I have to admit; even though I have moved into grandfatherhood, there is still a lot of boy in my heart. The Dangerous Book for Boys reached into my inner boy and made me long for the days of my youth, and to be excited about my sons and grandsons having similar experiences in their young lives.
Information from a Simpler Time
Authors Hal and Conn Iggulden have captured the essence of boyhood of years gone by. Perhaps in our modern age, it is hard to remember the pre-Playstation era; it seems almost prehistoric. Remembering the fun that a paper airplane or baseball cards clipped to a bicycle frame could bring in a simpler time made me feel bad for today’s generation that is missing some of those experiences.
The Dangerous Book for Boys is an engaging and entertaining guide book for boys. You can get a sense of the scope of this book by looking at some of the topics included in the book. Topics like The Five Knots Every Boy Should Know, Building a Treehouse, Spies–Codes and Ciphers, Juggling, The Golden Age of Piracy, Common Trees, Understanding Grammar and Books Every Boy Should Read are important parts of this book.
In addition, there are some serious topics including a series of “extraordinary stories” of success, timelines of history, and summaries of famous battles in history–all of which are of value to young men (and not so young men).
Style, Substance and Engagement
No matter what the topic, this book is written in an engaging style that will captivate any boy. As I have talked to fathers whose sons have read this book, their only complaint is that they all want to build a treehouse and write a letter in secret code or disappearing ink. And candidly, as a proponent of involved fathers, that concept excites me. If a book can give dads and sons things to do together, then it is a worthy endeavor.
The Dangerous Book for Boys is just such a book. If you have a son, get this book and sit down and read it together and find some things to do. And even if you don’t have a son, spending a couple of hours with this book will be a step back in time, and will bring a great sense of refreshing to any dad with a little bit of boy still left in him.
