Figure 8 Knot
Sheet Bend Knot
 The Battle of Waterloo |
Questions for Conn Iggulden
Conn and Hal Iggulden are two brothers who have not forgotten what it was like to be boys. Conn taught for many years before becoming one of the most admired and popular young historical novelists with his Emperor series?? based on the life of Julius Caesar?? and his newly embarked series on Genghis Khan?? while Hal is a theater director. We asked Conn about their collaboration.
Amazon.com: It's difficult to describe what a phenomenon The Dangerous Book for Boys was in the UK last year. When I would check the bestseller list on our sister site?? Amazon.co.uk?? there would be?? along with your book?? which spent much of the year at the top of the list?? a half-dozen apparent knockoff books of similar boy knowledge. Clearly?? you tapped into something big. What do you think it was?
Iggulden: In a word?? fathers. I am one myself and I think we've become aware that the whole "ealth and safety" overprotective culture isn't doing our sons any favors. Boys need to learn about risk. They need to fall off things occasionally?? or--and this is the important bit--they'll take worse risks on their own. If we do away with challenging playgrounds and cancel school trips for fear of being sued?? we don't end up with safer boys--we end up with them walking on train tracks. In the long run?? it's not safe at all to keep our boys in the house with a Playstation. It's not good for their health or their safety.
You only have to push a boy on a swing to see how much enjoys the thrill of danger. It's hard-wired. Remove any opportunity to test his courage and they'll find ways to test themselves that will be seriously dangerous for everyone around them. I think of it like playing the lottery--someone has to say "k?? you won't win--and your children won't be hurt. Relax. It won't be you."
I think that's the core of the book's success. It isn't just a collection of things to do. The heroic stories alone are something we haven't had for too long. It isn't about climbing Everest but it is an attitude a philosophy for fathers and sons. Our institutions are too wrapped up in terror over being sued--so we have to do things with them ourselves. This book isn't a bad place to start.
As for knockoff books--great. They'll give my son something to read that doesn't involve him learning a dull moral lesson of some kind--just enjoying an adventure or learning skills and crafts so that he has a feeling of competence and confidence--just as we have.
Amazon.com: You made some changes for the U.S. edition and I for one am sorry that you have removed the section on conkers if only because it's such a lovely and mysterious word. What are (or what is) conkers?
Iggulden: Horse chestnuts strung on a shoelace and knocked against one another until they shatter. In the entire history of the world no one has ever been hurt by a conker but it's still been banned by some British schools just in case. Another school banned paper airplanes. Honestly it's enough to make you weep?? if I did that sort of thing?? which I try not to. Reading Jane Austen is still allowed?? however.
Amazon.com: What knowledge did you decide was important to add for American boys? I notice in both edi"s you have an excellent and useful section on table football?? as played with coins. Is paper football strictly an American pastime? I'm not sure I could have gotten through the fourth grade without it.
Iggulden: I like knowing the details of battles?? so Gettysburg and the Alamo had to go in?? along with the Gettysburg address?? stickball?? state capitals?? U.S. mountains?? American trees?? insects?? U.S. historical timelines?? and a lot of others. Navajo code talkers of WWII is a gre