Rating: 
Summary: One of those books you want to loan to friends...
Review: This is one of those books that you want to loan to friends (or buy as a gift -- perhaps using the money in the "stupid tax" jar in the kitchen).I'd been reading the annual awards on the Net for years, and mailing the funniest ones to friends; the tale of the man who welded cargo plane takeoff-assist jets to his car is so outlandish as to not be believed -- and apparently, shouldn't be, so take some of these stories with a grain of salt, even when they're purported to be true. We all love to read about people from the "shallow end of the gene pool"; it makes us feel that perhaps we're not as dumb as we worry we might be. If you've ever thought about doing just about anything listed in this book...well, um...maybe we'll see you in the next edition. The Darwin folks have been doing fine, fine work for years, and it's good to see a payoff for them, especially when it's as funny as this. I think it could have been longer (or denser), but it's certainly a good value.
Rating: 
Summary: Rib Ripping Fun
Review: This is one of those books that once you start reading it you won't want to put it down, and yet it's a perfect coffee table/waiting room/bathroom book since the stories are so short and self-contained. It's a winning combination of black humour and subtle wisdom. Some of the people in the stories are so idiotic that you'll find yourself chuckling about them days after you've read their story. The ultimate example of how we can learn from others' mistakes as well as our own, and have a great laugh in the process. If you are ever feeling down or downright stupid because of some error you made, just pick up this book and all will seem well again.
Rating:
Summary: RESTORES FAITH IN THE HUMAN RACE
Review: A great read over a warm drink for a rainy day or a long flight, and a great gift for teenagers. One thing. Each of the people detailed in the book thought they were being quite sensible, and most readers, to be honest, will admit that they have a few adventures of their own they are happy no one knows about. When you look at it that way, it is a hilarious tribute to how, in spite, or perhaps because of ourselves, we somehow march on. Be sure to check the website for even wilder stories. Let's face it...we know these people.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I've been getting Darwin Awards email for years and just loved it - very funny stuff. But I found this compilation very frustrating largely because of the writing - which I found amateur-ish. I felt it could've been a lot funnier if the reports were straight from the newspapers they were culled from. The "comical editorializing" just left me annoyed - it just wasn't funny. The writer would often start out by telling us how the person died, or what the person did and spoil it for you - by letting you know what you're about to read! And often important information to the story would be left out altogether - which is especially annoying since the writer is a molecular biologist - someone who should know how to assemble the facts to unfold in an effective fashion. But that doesn't happen here. I have to re-write and explain things to myself as I go along and as a result I find myself tossing the book on the floor. I will try to finish it (it's research at this point) but it is just damn painful to read. Now, keep in mind I'm a writer, and I write comedy (and I'm considered very successful at it).
Rating:
Summary: A smile a day!
Review: Everybody does stupid things sometimes ... do you wonder why is it that you always have to learn the hard way? Do you get up in the morning dreading the day and it's pitfalls? Read one story a day, and appreciate the fact that these people have it worse than you ... I have been following the happenings on the darwinawards.com site for over a year now, hell, one of my escapades got me a special mention. The whole concept of the darwinawards is just brilliant! It was about time that the darwin awards were shared with the world! Great, Great, GREAT Entertainment!
Rating:
Summary: Portable Website Humor
Review: I'm a long time fan of the website www.darwinawards.com, and I was delighted with this book. It translates the website humor into a portable format. Take it to the beach, on a car trip, or.... into the bathroom. The book is filled with humorous tales of human misadventures. It more than fulfilled my expectations.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely funny
Review: I've been a fan of the Darwin Awards web site for a long time and was thrilled that Wendy Northcutt wrote a Darwin Awards book! She has a special way with words that makes all the stories seem even funnier. The book is hard to put down, a real page turner. Hope she writes another!! Great!
Rating:
Summary: warped sense of humour
Review: I will lead by saying that a one star rating is my own personal opinion and that there are clearly people out there that would very much enjoy a book like this. I am writing a review simply for those that might like to hear another view point on the contents. First - this is a book made up entirely of very short stories (jokes?), mostly only one page long, about real events in which someone, or several people, died, as a result in thier errors of judgement. Second - you must have a sense of humour capable of overlooking the fact that these people really did die, and at a great loss to the people that loved them. Third - a great number of these stories are about ordinary people, not criminals/terrorists etc. Fourth - you must also be capable of overlooking how you might feel if someone you know and loved died like this and a book came out that made a joke of it. That is about all I have to say on the matter.
