Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Darwin Awards II: Unnatural Selection by Wendy Northcutt, Jason Harris ISBN: 1-885408-76-5 Publisher: Listen & Live Audio Pub. Date: 01 October, 2001 Format: Audio CD Volumes: 3 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.28 (25 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: Not much substance
Comment: This second book in the series continues to commemorate people who remove themselves from the gene pool in spectacularly brainless ways. Although it is intended for readers who can find humor in someone's demise, the stories within are for the most part pitiful rather than funny. How many stories can one read about people whose lack of common sense causes them to be electrocuted, drowned, shot, or crushed? Is riding a scooter at night in dark clothing without a helmet and subsequently being hit by a passing pickup funny? Or dying of shrapnel wounds while juggling a live hand grenade? Or drowning in a bathtub by slipping on a bar of soap while practicing walking on water? Yes, these are typical examples of the awards, which honor impressively idiotic deaths, perhaps, but not really humorous ones.
It also appears that the supply of anecdotes on failing Life 101 is running low, since the book has little substance. Perhaps the original concept from the web site has played itself out. Of the over 100 stories, less than half of them are confirmed Darwin Award winners. The rest are unconfirmed Darwins, honorable mentions (where the award recipients are still swimming in the gene pool), urban legends, unconfirmed personal accounts, disqualified awards, and a series of "classic" winners from past years. As if that is not enough padding, the book also contains discussions on evolution, safety, biodiversity, and other unrelated topics. Sprinkled throughout are dozens of inane sayings such as "I don't think, therefore I am not" and "Another sap from the tree of life." And finally, there is an appendix containing Internet etiquette.
I suggest you save your money and go to the author's web site instead. The best of the awards listed in this book are there, along with many others. If you want to read about some really funny prizes, read "Ig Nobel Prizes" instead.
Eileen Rieback
Rating: 4
Summary: Not As Good as the First
Comment: The Second Edition of Darwin Awards is not nearly as funny as the first. It is usually the case that the sequel is a bit of a let down. This book is appropriate for its use, a book from which you can read a few pages each day.
A good addition to this book is the "Not A Darwin Award" Chapter in which the author shows stories which were unable to receive a Darwin Award for various reason. If nothing else, this demonstrates the logic behind the awards. The book has many entertaining stories which demonstrate that there are a lot of stupid people in the world. It is all the more reason for the intelligent ones like us to be careful.
My strongest objection to this book was chapter of recycled classic stories from the first edition. I would prefer to read new stories rather than ones I have already read. If somebody has not ready those stories, they really should buy the first edition. The second edition is also worth the price.
Rating: 3
Summary: Meh ... not much new material here
Comment: If you read the first of this series, you really needn't bother with this one. Unlike most series out there, it makes no difference which order you read these in. Just a collection of stories of people who are too stupid to be alive, and aren't. However, one glaring flaw in this book is the constant listings of tales that are "unconfirmed by Darwin". If the story is unconfirmed, essentially meaning it is untrue, why put it in a book of "true stories". A few of these false Darwin's would be OK, but this book is nearly half full of these falsehoods. It was a little disappointing. However, it is amusing to read the tales and imagine what kind of morons would partake in such activities. Really you could read any of the books in this series; they are essentially the same, so if you have a choice between the 3 (so far) pick the cheapest.
T
 |
Title: The Darwin Awards III: Survival of the Fittest by Wendy Northcutt ISBN: 0525947736 Publisher: E P Dutton Pub. Date: 09 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
 |
Title: The 176 Stupidest Things Ever Done by Kathryn Petras, Ross Petras ISBN: 0385483414 Publisher: Main Street Books Pub. Date: 01 August, 1996 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
 |
Title: Duh! The Stupid History Of The Human Race by Bob Fenster ISBN: 0740710028 Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing Pub. Date: 15 September, 2000 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
 |
Title: Stupid Sex by Kathryn Petras, Ross Petras ISBN: 0385488513 Publisher: Main Street Books Pub. Date: 17 August, 1998 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
 |
Title: The Ig Nobel Prizes: The Annals of Improbable Research by Marc Abrahams ISBN: 0525947531 Publisher: E P Dutton Pub. Date: 25 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
