he may not like the book at all. He may find it childish and too young.
I decided that if he didn't like it, I could always return it, so I'd best give it to him right away.
With a grim look on my face, I said, "It's for you."
His face lit up and he said, "Awesome!"
He snatched it out of my hands and promptly began going through the pages. He took it to dinner that evening and showed it off to friends of mine.
I think I did okay with this purchase (and that's not too easy to do with a teenage boy...I do okay with football, baseball, and such, but books...).
The Dangerous Book for Boys is just great! I have enjoyed looking through it myself. I plan to sit down with it and peruse it once I can get it away from him. It has all sorts of neat information in it and it's presented in such a great way that boys won't feel like they're reading a text book (regarding the historical and informational content). But there's so much fun and cool content: naval flag meanings, navajo code language, several poems that all boys should know (and I have to agree with the choices), small quotes from Shakespeare that everyone should know, etc. It's just a plethora of great information and fun!
Conn Iggulden has done a great job!
Book Review: Wonderful book!!
Summary: 5 Stars
A good friend recommended this book, so I decided to give it a look. I'm very glad I did. The book is wonderful. As others have already said, the book reminds us that life is about more than TV programs and video games. It encourages us to slow down, take time to enjoy some simple pleasures and reconnect with the world around us. I like the fact that it's broken into manageable chapters, so younger readers won't find it too daunting. My 7 year old son can't put it down. Though we read every night, this book has truly piqued his interest. It's very rewarding to see him opt for a book instead of a video game. I think this is one of the most valuable aspects of the book. It inspires young people to want to learn.
I encourage anyone with children to buy this book. Frankly, I think it's appropriate for both boys and girls - there is no doubt that my 5 year old daughter will be fully involved in all of our adventures, experiments and lessons. She's already made her first paper airplane!
One final point - While I support everyone's right to post their opinions in a forum such as this, I would caution prospective readers to carefully consider the negative reviews posted here. I find it a bit ridiculous that some have gone as far as to criticize adults for reading the book, noting that it's "below their reading level". That assertion is absurdly pretentious and completely misses the point of the book. This book is meant to be fun. It does not purport to be serious literature. It is not meant to serve some other intellectual purpose, though I do believe it will help young people to better understand their history. Check it out for yourself - it's a winner!