Drop Dead Healthy

One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection

By: A. J. Jacobs

Narrated by: A. J. Jacobs

Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-selling author and king of "immersion journalism" A.J. Jacobs tackles his most challenging experiment yet: a yearlong mission to radically improve every element of his body and mind - from his brain to his fingertips to his abs.

Having lifted his spirit in The Year of Living Biblically and sharpened his mind in The Know-It-All, A. J. Jacobs had one feat left in the self-improvement trinity: to become the healthiest man in the world. He doesn't just want to lose a couple of pounds, or finish a triathlon, or lower his cholesterol.

First, he had to tackle a complicated web of diet and exercise advice, most which is nonsensical, unproven, and contradictory. Second, he had to consult a team of medical advisers. And finally, he had to subject himself, over the course of two years, to a grueling regimen of exercises, a range of diets and nutritional plans, and a brutal array of techniques and practices to improve everything from his hearing to his sleep - all the while testing the patience of his wife.

This latest work bursts with hilarity and warmth, all the while testing our culture's assumptions and obsessions with what makes good health and allowing the listener to reflect on his or her own health, body, and eventual mortality.

©2012 A. J. Jacobs (P)2012 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Critic reviews

“We can become healthier by learning from AJ's discomfort in this very funny book. He moves us from theory to practice by dragging his body through all the longevity practices. (Dr. Mehmet Oz)

"Can one man go from a 'python that ate agoat' physique to perfect specimen? From Roman soldier workouts to Areca palm plants, fromthe sublime to the absurd, AJ has tried it all. I laughed my ass off the wholeway and learned a ton ... including about my ass." (Timothy Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek)

"Who wouldn't want to be fitter, happier, more productive? In this riotous, madcap book, AJ Jacobs sets himself an ambitious goal: to become the person we all wish we could be. It's vintage AJ. Do your future self a favor and read this book." (Joshua Foer, author of Moonwalking with Einstein)

Our roadtrip felt like a drive around the block.

Any additional comments?

We listened to Drop Dead Healthy while driving up and down the California coast and were so entertained by the book that we worried we would arrive too soon.

We found the book to be equal parts entertaining, informative and funny.

A.J. is a phenomenal story teller!

#1 seller for a reason!

Great story and a great listen. I knew I wanted to read this book but since I get motion sick on the bus, I was happy to enjoy the audio version on my commute. Jacobs has a great voice and reads with enthusiasm. I enjoy his little side stories about his wife, children, grandfather, crazy aunt and trips to the doctor. I was surprised this book didn't have a profound turning point where he really started shedding pounds drastically but I think his overall message is important: We're overwhelmed with health propaganda and we needed someone like him to investigate what works and what doesn't. Great, great book and I'd definitely recommend it!

Not what I expected

I expected this book to be a guy who total immerses himself in the health and or fitness culture. What it was, was a guy trying to get into shape, at times he sought out expects or tried some crazy form of working out but basically, it was a book about a guy that walked on the treadmill and tried to eat right. Great premiss, terrible execution.

Unscientific and unamusing

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Those who are just looking for an amusing read. I've been doing a lot of my own research into diet and thought this might help me understand the issues and provide a few laughs along the way. I read and loved The Year of Living Biblically. This book failed on both accounts for me.

What was most disappointing about A. J. Jacobs’s story?

I wasn't expecting a rigorous study, but I thought this would be more of a real effort to look at different approaches to health. Instead he just did a little of this and a little of that, using the fringe approaches for laughs. I turned it off right when he said that he listened only to scientists about diet, and proceeded to settle the issue once and for all by saying that a mostly vegetarian diet is what scientists recommend. There are scientists from all points of view from vegan to 'eat lots of meat.' He chose only to listen to those who advocate a diet similar to his own and was pretty negative about alternative approaches to health - at least as far as I read.

Not what it claims to be

Would you try another book from A. J. Jacobs and/or A. J. Jacobs?

Won't read him again.

What could A. J. Jacobs have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

The book felt lazy. Rather than actually try to live out the various things that might make him "the healthiest man alive" as he claimed to want, he just ran around interviewing people with fringe ideas. In some cases, he tried stuff just to try it: had his teeth whitened BEFORE going home to do a simple Google search that convinced him it was an unhealthy thing to to. As he found things that he was convinced did work, he quickly abandoned them in favor of the next thing on the buffet. It's not a book about trying to be the healthiest man alive--it's a book about trying all the various things that might make you healthier, but with very little effort actually put into becoming more healthy. It's like trying to be healthier by watching the people at the gym or reading a nutrition book.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

First time I've ever gotten back on Audible and looked for a way to get a refund. Reminded me powerfully of Andy Rooney, who started each piece with "Did you ever wonder why..." and went on to ramble around about the topic for several minutes without ever actually saying anything.

Like Reading a Really Long Magazine Article

The book title explains it all. I'm not sure what i was hoping to find when i decided to read this, but for some reason I was disappointed. I suppose I was hoping to hear more about cutting edge research and definitive advice.

But as Jacobs says fairly early in the book, there's not much in the way of definitive anything when it comes to exercise and nutrition. None of the experts or the studies can agree about much beyond the basic stuff.

Jacobs mentioned about 5-7 times in his book that he is a writer for Esquire magazine and it shows in his writing, which is witty and entertaining. But like most magazine articles, his writing just presents information (we can't call them facts because, again, the experts disagree a lot) and then moves on to the next thing. Jacobs doesn't appear to be much in the mood for drawing conclusions or even analyzing the information he's presented. He just randomly picked something to research and try and then waited to see if there was any change.

Even as the book draws to a close, there is little in the way of revelation or even a sense of journey's end. It all just seems like he set a 2 year limit for when he would stop trying new things and when the time came up he just stopped.

Essentially, reading this book was similar to listening to a friend tell a long winded story that they didn't think through to realize that didn't have an ending for. They just kind of trail off and the listener and the storyteller wind up staring at each other in awkward silence wondering how to get out of the situation. This book was kind of like that. It was amusing at parts but ultimately awkward.

Not what you think it is.

Would you listen to another book narrated by A. J. Jacobs?

No

Any additional comments?

Was told it was funny, it's not - thought it was a guide to getting healthily, it isn't. It is an uninformative and boring account of one man's middle age crises. Ship this one.

interesting story but narration weak

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Professional narrator

Would you ever listen to anything by A. J. Jacobs again?

Possibly as content was interesting, informative and humorous

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of A. J. Jacobs?

Not sure

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Interest in taking charge of your health

Not my thing

It was a book club selection or I wouldn't have finished it. The author didn't apply any kind of scientific method to this search. Partly this is because no one really knows definitive answers to these basic questions. You can find a study that "proves" anything.