zellian's review against another edition
2.0
I got the Audiobook version, if you're wanting to read this book I would suggest to instead get the physical book. I found it was a lot of information all at once and there were some parts where it seemed like they had visuals that had been provided that I unfortunately did not have. It feels like a book you read in parts, not something where you sit down and burn through it in a couple of hours.
As an audiobook it can come off as a bit "Info-dumpy" as they go through history of men in wars and Europe, to clouds and astrology and some great lines from Shakespeare's work. It's a book filled more with interesting facts, trivia and stories. Though some of these things are now outdated, you still might learn a thing or two. Its also centralized around Europe and UK, might have some readers outside find some parts don't apply to them or hard to relate to.
I would reccomend this for Pre-Teen and up, or for those younger they may need an adult every now and then as I feel like it might need to be broken down a bit more for some.
As an audiobook it can come off as a bit "Info-dumpy" as they go through history of men in wars and Europe, to clouds and astrology and some great lines from Shakespeare's work. It's a book filled more with interesting facts, trivia and stories. Though some of these things are now outdated, you still might learn a thing or two. Its also centralized around Europe and UK, might have some readers outside find some parts don't apply to them or hard to relate to.
I would reccomend this for Pre-Teen and up, or for those younger they may need an adult every now and then as I feel like it might need to be broken down a bit more for some.
estherbookster's review against another edition
3.0
I received this as a free book, and there's some helpful techniques insides. However, it's very dated, ableist, and disqualifies queer identification. I wouldn't recommend this unless you're prewarned about what to expect. Like I said, very dated.
alienor's review against another edition
1.0
"[men and boys] may conquer different worlds when they grow up, but they'll still want these stories for themselves and for their sons." ← The fuck?
What I fail to understand is this : Why in the world this book is aimed at boys?
It's by no means a real review because I only skimmed it, and I'm not sure I'll come back to it. Therefore I can't judge if the historical/scientific facts are accurate or not. I'm not saying that all that we find in it isn't interesting for children. That's not the point here.
Call me crazy. Call me delusional. Call me stupid, while you're at it.
But.
To me this kind of book is sexism in disguise. Why? Because it perpetuates the stereotypes which say that science, history, adventure is for boys and for boys only (and their dads). The fact is, I work with children every day and I'm sick of it. Sick to see boys don't dare to play with a doll because they are mocked. Sick to see girls don't dare to say that they love science because that's not for them.
Of course the advices they give to boys about girls are kind. Of course. They say that boys have to treat girls with respect. But they remain so fucking patronizing, I'm drowning in it.
"By this, we do not mean the physical differences, more the fact that they remain unimpressed by your mastery of game involving wizards, or your understanding of Morse Code."
YOU DON'T SAY?!
Finally, my bit of advice for boys who read this : They're explaining that if a boy sees a girl who is in need of help to lift something, he has to do this : "Approach the object and greet her with a cheerful smile, whilst surreptitiously testing the weight of the object. If you find you can lift it, go ahead. If you can't, try sitting on it and engaging her in conversation." ← Don't do that. That's stupid. I won't FORGET my box if you sit on it. WTF?!
What I fail to understand is this : Why in the world this book is aimed at boys?
It's by no means a real review because I only skimmed it, and I'm not sure I'll come back to it. Therefore I can't judge if the historical/scientific facts are accurate or not. I'm not saying that all that we find in it isn't interesting for children. That's not the point here.
Call me crazy. Call me delusional. Call me stupid, while you're at it.
But.
To me this kind of book is sexism in disguise. Why? Because it perpetuates the stereotypes which say that science, history, adventure is for boys and for boys only (and their dads). The fact is, I work with children every day and I'm sick of it. Sick to see boys don't dare to play with a doll because they are mocked. Sick to see girls don't dare to say that they love science because that's not for them.
Of course the advices they give to boys about girls are kind. Of course. They say that boys have to treat girls with respect. But they remain so fucking patronizing, I'm drowning in it.
"By this, we do not mean the physical differences, more the fact that they remain unimpressed by your mastery of game involving wizards, or your understanding of Morse Code."
YOU DON'T SAY?!
