The Dangerous Book for Boys
by Conn Iggulden, Hal Iggulden
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Book Reviews of The Dangerous Book for Boys
Book Review: Mom loves it, too!
Summary: 4 Stars
While this book was apparently intended for the nostalgic dad set, its appeal is nearly universal. My boys can't get enough of the book, and my husband is positively smitten. I confess, although decidely female, it piqued my curiosity and interest as well.
What I liked (ok, loved)
1. The binding: This book is extraordinarily well made. The cover and pages have an old-time feel and the book itself is right at home with our "good" books.
2. The range of material, all in a lovely jumble. The authors clearly know boys well! They swoop from paper airplanes directly into the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The seeming hodge-podge of subjects and its equally baffling organization will undoubtedly appeal to boys of all ages.
3. The unashamedly boyish nature of the book. There are thousands of titles just for girls, it's nice for boys to finally have a book to inspire them as well. That's not to say that mom or your sister won't borrow it behind your back, though.
What could be improved:
1. The descriptions of how to make various boyhood standbys. If your boys don't already have the The Klutz Book of Paper Airplanes (Klutz), you may want to purchase it to augment this book. Most of the other handmade items could stand a more thorough set of instructions as well.
2. Although there is no way a book of this size could cover every conceivable topic of interest to boys, there is really NO woodcraft. How to make a tarp or brush shelter, laying a fire, sharpening a knife/whittling, wild edibles, and basic survival skills are all missing. Maybe they'll include it in the sequel (hint, hint!)If your kids are inclined in this direction, Bushcraft: Outdoor Skills & Wilderness Survivalis one of the best single volume works on the market. This is not a book for young boys, but teens with some supervision would enjoy it immensely.
Overall, this is probably one of the neatest books I have seen in a long time. If you actually want to do the things in this book with your son, instead of just thinking about them, run to join your nearest Cub or Boy Scout group. We do about 3/4 of the things in this book (and no rabbits are harmed in the process!) with our boys in the Scouting program plus a ton of stuff that just wouldn't fit into this format.
I hope that the publisher will see fit to run sequels of Dangerous either by this author or others. It is a delightful read!
Book Review: Great for Fathers and Father Figures, and kids
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a useful and fun book with a lot of small flaws that might scare away some readers.
They shouldn't. What some might consider some of the flaws are part of the appeal.
First, consider the title. The "Dangerous" is never explained. Some of the activities presented
are more dangerous than most present day kids are exposed to, but they are not high risk.
In fact, safety is stressed. There are frequent reminders to ask for adult supervision.
The authors are displaying the very modern concern about labeling to avoid lawsuits.
The "Boys" in the title has sparked some controversy. Many of the activities will appeal to
girls, and not all the activities will appeal to all boys. I think my daughter would have
greatly enjoyed the book if it had been available when she was a girl. Some girls would hate it,
but I suspect all girls would find some topics interesting. There really are differences between
boys and girls, beyond mere plumbing. For every topic, a bigger fraction of boys will be interested
in the topic than the fraction of girls.
The book is far more for fathers and adults, including women, that are trying to help boys and
other kids. Perhaps I should have said "be a father figure." I checked my local library network
of 35 libraries near Boston and found seven copies in children's sections, with the rest of the
49 in adult sections. It is also a pleasant trip down memory lane for many men without a boy
to use it on.
The book was first published in Great Britain, and has been revised for the American market,
but not as much as it should have been. The reader is still assumed to know the regions of England.
The Cascade range is described as in California.
None of that matters. There is still a lot for most boys of various ages. The same kid can get a
lot of fun out of it at age eight, or ten, or twelve, or beyond. This is definitely a book to own
rather than get from a library. If you think it might be useful, you need it.
The activities do not define a boy. They are examples of fun and educational things. Many other
topics could have been included. I expect there will be a sequel, perhaps a series. But this is a
good start to developing imagination, tenacity, curiosity, and strength of character in a kid.
Book Review: Language and grammar deserve better
Summary: 3 Stars
Okay, I have a couple of comments about what the Iggulden boys say about grammar on page 39. First, saying that how you use certain words is either right or wrong is not an appropriate way to describe grammar. To me, saying, "between you and me" is not as much about grammar as about usage. The authors are right when they say that grammar is "about rules and structure," but it's certainly not all there is to language use. And when they say it's "not a matter of opinion," they are just plain wrong.
People don't agree about how language should be used. That's part of the point. Learning about language means, in fact, learning how to use it effectively, meaning using different kinds of language for different situations. What the writers imply is that there is only one form of correct English, sometimes called Standard English. That is not true. We use many different kinds of English every day: one variety for business, another when we are at home, a colloquial kind with friends, another in tekkie situations or when talking to a mechanic and so on.
