I Dared and am Better for Having Done So.

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	• 1001 Things To Do If You Dare Ben Malisow Adams Media, 2007 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 6 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

I Dared and am Better for Having Done So.

Ben Malisow is a shameless hooligan. In his largest work to date he has constructed not merely a list book, not simply some scroll of gags, stunts, and tomfoolery, but a challenge to live one's life for all the tastes, sights, sounds, feelings, injections, and psychological disturbance it has to offer. This is a work which brings joy on many levels. To the chronically macho there are the satisfying moments of "I've done that. Heck, I did it twice, one time blindfolded" as you tick off the checkbox. Additionally, it's Malisow's progression through a series of dares, upping the ante each time. Drink beer. Drink hard liquor. Get drunk in a bar. Get drunk in a ratty bar in the bad part of town. Then just when you fear he'll suggest you get drunk in the scary bar, put on a dress, and challenge the leader of a biker gang to a sword fight, he throws in some tangent like "plant an herb garden."

Beyond the nutty progressions of dares, however, are the deeper challenges to one's worldview. Even through the goofy, hardscrabble presentation (the book comes pre-coffee-stained and fits perfectly in the leg-pocket of your mil-surplus fatigue pants), Malisow's own premium on self-examination and deliberate living comes through. He challenges the reader with dares that make one think about what it would mean to do such a thing. What things that've been held sacred might turn to cloud and mist in the face of real live action? With this book, Ben Malisow dares you to consider that question.

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Warning: May rearrange your worldview

You might make the mistake of presuming that "1001 Things" is light reading, the kind of book you keep in the bathroom and dip into during...those private moments. But after a few sessions, Malisow's secret agenda becomes clear: he wants to upend all your assumptions. He wants to tear off those cultural blinders you call "common sense" and force you to consider possibilities you once dismissed as "insanity."

Remove one of your own teeth with no outside assistance?
Become addicted to something and then try to give it up cold turkey?
Tell the IRS that they're wrong?

"1001 Things" is a bracing broadside against the spirit of caution that increasingly darkens our "how-am-I-driving?" society. It's an invitation to unbuckle yourself from the child safety harness, run away from Nanny and get your suit mussed a little.

Of course, most of these 1001 Things are not things you should actually do. But there is value in letting them into your mind, entertaining them as possibilities. You will emerge from that bathroom into a strange new world, one with considerably broader horizons.

A perfect high-school graduation gift for that overly-sheltered mama's boy nephew of yours.

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He's demented and I love it

I just went through Malisow's list counting every one that I did. I scored a wimpy 425. The best thing about the book is that I got to recall some of the stupid things in my life that I hadn't thought about in years: racing cars across dry lake beds in California, jumping out of perfectly good airplanes, getting shot at, driving in the Philippines through a one-way tunnel the wrong way. The good things in life.

If you score below a 300, then you need to step out in life and take a few risks. Nobody's getting out of this life alive!

It's Green Eggs and Ham...[for Adults!]

I picked up Malisow's book out of curiosity...you know, the kind that kills the cat? I mean who wouldn't be challenged by a title that taunts "I Double-Dog Dare ya!"??
Ben's guide is both witty and honest, while inserting some well-timed dope-slaps here and there to sober me up, [just in case I started to get a bit cocky!] The format makes for either a fun browse or a quick read with added Skull Ratings to assure me this isn't one of those antics my "grandmother could probably accomplish"! And yet...it reminds me of something...from about 1960....
"Could you, would you, with a goat?"
"Would you, could you, on a boat?"
Ben also builds on his themes and turns up the intensity level along the way. For example:
#453. Survive a bite....
#454. Survive a human bite....
#455. Survive a snakebite....
You'll have to read for yourself what the Skull Ratings and comments go here.
Even before I got to page 12, I started thinking of my own past daring-do's for a comparison. Would mine be on the list? Surprisingly, most of them are! He's pretty darn thorough!
So how did I fare in the Skull Ratings of Doom? Well...who knows? Ben neglected to give me a proper scorecard at the end, but many have a variable rating of "that depends", which leaves it up to the reader to rate his/her own performance. For me, I think I'll leave it up to wearing my own Depends before I go out and try anything else on the list! Sign me up!

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Great "Bathroom" or "Bedtime" Read

Absolutely no plot. Absolutely no storyline. Absolutely entertaining! I was surprised at how many of Ben's "Things" I had already tried (or at least considered). Entertaining book.

reviews: page 1, 2

If you're craving some adventure in your life--or just looking to see how the other side lives, 1001 Things to Do If You Dare is sure to satisfy with its boundary-pushing suggestions of outrageous acts and fear-inducing feats guaranteed to test the physical, mental, and emotional limits of even the most venturesome.

Offering up the antidote to the status quo, thrill-seeker extraordinaire Ben Malisow also let's you keep score along the way with risk rating scales and checkboxes to track your danger quotient.

So go ahead, take the leap . . . if you dare.

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recommendations

books that intrigue me at bookstores in Austin on March 29, 2007

things

Love the One You're With
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
Things Fall Apart: A Novel
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

dare

None So Blind, Third Edition
The Hidden Power of Kindness: A Practical Handbook for Souls Who Dare ...
Dare to Dream and Work to Win
Truth or Dare
Why the Weight? Dare To Be Great!

1001

The Testament
The Complete Book of Questions: 1001 Conversation Starters for Any ...
Analytic Trigonometry with Applications
The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?
The Best Things to Do in New York City: 1001 Ideas

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