THE TENSION: The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn and Hal Iggulden

BOOKS IN THE NEWS

The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn and Hal Iggulden
(From the Publisher) -- The bestselling book for every boy from eight to eighty, covering essential boyhood skills such as building tree houses, learning how to fish, finding true north, and even answering the age old question of what the big deal with girls is.

In this digital age there is still a place for knots, skimming stones and stories of incredible courage. This book recaptures Sunday afternoons, stimulates curiosity, and makes for great father-son activities. The brothers Conn and Hal have put together a wonderful collection of all things that make being young or young at heart fun—building go-carts and electromagnets, identifying insects and spiders, and flying the world's best paper airplanes.

The completely revised American Edition includes:

The Greatest Paper Airplane in the World
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
The Five Knots Every Boy Should Know
Stickball
Slingshots
Fossils
Building a Treehouse
Making a Bow and Arrow
Fishing (revised with US Fish)
Timers and Tripwires
Baseball's "Most Valuable Players"
Famous Battles-Including Lexington and Concord, The Alamo, and Gettysburg
Spies-Codes and Ciphers
Making a Go-Cart
Navajo Code Talkers' Dictionary
Girls
Cloud Formations
The States of the U.S.
Mountains of the U.S.
Navigation
The Declaration of Independence
Skimming Stones
Making a Periscope
The Ten Commandments
Common US Trees
Timeline of American History

IN THE NEWS
WSJ: 'Dangerous Book for Boys' Soars to Dizzying Heights

REVIEWS

Now, the name of that book, folks, that I was thinking about is "The Dangerous Book for Boys." It's by Conn and Hal Iggulden. They're obviously not illegal immigrants, and this book is going wildfire out there because it's so needed. These two guys have written a book, and they call it dangerous, because it's purely boy things. There's nothing subversive about it. There's nothing violent about it. How to make the best paper airplane in the world, just things that boys do that have done for the last ten, 15 years, feminists have tried to wipe 'em out. The feminists have done everything they can to try. By the way, this is true of liberals everywhere, not just the feminists. There's so many things to help you understand liberals, but one of the best things to help you understand them is they will not say or think or do anything that might lead anyone to believe that they discriminate. That's why there is no difference between Islam and Christianity or Judaism or Catholicism because they will not discriminate, and particularly if they think people are members of minority groups or victims, then they really, really don't want to be perceived as discriminating. Boys and girls are not different. Men and women are not different. Remember the TIME Magazine cover in the mid-nineties: New study reveals boys and girls are actually born different. Imagine the mind-set in the newsroom at TIME for that to be news to somebody. They've set about trying to make everybody equal, the equality of outcomes, everybody wants to be miserable. Well, they want everybody to be miserable because they don't think everybody can be happy. Everybody must be the same. Everybody must be equal. Nobody can be better than anybody else, nobody can be different than anyone else.

So what got this boys and girls stuff going on in the classroom was just like this stupid story out of the UK about raising your hand is intimidating to kids in the class who don't, so we're going to wipe that out. Well, guess where that started? Girls were afraid to raise their hand. They were not called on, the boys' hand shot up. They were eager to prove what they knew. This was humiliating the girls. That led to separation of the sexes in the schools, and this whole notion that the girls are being humiliated, the curricula were designed to aid boys, the feminazis got in there, took control of everything, and it made a giant mess out of so much. So these two guys have come along and written a book, "The Dangerous Book for Boys," because the marketplace works, there is a need for it. It is going to bonkers out there, and I wanted to mention that to you. I literally forgot to make mention of it yesterday.
-- Rush Limbaugh

Equal parts droll and gorgeous nostalgia book and heartfelt plea for a renewed sense of adventure in the lives of boys and men, Conn and Hal Iggulden's The Dangerous Book for Boys became a mammoth bestseller in the United Kingdom in 2006. Adapted, in moderation, for American customs in this edition (cricket is gone, rugby remains; conkers are out, Navajo Code Talkers in), The Dangerous Book is a guide book for dads as well as their sons, as a reminder of lore and technique that have not yet been completely lost to the digital age. Recall the adventures of Scott of the Antarctic and the Battle of the Somme, relearn how to palm a coin, tan a skin, and, most charmingly, wrap a package in brown paper and string. The book's ambitions are both modest and winningly optimistic: you get the sense that by learning how to place a splint or write in invisible ink, a boy might be prepared for anything, even girls (which warrant a small but wise chapter of their own).
--Amazon

Grade 4-8–Intentionally old-fashioned and politically incorrect, this eclectic collection addresses the undeniable boy-appeal of certain facts and activities. Dozens of short chapters, in fairly random order, cover a wide range of topics in conversational prose. Simple instructions for coin tricks and paper airplanes alternate with excerpts from history such as Famous Battles and facts about ancient wonders of the world and astronomy. The dangerous aspect is more apparent in such chapters as Making Cloth Fireproof, and Hunting and Cooking a Rabbit, but also applies to the overall premise that action is fun and can be worth the risks. A section on stickball, for instance, includes advice to possibly flee the vicinity in the event of a broken window. The information is appropriately concise. The knot-tying section, for example, sticks to five basic varieties with clear instructions and useful diagrams. Occasional topics such as Marbling Paper and Latin Phrases Every Boy Should Know may not fit the stereotypical interests of young males, but support the general theme of cultivating curiosity. The authors refer to their own experiences as they tested the activities, lending an appealing personal tone. Tongue-in-cheek humor emerges throughout, notably in eight bits of advice offered in the chapter called Girls. Already a best seller in England, this American edition features several adjustments, such as substituting The Declaration of Independence for Patron Saints of Britain. Both premise and content should appeal to many boys, and might be even more successful when nostalgic dads join in.
--Steven Engelfried, Multnomah County Library, OR