Finally, my bit of advice for boys who read this : They're explaining that if a boy sees a girl who is in need of help to lift something, he has to do this : "Approach the object and greet her with a cheerful smile, whilst surreptitiously testing the weight of the object. If you find you can lift it, go ahead. If you can't, try sitting on it and engaging her in conversation." ← Don't do that. That's stupid. I won't FORGET my box if you sit on it. WTF?!
lazygal's review against another edition
5.0
Ok, so I didn't read closely - I did skim it all and read several sections with interest. It's a great idea, and the pity is that this book needed to be written at all, as books like [book:The Complete Book of Marvels] and the Boy Scouts used to fill this void.
bloodravenlib's review against another edition
3.0
I can see where this book could appeal to boys, if not for the fact that so many of them are tethered to their game consoles and thus unable to enjoy it. But this is a good book to give to boys and send them outside to do things. It also has a lot of good trivia, poems, historical events, allusions, so on that boys (and just any educated person) should know. I would have enjoyed this book as a boy. Nowadays, I think it is more a book to browse at leisure rather than read straight through, which is what I ended up doing. Personally, I found it a little reminiscent of the Boy Scout Handbook I had when I was a scout (though the scout book had much better illustrations). It is also reminiscent of older manuals, which I am sure is intentional. There is a bit of everything here, and I think anyone can learn something, or maybe remember something they learned as a child.
ubalstecha's review against another edition
3.0
This book is only Dangerous, if you think knowledge is dangerous. Otherwise it is simply an encyclopedia of how to do things aimed at boys. This would be an excellent book for a classroom library, or for the bathroom or guestroom of a home with boys.
ricksilva's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
Designed with the look of an old-time Boy Scouts Handbook, this collects (the author's ideas of) essential skills and knowledge for boys.
I read this with my son, and we did some of the activities, and talked about possibly doing some of the others in the future. I found the instructions on practical skills to be clear, concise, and easy to follow.
The recommendations for reading and poetry are interesting, and it was fun to look at Latin phrases and word origins. The descriptions of the games of chess and poker gave enough of the basics to get started, although chess could have benefited from a few more examples.
The tone of the the book is essentially conservative, although it generally avoids outright preachiness, even in a chapter on the Ten Commandments. However, there is an awful lot of glorification of colonialism, and the "Extraordinary Stories" feature only white men. The most disappointing bit was a series of bits of low-key homophobia in the story of Robert the Bruce, which were extra disappointing because Edward II, the target of these remarks, was a relatively minor player in the story, so it felt like the author was going out of his way to get his shots in.
Most of the content of this book is not particularly dangerous, but I can understand the use of the term to provide hype. The writing is generally engaging. A few topics, like grammar, are pretty difficult to make exciting (or dangerous), but the book is well-paced and mixes its topics well.
The most surprising section in the book is a short chapter on roleplaying games that gives a rousing endorsement to D&D.
I read this with my son, and we did some of the activities, and talked about possibly doing some of the others in the future. I found the instructions on practical skills to be clear, concise, and easy to follow.
The recommendations for reading and poetry are interesting, and it was fun to look at Latin phrases and word origins. The descriptions of the games of chess and poker gave enough of the basics to get started, although chess could have benefited from a few more examples.
The tone of the the book is essentially conservative, although it generally avoids outright preachiness, even in a chapter on the Ten Commandments. However, there is an awful lot of glorification of colonialism, and the "Extraordinary Stories" feature only white men. The most disappointing bit was a series of bits of low-key homophobia in the story of Robert the Bruce, which were extra disappointing because Edward II, the target of these remarks, was a relatively minor player in the story, so it felt like the author was going out of his way to get his shots in.
Most of the content of this book is not particularly dangerous, but I can understand the use of the term to provide hype. The writing is generally engaging. A few topics, like grammar, are pretty difficult to make exciting (or dangerous), but the book is well-paced and mixes its topics well.
The most surprising section in the book is a short chapter on roleplaying games that gives a rousing endorsement to D&D.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia
wellington299's review against another edition
4.0
With a nod to the not so distant past when boys made up games in the outdoors and not playing games indoors, the book give advice on things every boy should know. This book has guides on making paper airplanes, tying knots, and even some history. Forget boys, I should be learning this stuff too!
bookwormjimmy's review against another edition
4.0
A great book…for both boys and girls.
Don't let the title fool you. Girls would love the content in this book just as much as any boy out there, perhaps even more. It's choked full of random yet essential information that any self-respecting adult ought to know…or at least be familiar with. How to tie various knots? Now I know how to do some basics. How to make a respectable paper airplane? How to build a sturdy treehouse? What about the 7 ancient wonders of the world? So much to know!
A great resource book to have at home, especially for those long summer days when all you have is time to read. Time to get started!
Don't let the title fool you. Girls would love the content in this book just as much as any boy out there, perhaps even more. It's choked full of random yet essential information that any self-respecting adult ought to know…or at least be familiar with. How to tie various knots? Now I know how to do some basics. How to make a respectable paper airplane? How to build a sturdy treehouse? What about the 7 ancient wonders of the world? So much to know!
A great resource book to have at home, especially for those long summer days when all you have is time to read. Time to get started!