Rating:
Summary: About Time!
Review: I've been waiting a long time for this book and it was definitely worth the wait. My co-workers keep coming into the break room to find out what the fits of laughter are all about. I don't think people could make up funnier tales of stupidity. This book would make a great gift along with my other favorites this year - The RoMANtic's Guide and Naked.
Rating:
Summary: Documented Gallows Humor
Review: Before describing this book, let me just say that if you do not find death and mutilation humorous, avoid this book. If you find fatal mishaps funny, you will enjoy the book greatly. In fact, this has to be the best book ever written about stupid ways to die and lose fertility. Anyone will feel smarter and better about themselves after reading these stories! This book is about "celebrating self-removal of incompetent genetic material for the human race." In essence, the book proves that "common sense is not so common." The book's premise is very well framed to put you in a humorous mood. The idea is that when people do stupid things that get them killed or keep them from having children, they thus perform a service by improving the gene pool for the remaining humans. Ms. Northcutt uses many witty quotes to emphasize this point, and establishes the mood well. She has rules for these awards. To win the Darwin Award, you must (1) die or be unable to procreate, (2) show really bad judgment, (3) cause your own downfall, (4) have the ability to use sound judgment (are not permanently mentally impaired) and (5) have the incident verified by someone else. If you don't meet all these tests, you can still get an honorable mention, or be described as an urban legend or a personal account. I thought these distinctions made good sense, because the story's focus and credibility weighs heavily on the interest it creates for the reader drawn to this subject. The stories are grouped around themes: comeuppances with animals, problems with relatives, criminal misadventures, problems with fire and explosives, fatal falls, military goofs, macho errors, unsafe sex, watery deaths, and genital-related stories. Some stories could have fit into four or more categories, so it must have been a challenge to fit everything into a group. Here are a few of my favorite stories: The couple who crashed their car driving at 80 miles an hour while having sex totally nude at the same time. The chicken that fell down a well and was saved after six people drowned in the process. The man who crushed out his cigarette in a pail of explosives, blowing them and him up. The ex-firefighter arsonist who died while starting the fire that was designed to make him a hero so he could get his old job back. The couple who left their car and went for a stroll amidst the tigers in an wild animal park, and served as tiger meat. The man who threw his wife out the window where she stuck in some wires. He then jumped after her, missed the wires, and died. She was saved. Three guys to stole a large pig, and strapped it in their truck. The pig's thrashing caused the truck to crash, and the three men died because they hadn't attached their own seat belts. The pig survived. The man found nude, dead of hypothermia, in a killer whale pool at an amusement park. The thief who had tilted a Coke machine to shake a free bottle out, and was crushed when the machine fell on him. The woman who died of hypothermia and dehydration in a tent after starting a 21 day spiritual cleansing diet intended to free her from needing to eat food or drink liquids. She would get all of her nutrition from the atmosphere instead. You start with no food or water for 7 days, then go 14 days with only sips of water, then take nothing. Hmmm. I rated the book down one star, though, because a lot of the seeming stupidity was probably related to partial accidents in stupid circumstances rather than complete intention. I found many of the stories possibly mischaracterized in this way. For example, one story has a man using electric current to kill fish. He then ends up in the pond (described as going in to get the fish) and dies from the current. Now, you can read that as not realizing that electric current could kill him, or you can read that as he accidentally fell overboard before turning the current off. Now, in either case, I don't recommend this as a way to fish, but the story doesn't ring true as the "funny" story it is portrayed to be. I also suspect that a lot of these stories have an unreported connection to alcohol or substance abuse. The verification in many cases is after the fact or is in a publication (which may have an incentive to "improve" the stories to make them better, and sell more issues), which probably adds to the tendency for "stupidity" bias in the interpretations. After you finish having a good laugh, I suggest that you consider how you may put yourself into a dangerous situation that could make you a candidate for this award. For example, do you ever drive or pilot a plane while under the influence? Do you ever go near open windows in high places when you are unsteady? I suspect that most of us have some foolishness that we need to eliminate if we want to avoid these awards. In my case, I think I need to be more careful when using equipment. I tend to go the fast route, rather than the safest one. I'm going to slow down and be safer in the future. May all of your "hang man" experiences be on paper!
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