1001 Things To Do If You Dare [Paperback]

Ben Malisow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2007

Who couldn't use a little more adventure in their life? With "1001 Things to Do If You Dare", readers have found it. From running with the bulls to bungee jumping, racing cars to riding along with local law enforcement, thrill-seeker extraordinaire Ben Malisow serves up a dizzying array of options for readers looking for a walk on the wild side. Not content to test physical limits, Malisow also provides challenges that test the reader's emotional, psychological, even spiritual limits as well. A visually exciting package complete with cutting-edge illustrations, "1001 Things to Do If You Dare" is today's answer to a boring life!

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

What can I say? I've led a bizarre existence...and had a vast array of jobs, many of which led me to engage in a host of behaviors I wouldn't have otherwise attempted.

About the Author

Ben Malisow jumped out a second-story high school window when he was 17 on a $20 bet. He tore some cartilage in his left knee. Unfortunately, he did not learn from the financial disparity of this experience, and has since done a bunch of silly things. He's flown a glider and a Cessna, rappelled down a cliff face and out of a hovering helicopter, and has also supplied security services to the FBI, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Adams Media (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598691201
• ISBN-13: 978-1598691207
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #391,216 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Grew up in Milwaukee, now live in California, with plenty of ground covered in between. I've done a lot of different things over the years, not all of them fun. Currently, I am a project manager and consultant.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warning: May rearrange your worldview, August 9, 2007

By 

Andy Hartzell (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 1001 Things To Do If You Dare (Paperback)

You might make the mistake of presuming that "1001 Things" is light reading, the kind of book you keep in the bathroom and dip into during...those private moments. But after a few sessions, Malisow's secret agenda becomes clear: he wants to upend all your assumptions. He wants to tear off those cultural blinders you call "common sense" and force you to consider possibilities you once dismissed as "insanity."

Remove one of your own teeth with no outside assistance?
Become addicted to something and then try to give it up cold turkey?
Tell the IRS that they're wrong?

"1001 Things" is a bracing broadside against the spirit of caution that increasingly darkens our "how-am-I-driving?" society. It's an invitation to unbuckle yourself from the child safety harness, run away from Nanny and get your suit mussed a little.

Of course, most of these 1001 Things are not things you should actually do. But there is value in letting them into your mind, entertaining them as possibilities. You will emerge from that bathroom into a strange new world, one with considerably broader horizons.

A perfect high-school graduation gift for that overly-sheltered mama's boy nephew of yours.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I Dared and am Better for Having Done So., June 7, 2007

By 

Andrew Harley - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 1001 Things To Do If You Dare (Paperback)

Ben Malisow is a shameless hooligan. In his largest work to date he has constructed not merely a list book, not simply some scroll of gags, stunts, and tomfoolery, but a challenge to live one's life for all the tastes, sights, sounds, feelings, injections, and psychological disturbance it has to offer. This is a work which brings joy on many levels. To the chronically macho there are the satisfying moments of "I've done that. Heck, I did it twice, one time blindfolded" as you tick off the checkbox. Additionally, it's Malisow's progression through a series of dares, upping the ante each time. Drink beer. Drink hard liquor. Get drunk in a bar. Get drunk in a ratty bar in the bad part of town. Then just when you fear he'll suggest you get drunk in the scary bar, put on a dress, and challenge the leader of a biker gang to a sword fight, he throws in some tangent like "plant an herb garden."

Beyond the nutty progressions of dares, however, are the deeper challenges to one's worldview. Even through the goofy, hardscrabble presentation (the book comes pre-coffee-stained and fits perfectly in the leg-pocket of your mil-surplus fatigue pants), Malisow's own premium on self-examination and deliberate living comes through. He challenges the reader with dares that make one think about what it would mean to do such a thing. What things that've been held sacred might turn to cloud and mist in the face of real live action? With this book, Ben Malisow dares you to consider that question.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NOW THAT WAS GREAT!, March 30, 2007

By 

P A S "USC ENGLISH MAJOR - Go Trojans!" (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 1001 Things To Do If You Dare (Paperback)

Thank you for a few hours of pure laughter! Then in a small perverse was I started to do some of the things... I have to admit I have a new life goal. I want to be the first person to do all the stunts and suggestions in the book. Maybe I can become part of the 2nd edition as the man who did everyone of these and lived to tell! You are a talented writer and I really appreciate your keen incites and sarcastic ways. I must sound like a big fan but I can't wait for your next book! How about 1001 things I can do with my dog! Or make my dog do! Who knows... Best book I read in years! Thanks again!!
THE ENGLISH MAJOR FROM USC!!