The Darwin Awards Next Evolution, by Wendy Northcutt

I am writing this note just after writing a review for "The Last Lecture". The two books are diametrically opposite, Randy Pausch writing about childhood dreams while knowing he is about to die, and this book about deaths caused by stupid acts by people. As anyone familiar with the Darwin Awards knows, the book treats such deaths as a good thing because it takes idiotic people out of the reproductive process, thus contributing to a more intelligent human gene pool.

How can anyone with a conscience enjoy such a book? I think the fascination with the Darwin Awards comes from the fact that it treats its work very seriously. It does not accept any form of death that can be construed as tragic or accidental. It appeals to our sense of justice by considering people who attempt to do extraordinarily dangerous tasks in unusually stupid ways that defy common sense. It is a tragedy if someone gets killed in a car accident, but not if they were driving 100 miles an hour while drunk on a mountain road.

As Roger Ebert would say if he were reviewing books, this book is proof that there is life in any genre, however revolting the concept seems to be at first glance. And "The Last Lecture" shows how a good concept can be uninspiring if not done right.

Tags: humor