The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn Iggulden, Hal Iggulden
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Book Reviews of The Dangerous Book for Boys
Book Review: Start the Counterrevolution! A Politically Incorrect Delight!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a wickedly funny and reactionary book! A few years ago, Christina Hoff Sommers wrote "The War Against Boys" which exposed the ongoing efforts of radical feminist educators to stop boisterous young boys from behaving like males. If you oppose this movement, you will find "The Dangerous Book of Boys" to be the perfect tonic for those who prescribed Ritalin to school boys suffering from learning disabilities such as attention deficit disorder. Before filling a prescription, see if your son may benefit by exhausting himself on the athletic field or playground before working on his homework. Exercise may be a healthier form of pacification than medications. As the authors point out, boys are meant to play tackle football and rugby in the mud, to learn how to fish, hunt and shoot. There is also nothing wrong about boys wanting to play soldiers or to read forbidden books by Rudyard Kipling or Jack London.
The book includes accounts of major battles such as Waterloo, Gettysburg and the defense of Rorke's Drift, which includes a recommendation that the kids watch the movie "Zulu." It may be heresy, but the authors maintain that it is perfectly acceptable behavior for boys to be masculine. The only problem with this book is that dad and uncle may not put it down long enough for Junior to enjoy it.
Great fun. Where did I put my pocket knife and sling shot?
Book Review: It's all that.
Summary: 5 Stars
With so much hype, I expected this book to be overrated. It's not. It is filled with boy-friendly facts, trivia, and how-to information from A to Z. Build a battery; a tree house "It really should have a skull and crossbones somewhere;" fold a simple paper airplane that flies well; tie a bowline "a fantastically useful, solid knot;" make crystals; grow sunflowers; make cloth fire proof. There is information on subjects typically appreciated by boys: dinosaurs, astronomy, codes, sports, and battles; as well as some that you might not expect: Sampling Shakespeare, Seven Poems Every Boy Should Know, The Origin of Words, and Understanding Grammar. Boys will be happy. Parents will be happy. And girls will be happy, especially if boys heed the advice of the Girls section, "Avoid being vulgar," "make sure you are well-scrubbed, your nails are clean and your hair is washed," "Treat them with respect." The recommended reading list, Books Every Boy Should Read, is pretty good too. The Dangerous Book for Boys is stuffed so full of facts that the average boy will probably not be satisfied with borrowing it from the library for a few weeks. I think it should be part of every eight to twelve-year-old boy's book collection (though previewing a library copy is a good idea). Similarly themed: Children's Miscellany and Children's Miscellany Too, both by Matthew Morgan and Samantha Barnes.
Book Review: A Mom's Review
Summary: 5 Stars
Finally, something wonderful in book form just for boys! I am the mother of two girls and one boy. I assure you, they are not the same. Gender does make a difference! There are lots of books & magazines out there for girls, why not something for boys!
The title will encourage one to pick up the book and look inside, but the things inside are not very dangerous. Fun, but not particularly dangerous. The book definitely harkens back to a simpler time when boys had the freedom to roam free and explore (possibly get into a little trouble??). Before there was so much technology (video games, TV, computers), boys had to keep themselves busy. I know, because my husband grew up in the 60's and 70's and he tells me of all his activites and escapades.
The bottom line? This book is a beautiful gift to give a boy. The boy depends on age and unbringing. It needs to be given young, probably by late elementary school. Of course, it needs to be given to a boy whose parents value and appreciate the things contained inside. If the parent thinks the stuff is stupid, so will the boy. A 14 year old is most likely too far gone.
I did not cover specifics because there are so many reviews. The book is very beautiful to hold and see. The content appropriate for helping a boy develop into a well rounded man. Buy it and see for yourself!
Book Review: Great Book for All Ages
Summary: 5 Stars
The Dangerous Books for Boys is a well-humored approach on how technology has changed our life and habits. As I am in my early 30s, fortunately I had the chance to live in my childhood the time when street play and hand crafted toys were the normal thing for a kid to do and enjoy. Computers and video games were available, but using them was one of the options that we had at that time, not the only option as today's kids have, or at least seem to prefer over any other more "archaic" thing.
These were times when things didn't go too fast, didn't need to be immediate and, most importantly, making real friends was easier. Things could be found (sometimes with some hard work) by browsing a book at the library or through any other method of extensive research, and the pleasure of discovering something new was more rewarding than it is today, when a simple click can resolve our problems in a minute. The technology evolution made our lives easier, no doubt about it, but as there's a price to pay for every thing that changes, easier in this case does not necessarily mean more pleasant.
At the same time this makes a nostalgia book for older people, it makes also a great reading for children, who will certainly be amazed to see how those "archaic" and "ridiculously ordinary stuff" used to make us tremendously happy.
Book Review: Can I give it six (6) stars?
Summary: 5 Stars
As a six-year-old, I explored the jungles just outside our Naval housing area in the Philippines, including playing on an abandoned Japanese pillbox, throwing dirt clods at fruit bats, and visiting a nearby native village. As an eight-year-old, I wandered through the moderate rainforest behind our Naval housing duplex in Astoria, Oregon, and caught snakes by the dozen. As a ten-year-old, I scrounged money to buy Erlenmeyer flasks, test tubes and glass piping to use with my chemistry set.
Childhood, as part of life itself, involves risks; I still have a few scars on my body from those early years. But I fear that our society has become so nannified and risk-adverse that we are infantilizing our children.
Which is why I am so tickled with this book. My almost-8-year-old grandson Ashton has been looking through it -- and wants to build a go-kart and grow crystals. (He was a bit grossed out over the thought of shooting, cleaning, cooking and eating a rabbit -- though a bit intrigued as well.) Since he has grown up playing video games and watching DVDs, I am just delighted with his interest in the book, and I see us working through its projects together over the next few years.
Many, many thanks to the brothers Iggulden, and I hope Volume II is on its way. ..bruce..