The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn Iggulden, Hal Iggulden
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Book Reviews of The Dangerous Book for Boys
Book Review: My 6 year old went nuts for it.
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this book after seeing the author on the Colbert show (or was it the Daily Show?). I loved the idea of the book and ordered it from Amazon immediately.
On arrival if found it exceeds my expectation. It reminds me a lot of the Popular Mechanics books from the 30's & 40's that I found in my grandmothers attic when I was a kid.
The style is archaic, which is part of the charm. My 6 year old son, who really isn't into "chapter books", went nuts for this book. I think this mostly had to do with the title, but as we scanned each chapter together he seemed to get more and more excited.
Before his bed time we read "coin tricks", "Girls" and he started planning how to get the badges found in the back of the book. He managed to learn the "French Drop" and proceeded to show everyone his new trick. Tomorrow he wants to hear about hunting and cooking rabbits.
My wife was a bit nervous about the book, especially after seeing the section on hunting and cooking a rabbit. But I think she liked the section on "Girls" and she realizes that this book is targeted to boys, not Moms.
It's definitely a hit. I will be reading chapters out of it to my son for some time to come. But I don't mind and will probably learn a thing or two myself.
Update:
It's more than a year later. The book is dog-eared, dirty and worn but my (now) 7 year old still reads and loves this book. I doubt there is a better review you can get from a 7 year old.
Book Review: Letting Boys Be Boys--Again
Summary: 5 Stars
What memories this book brings! Forty years ago, the Boy Scout handbook had so many of the same themes as this book: first aid, the Morse code, use of a compass, the Constellations, knot tying, tree identification, etc. But this book has much more than that. There are also educational features, such as the Seven Wonders of the World, the Ten Commandments, the Declaration of Independence, the Fifty States, Famous Battles, Shakespeare, basic grammatical skills, Latin phrases, extraordinary stories, etc. As a science teacher, I appreciate its scientific content (e. g., puzzling questions, insects and spiders, fossils, making crystals, building a battery, astronomy, types of clouds, the solar system, secret inks, codes and ciphers).
Like arts and crafts? You can learn how to build a go-cart, a treehouse, a workbench, various paper airplanes, a bow and arrow, timer and tripwire, etc.
How about sports? There's soccer, rugby, baseball's most valuable players, juggling, etc. Like something gentler? Then try table football, marbles, pen-and-paper games, chess, poker and other card games.
The Inguldens comment: "Is it old fashioned? Well, it depends. Men and boys today are the same as they always were, and interested in the same things." (p. xi)
The authors probably chose the title of this book facetiously, or as an attention-getter. In fact, little if anything in this book, done correctly, is dangerous!
Book Review: Buy this for boys of any age!
Summary: 5 Stars
Today we often hear people lament the "good old days" when we let our children walk to school, and we scolded them when they fell out of trees before taking them to the hospital. No-one sued anyone for negligence, and there was a widely held, if not actually admitted, assumption that boys had to break something (or at least lose a good deal of skin) in order to be real boys.
This book celebrates the essence of those heady days without encouraging the injuries that I'm sure we can do without. Boys are still boys in the land of the Iggulden brothers!
This is a book for boys who (a) don't play computer games, (b) watch much TV and (c) are frightened of girls (there is a very informative chapter about this essential topic). Now of course we know that there are NO boys like this in the modern Western world, so this is the very book to buy for small boys who have no idea what to do when there is no electirical screen, and for big boys who have fond memories of such times.
ALL boys need to know how to tie knots, and go fishing, and discuss dinosaurs with a degree of confidence. ALL boys need to know how to live a life within their imagination, and to enjoy the simpler things in life.
This is a beautiful, well crafted and physically desirable book, one which will charm and delight any boy that you know. I know my 45 year old husband appreciated it enormously at his last birthday!
Book Review: Boys Will Be Boys
Summary: 5 Stars
In an era of over-prescribed Ritalin, "The Dangerous Book for Boys" is a rare treat. One part scouting manual and one part adventure novel, Conn Iggulden has penned a great read for fathers and sons.
Health and safety are all well and good, but as some pundits have accurately noted, life is dangerous to your health. We'll all die. Some simply die before their death by never really living, by refusing any adventure because, well, it just might not be good for your health.
Iggulden reminds us to live, to really live. To get outdoors, to turn off the electronics that seem to be permanently attached like cybernetics to every young boy's body.
In a sense, it's a shame that a book like this even needs to be written. But, we do seem to need to be reminded to courageously confront a world of challenge and chaos.
Yes, boys will be boys, and they should be boys--playful, adventurous, daring, fun-loving, hyper (that's not a four-letter word), energized, confident, and, well, boyish and manly.
Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D. is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction , Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care And Spiritual Direction, and Soul Physicians.
Book Review: A Time Forgotten - Until Now:
Summary: 5 Stars
When I found this book I just had to get it for my grandsons. It reminds me of an earlier time, a time when things were much simpler, when the greatest adventures of discovery were only limited by a boy's imagination. This book will encourage them to use their imagination, and to learn new skills. There are things to make, things to learn, and there are stories of great men who made history. All these things are a guide to the body, mind, and soul - but most of all, this book will take them through the journey to becoming a man, a journey that develops character and honor.
It was once said that honor is a gift that a man gives to himself. It grows inside him, and no one can ever take it away. Part of that gift to yourself is to be humble in your accomplishments, and to respect those who have helped you along the way. Some of the stories in the book will help in the understanding of the meaning of this.
We live in a time of video games, computers, and the kinds of "self entertainment" that isolate children from interactive learning with their peers. It may sound cliche' but growing up in the 50's WAS better. This book stimulates the imagination that once took the place of todays electronic toys, in a wholesome and positive way; allowing a young boy to mature with confidence while nurturing self-esteem. This is a wonderful gift for any boy...