Wendy Northcutt

Honoring those who improve our gene pool by inadvertently removing themselves fromit, The Darwin Awards III includes more than one hundred brand new, hilariously macabre mishaps and misadventures. From a sheriff who inadvertently shot himself twice , to the insurance defrauder who amputated his leg with a chainsaw; from a farmer who avoided bee stings by sealing his head in a plastic bag to the man crushed by the branch he just trimmed, The Darwin Awards III proves again that when it comes show more to stupidity, no species does it like we do. show less

Ah yes - the Darwin Awards - where stupid people who do stupid things to take themselves out of the gene pool are honored. This really is an awesome set of books. Its well written. Manages to stay snarky, but not over the top. The rules for winning are clearly outlined - and all the winners follow it (The honorable mentions generally didn't qualify for the Darwin Award). The book is also filled with unconfirmed urban myths of stupid people dying spectacularly - but these also didn't win a show more Darwin Award unless it was confirmed by outside news sources.

Books of this sort generally are over the top and are all over the place, both in writing style and criteria - but the two books in this series are tightly written in a dry humor style that stays true to the story, but is quite gleeful about the people who won an award.

Highly recommended if you like snarky stories about stupid people. show less

I've read all the Darwin Award books and expected a lot of repetition and there was, at least in the elementals; cars, power tools, guns, fireworks. Still interesting, especially since I feel like I got an insight into this particular degree (fatal) of stupidity. A person doesn't have to be stupid all the time to make an unfortunately fatal mistake. In other words, it can happen to anyone. It only takes a second of lapsed vigilance or being carried away by the moment or just an unforeseen show more consequence for a person to end up extinguished. My sister will accuse me of having a Master's degree and I can only respond, 'Well, it isn't in Electricity.' Life is fragile. But the highlight of this, the fourth volume in the series, is the discussions on plague, evolution, genes, etc., and the bios of the people that contributed these. Very worthwhile. show less

Named after Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, The Darwin Awards pays homage to those who improve our gene pool by removing themselves from it. Most of us know instinctively that the phrase ?trust me, light this fuse? is a recipe for disaster. Darwin Award winners do not. Most of us have basic sound judgment that eliminates the need for NO SMOKING signs at gas stations. Darwin Award winners do not. No warning label could have prevented evolution from creeping up on the homeowner who show more filled his house with natural gas to kill termites, the easy rider who decided to steer his motorcycle with his feet, or the winner who tried to weld a hand grenade onto a chain. Filled with more than one hundred new tales of evolution in action, and complete with essential science and safety discussions, The Darwin Awards 4: Intelligent Design shows that when it comes to common sense, natural selection still has a long way to go. show less