The Darwin Awards: Evolution in Action

The Darwin Awards create a reason to live for myself. Knowing that there are people out there to lessen competition in life just pleases me. The human race is made up of individuals who are below average (Darwin Awards), average (Honorable Mentions), and above average (those who can write books about these kind of things). For all of those who think that these stories are boring to read by oneself, you should do the following when you are with friends, on a long flight or ride in the car with family, etc.: Take turns passing the book around and reading stories. Merely open the book to random pages and read the passages. This provides several hours of entertainment (On a band trip in Orlando, we did this on the charter bus for the entire week).

These little stories really have my family and friends rolling down the aisle. It's a good conversation starter, as a good Darwin Award often leads to spontaneous "How I Got That Scar" competitions. I highly recommend this book.

I've never laughed so hard -- I mean, who can't see an accident waiting to happen when you set up 19 deadly booby-traps in your home? What criminal "mastermind" thinks she'll get away with robbing the local bank in her 300-resident community? And the guy who tried to commit suicide by swallowing those little nitroglycerine heart pills, then slamming himself against a wall to make them explode... Do people this stupid really exist? Of course they do, you see them every day, weaving on the road and talking on a cell phone, slowly trying to count out change for their purchase, etc. The Darwin Awards are sweet revenge for all those little annoyances inflicted on us by idiots. Great book, I highly recommend it.

Anyone who has an internet account or e-mail has read about the Darwin Awards and marveled at the stupidity of our own race. While I'm sure each episode was tragic for those who knew and loved the Darwin Award winners, those of us who didn't cannot help but be amused by their exploits. It is not meant to be disrespectful to the dead and maimed, but only so the survivors might learn from the winner's mistakes (while, admittedly, having a giggle).Ms. Northcutt offers a comprehensive introduction explaining the criterion for the awards and the book's inclusions of nominees and urban legends. As you read the stories, you will be amazed at the lack of common sense employed by many of these people as they met their demise (or inability to reproduce). It is the perfect "bathroom book" and would make a great gift for anyone with a wry sense of humor!

More than you might expect, this book is stuffed with stuff! It collates all the Darwin Awards emails you've ever gotten and more, labels 'em truth or fiction, and puts them right where you need them most -- on the toilet, on the train, in bed. I learned why farts are NOT deadly, why a polar bear swim IS, and what to do when you're being constricted by a snake (spew high-proof alcohol all over its maw.) Plus each chapter has a weird insight into what we might be evolving into, whether testosterone causes Darwins, and so on. One down side is that a few stories don't have references, and some are more macabre than funny. But still a must-have for anyone who thinks humans have a long way to evolve. This book proves it.