A Dangerous Book

Kevin Coolidge

‘Twas the night before Christmas and Santa’s a wreck. It seems Ho, Ho, Ho is out. It’s just not politically correct. Is it just me, or are we as a society just too damn worried about offending everybody and anyone? Too afraid of being sued or losing our job over a joke? Maybe I’m just being nostalgic, but I remember a time when I didn’t have to apologize for being who I am. I believe that’s why I find The Dangerous Book for Boys, by the brothers Conn and Hal Iggulden, so appealing. It doesn’t ask a boy to be sorry for being a boy. Boys are drawn to the thrill of danger, climbing trees and arm wrestling, taking things apart and learning how they work. It’s part of growing up, or at least it used to be…

The Dangerous Book for Boys is a guidebook aimed at boys “from eight to eighty.” The book covers about eighty topics, including how to build a tree house, make a bow and arrow, or skip a stone. Also included is crucial information on historical battles, legendary explorers, the Golden Age of Piracy, Navajo code breakers of WW2, and even some points on grammar, and poems and books every boy should read.

I found it impossible to open the book and not find a topic of interest. Did you know you could tell direction with a watch with two hands? Just hold the watch horizontally (in the northern hemisphere) Point the hour hand at the sun. Bisect the angle between the hour hand and 12 to give you a north-south line. This is much more convenient than the old moss on the north side of the tree adage. What do you do if the tree has moss all the way around? Walk in circles?

The Dangerous Book for Boys is the ideal gift for a father and son, or mother and daughter, or uncle or aunt…Because I knew more than one girl growing up who ran around with skinned-up knees and played on the monkey bars. There’s something for everyone who wants to enjoy being wild, creative, and adventurous. You can learn about how to hunt and skin a rabbit, cloud formations, and fishing as well as, indoor activities-such as paper airplanes, coin tricks, and playing poker. So, put up the iPod and grab your Swiss Army Knife, a compass, a flashlight, and some Band-Aids. Because adventure awaits!

It was Alexander Pope who said, "A little learning is a dangerous thing.” and some reviewers have criticized the book, saying it encourages young readers to injure themselves, but I believe our “playstation culture” of being sedentary is much more dangerous. Boys will be boys, and boys grow up to be men. “They need to fall off things occasionally," Iggulden says, "or . . . they'll take worse risks on their own. If we do away with challenging playgrounds and cancel school trips for fear of being sued, we don't end up with safer boys--we end up with them walking on train tracks." Me? I’m going outside to climb a tree. Better a broken bone, than a broken spirit…

Dangerous Boy, or Daring Girl? Drop me an email at frommyshelf@epix.net. Read a book about a Courageous Cat. “Hobo Finds A Home”, about a barn cat who wanted more out of life. Soon to be translated into Mandarin Chinese! Miss a column? Check it out at www.frommyshelf.blogspot.com