Dare to Repair: A Do-It-Herself Guide to Fixing (Almost) Anything in the Home

I bought this book for my Mom for Christmas last year. She was on her own for the first time in her life. When I visited her this Christmas, she was complaining about her toilet running. I said, "Mom, get the book" She got the book out, I read the instructions out loud to her, and she fixed her OWN toilet. She was so proud of herself. Everyone that called on Christmas got the blow by blow account of how she fixed her own toilet. Buy this book. You will learn how to fix alot of those annoying household problems. Save money, and get a feeling of accomplishment. Buy it for your Mom, Dad, everyone. Highly recommended!

So I get home after work, and all I really want is a shower. That's it. So I'm taking out my contacts...... .....and one flips right out of my eye. I hear it slide across the sink, and the unmistakable sound of it going down the drain. {INSERT CHOICE OF CURSE WORD HERE]. So I stand there, frozen. All of a sudden, I remember a book my mom got me last christmas. Dare to Repair. I look through it, and sure enough, there's a section on retrieving lost items from the drain. I weigh the options. Nasty slimy drain which I don't really have the tools for? Or going without a contacts for two weeks while I go through the hassle of the eye doctor? Not to mention my lenses are a hundred bucks each (gas permeable). AND my insurance only covers either glasses or contacts, not both, and this was the year to get new glasses. So, I try it. I empty out all the stuff from under the sink. I get my bucket. I have no wrenches the right size, so I just try twisting the pvc pipe. IT CAME OFF! No tools at all! I empty the sink trap into the bucket, and sure enough... there's the darn lens. I screw everything back up, turn on the faucet, no leaks!!! I am so extraordinarily tickled. THANK YOU, Dare to Repair! You saved me a hundred bucks!

I have to say that this is a great book for anyone who has just purchased their first home. If you are in a position where you have noone to depend on but yourself, get a copy. Although, a reviewer did pan the book, stating that it gave instructions on how to change a bulb, this is not the whole truth-the bulb that they are referring to in the book, is in your gas or electric oven-big difference. It gives details on how to ignite a pilot light on a water heater safely-( which, unfortunately, I have had to do twice )- and several other things that you may not even think about until it is too late. Better to buy the book, and familiarize yourself. Do you know how to shut off your gas supply in an emergency, or repair a leaking water tank on a Sunday, or worse, in the middle of the night? Where is your toolbox? Do you even have a tool box? I admit, I did'nt even consider these things before. Buying a house for the first time, most of us are knee deep in carpet samples, decorating books, and paint chips-and most of us don't focus on gas leaks, frozen pipes, broken toilets, clogged showers, or loss of hot water. Like a good scout, BE PREPARED!

I'm a guy, and despite the pretense we guys like to present, men are not born knowing how to fix stuff. Now, I'm not real happy with the sales schtick on this book. Why only women? Discriminiation, I say: we men need this book as much as any woman. Change the title from "Dare to Repair: A Do-It-Herself Guide to Fixing (Almost) Anything in the Home" to something more masculine (or neutral) and Sussman will sell a bunch more. All my whining aside, "Dare to Repair" is a straight-to-the-point practical guide. It covers the basics, and has no delusions about being the last word in fixing things. There's nothing intimidating or overwhelming, but the reader mustn't be afraid of a little dirt. Broken stuff is often dirty, you know. Buy the book. It'll come in handy, and pay for itself the first time you use it successfully instead of hiring an overpaid fixit person. I fully recommend "Dare to Repair: A Do-It-Herself Guide to Fixing (Almost) Anything in the Home" by Julie Sussman, Stephanie Glakas-Tenet. Anthony Trendl editor, HungarianBookstore.com