Then Conn and Hal Iggulden claim that "there are only nine kinds of words. Nine." They say that this is one of the basics. Without defining language, syntax, morphology, grammar, usage or any of the other basics, the authors cling to the traditional list of parts of speech. Two things: first, traditional grammars list eight parts of speech (omitting articles). Second, instead of eight or nine kinds of words, modern linguists describe English as having two main classes of words, Form words and Function words. And there would be more than eight or nine if you counted them.
When the kinds of words are listed, then, they are defined as they have been in most traditional grammar books. That means the words are not defined very well. Most of them are `notional definitions,' that is, they don't tell you how they are formed, how they function or how to find them if you have to.
After my book The New American Language and Grammar Primer is published, I will give you one so that you can find a more complete explanation of these ideas there. If you ever want to know.
Much of the rest of the book--games, stories and projects--is fun. It's too bad they got the language section off to a bad start.
Book Review: Our British Friends Have Heard Your Pleas!
Summary: 5 Stars
I came across "The Dangerous Book for Boys" at one of the behemoth bookstores, where I sat down to read it for what turned into at least an hour. Since Amazon.com beats their rivals' reduced prices, I am going to order copies of the American edition for my grown sons as well as my grandchildren, both male and female.
In the meantime, I ordered the United Kingdom edition on Amazon.co.uk so that I could see what I was missing. I was delighted to discover what constitutes a first-rate conker (a horse chestnut on a string, the object being to conk--and break--your opponents' conkers). I was also delighted to discover that the best cricket bats are made of willow; and that one can tap the bark of the English hawthorn tree in spring for its drinkable sugary sap--three golden nuggets of information amongst a wealth of fascinating topics, most of which are still in the American edition. I was equally delighted to renew my acquaintance with the Kings and Queens of England and to peruse the maps that depict changing Britain from Roman times until the Norman conquest.
This wonderful compendium of unrelated snippets of information (from codes and cyphers to questions about the universe) reminds me of the old Wonder Books and St. Nicholas Magazines (handed down from my older brother) that I devoured as a little girl. Such subjects aroused my curiosity then; they made me ask questions and want to learn more about all manner of things.
And that is the "dangerous" aspect of this book; that a child, be it boy or girl, will have his curiosity aroused, ask questions, and then go on to read more--whether about the seven wonders of the world, the Latin origins of words, or how to marble paper and build paper airplanes. In the process, a child might even come to love learning for its own sake. As a consequence, he--or she--will never be bored!
As for readers who are concerned that girls might left out because of the title, Amazon.co.uk are releasing "The Great Big Glorious Book for Girls" by Rosemary Davidson and Sarah Vine on July 19. It is said that the book will "satisfy the whims of diehard tomboys and [girls who are] devoted [to] flower fairies." So let's not, as the British say, get our knickers into a twist. Help is on the way!
Book Review: It's too dangerous!
Summary: 5 Stars
And great for it!
It's dangerous because it brings back values from a time when personal responsibility was assumed, not assumed to be absent. Hunting with airguns is dangerous, but teaches that meat doesn't arrive on Earth wrapped in clear plastic. Anything to do with spies is dangerous, but codes and invisible inks are fun, can be used responsibly, and are an important part of history (n.b. the role of espionage in the American Revolution). Doing things with electricity like making batteries, electromagnets, and pocket lights is dangerous, but teaches some of fundements of the technologies that drive the modern world. Soccer is dangerous, I've seen kids break bones playing it, but it is good healthy fun, and the kids who broke bones openly and loudly resented having to sit out games while they recovered. Girls are dangerous in so many ways, but when treated with respect can make life better. Grammar is dangerous, especially in the hands of an attorney, but creates quite an advantage for those who master it.
All these things and more are discussed, and alternatives to XBox, Gameboy, PlayStation, etc are offered. This book is incredibly dangerous to proponents of a 'managed society' where everyone is protected from everything, and everyone is free and happy in exactly the proscribed fashion. And I'm OK with this. Because "the Dangerous Book for Boys" also encourages responsibility, manners, education, self-reliance, creativity, and a host of other values that receive lip-service but little actual support in mainstream America.
Several reviewers have expressed their displeasure with the phrase "for Boys". Get over it. Get some perspective; if this is the most important thing you can take a stand about, go visit a third world country and watch children walk half a mile for water every day. Who cares what it says on the cover? I bought it with a blond, blue-eyed, [...] girl in mind, and she loves it. If it is such a heartache to you, quit whining and write "The Dangerous Book for Girls" while my daughter reads this one.
For the rest of y'all, get this for any boy or girl of any age. This book is excellent and an investment in the future.