Would You Rather : Over 200 Absolutely Absurd Dilemmas to Ponder [Paperback]

David Gomberg (Author), Justin Heimberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997

In an hysterical blend of absurdity, wit, and pop culture comes Would You Rather??, a collection of laugh-out-loud funny, irreverent and irresistibly thought-provoking dilemmas. Readers are stumped with questions like: ? Would you rather watch a porn movie with your parents?or watch a porn movie starring your parents? ? Would you rather fight Mike Tyson?or talk like him? ? Would you rather live in a world where at the end of a rainbow, there really was a pot of gold?or where at the end of a rainbow there were 500 cases of Pabst Blue Ribbon?? The over 200 hilarious questions ask readers to look deep within themselves and choose between two equally undesirable?or desirable?options. Filled with twisted insights and hip pop culture references, Would You Rather?? is brain candy to tempt the most finicky palate.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Would you rather give blood or read Hamlet? Fight Mike Tyson or talk like him? For fans of juvenile humor, Would You Rather...? is the ne plus ultra of ridiculous dilemmas. Created by toy developer David Gomberg and "functional performance artist" Justin Heimberg, this collection of more than 200 preposterous predicaments covers everything from sex and supernatural powers to utopian worlds and nasty curses. Whether read alone or with a group of friends, Would You Rather...? will have you laughing out loud as you debate the eternal questions of life, like: "Would you rather live in a world where Afros were mandatory for members of Congress or where it was legal, in fact encouraged, to crucify mimes?" --Rebekah Warren

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Plume (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452278511
• ISBN-13: 978-0452278516
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,123 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Quizzes
  • #14 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Quizzes
  • #19 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > United States > History & Criticism

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Truly absurd, but not thought-provoking, July 20, 2000

By 

Grabthar "tufnel" (Menlo Park, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Would You Rather : Over 200 Absolutely Absurd Dilemmas to Ponder (Paperback)

This book honestly disappointed me. I was excited to order it, hoping that it contained a series of wacky--but thought-provoking--dilemmas that I could use at a party as a fun icebreaker (i.e., copy them onto cards and leave them lying around for people to look at).

The authors deliver on part of the promise; the dilemmas are truly absurd, combining random pop-culture references with silly concepts and situations. Several of the dilemmas posed gave me a moment's chuckle, but they are far too over-the-top to engender any sort of interesting thoughts or discussion. The authors seem much more interested in proving how absurd they can be than in coming up with something that, although odd, illuminates basic values or personality traits. I think this is best illustrated with an example.

From another source I got the following: "Which would you prefer? To have every stoplight turn green upon your arrival for the rest of your life or to have one week of the best sex any person ever had?" In my opinion, this is a silly, but interesting question.

Here is an example taken from the book. "Would you rather be accomplished in the art of oragami but be totally covered in moss or deeply understand the themes of the Porky's [movie] saga but have the head of a Lego man." I find the absurity of this question mildly creative and funny, but the humor is pointless; it doesn't lead anywhere. And this random absurdity wears thin after a while.

If you prefer the second example above, this book is definitely for you. If you prefer the first, forget it.

In summary, I will admit that the book did lead me to ponder something new--that I could round up a couple of my more eccentric friends and in one evening of brainstorming come up with something similar or better than "Would you rather...?"

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When the point isn't to be deep., September 18, 2005

By 

Matthew Cameron (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Would You Rather : Over 200 Absolutely Absurd Dilemmas to Ponder (Paperback)

I truly enjoyed this book because it allowed me to lighten up about "choices" or "dilemmas" or whatever you want to call them. I understand and appreciate the need for self-evaluation, analysis, curiousity, sharing, and developing. I do, however, sometimes need to not go there.

Many people complain this book didn't have the depth they would have liked. There is no depth, but the point isn't to be deep. I feel like the word "absurd" (used in the description on the COVER) points that out pretty clearly. For what it aims to do, the book does well. This book is a great reminder that *sometimes* all that evaluation/analysis stuff just is too much -- missing the point and ruining the fun of life.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious - it's a great drinking or party book!, April 4, 2004

By 

R.J. Corby (Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Would You Rather : Over 200 Absolutely Absurd Dilemmas to Ponder (Paperback)

"Would you rather...?" is laugh-out-loud funny from the first page to the last. The book was given to me as a present, and I didn't know what to think until I opened up the first page and laughed for about 5 minutes. I read the whole book in less than an hour, and you will, too. It makes a great present or stocking stuffer. Warning: some of the jokes are crude and gross though, so it's not suitable for the pre-teen set.