The Darwin Awards Next Evolution: Chlorinating the Gene Pool

Certain gems in the Darwin Award Series have stood out for me among the others. Not since the first book, has one of the stories been such a highlight as "Crutch, Meet Crotch". While there are other great tales, the mentioned incident is clearly the highlight. For five unique editions, Wendy Northcutt and the rest of the gang have been helping us to delight in the stupidity of others. Best enjoyed in short increments, like toilet reading, it is often difficult not to smile at the misfortune of others. With the boundaries of stupidity being infinite, the next book in the series can not be far behind.

The stupid antics of human beings (or at least an atypical segment of them) makes for great reading! The Darwin Awards are given to people whose acts of stupidity are great enough to take them permanently out of the gene pool in unusual ways. At least these people have made a mark for themselves... as a warning for others. The short vignettes, occasionally illustrated by cartoons, makes for a great light read.

I own the previous Darwin Award books. I consider all of them, including this one, very interesting and entertaining reading. Consider visiting the website, darwinawards.com, to get an idea what the books is all about.

You can't help but shake your head and laugh over the incredibly dumb things people do that eliminate them from the gene pool. Wendy Northcutt offers up her next installment of these gems in her book The Darwin Awards Next Evolution. It's not a long read (I think I read it in a couple of hours), but it's well worth the entertainment value. You'll laugh, shake your head, and cringe at how people (usually men) can be so stupid and short-sighted in their activities... The book is divided up into chapters that cover miscellaneous mishaps, electrical extinctions, vehicle victims, medical maladies, criminal capers, work woes, combustion crazies, and animal antics. There are both true Darwin award winners (people who either died or made themselves unable to reproduce, therefore cleansing the gene pool) and at-risk survivors (those who came real close to leaving the gene pool, but by some miracle survived to get a second chance). Northcutt also attempts wherever possible to confirm the story or list it as possible but with no background documentation (like news stories). So generally speaking, you're getting honest-to-goodness boneheaded plays here. There's the guy who decided to get drunk by somewhat unconventional means (alcohol enemas, anyone?), and "consumed" three liters of sherry. Needless to say, the next morning he had the ultimate hangover (dead) with a BAL of .47. Then there's the two kids in Denmark who took their uncle's car out onto the frozen Baltic Sea, thinking the ice was solid enough to hold them. It wasn't, but fortunately wasn't very deep. They followed this brilliant idea by getting a second car out onto the ice to pull the first one out. Same result. At least the third time they tried a tractor. And yes, that one fell through also. Consider them survivors at risk. And then there's my favorite (an at-risk survivor)... Three guys decide to do flaming alcohol shots. Problem is, no one told them they were supposed to blow out the flame before drinking. One of the guys finally gets enough courage and downs the shot (flame and all). The flame goes out, but his mouth is pretty toasted on the inside. Not to be outdone, his friend fills up a shot glass to the rim and lights it. Of course, it sloshes and starts his hand and the counter on fire. To stop the damage, he tries to drink the rest, only to spill it on his sweatshirt and face. Now *everything's* burning! His friends stop laughing long enough to beat out the flames with kitchen towels before anyone or anything is too damaged. No Darwin award, but so funny to image... Unless you have a soft spot for those of the human species who lack the common sense gene, you'll have a great time reading Next Evolution. It'll also make you feel much better about your own stupid decisions...

A fool and his life can be quickly parted. Since 1993, Wendy Northcutt has memorialized hundreds of anonymous idiots with her Darwin Awards. If you go to her website at www.DarwinAwards.com you can see the criteria that she uses for honoring these unfortunates. This latest offering is morbidly entertaining. How many ways can a person die? How many ways can a person die as the result of a stupid, self-inflicted accident? Apparently, the possibilities are endless. This is a very funny book in a very sick way. There's something hilarious about these ridiculous demises and tragic maimings. I'm not sure what it is? It's not ghoulish, just foolish. There, but for the grace of a slightly higher IQ (I hope), go I.