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)

Funny, perhaps even motivational

What was one of the most memorable moments of Drop Dead Healthy?

The idea of the walking desk is genius, and to know that he walked more than 1,000 miles literally while writing the book is fantastic.

Any additional comments?

This book was far more amusing than anticipated, although I should have expected it would be with how entertaining Jabobs' other books have been. Overall, I learned some things about what it was like to transition to a healthy lifestyle. I won't be instituting all of the changes he made (caveman, laughing room, etc) to my life, but I might actually do some of the things he did.

Very enjoyable, particularly if you're looking for amusing storytelling and not emotional, life-changing literature.

Entertaining but also enlightening

A. J. Jacobs spent two years trying out virtually every health fad. Some were offbeat while others made sense. I could almost see him getting healthier as the months clicked by. He also is the narrator and an engaging one at that. Highly recommended.

Great, but one tiny flaw

I love this book and Jacobs' narration. However, the beginning of many words is cut off. Is it him or the recorder or my car stereo? Instead of "mystery" it might sound like "istory". This was about 1/10th of the words. Otherwise, fabulous book and narration.

I Read, I Learned, I Laughed

Would you listen to Drop Dead Healthy again? Why?

Yes, I would listen to Drop Dead Healthy again. I already have. There is so much information, good information, in this book. I wouldn't feel like I got my moneys worth if I didn't.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Drop Dead Healthy?

The author is scared of "all things germ ". So, when one of his sons drops his ice cream cone on the ground, and then gets down on his knees and begins to lick up his ice cream straight from the floor. It is great to listen to the author 's reaction (he is horrified) . All the while his wife is cheering him on.

The author is also the narrator, so you can hear his dismay and his pride as he tells his story.

What does A. J. Jacobs bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He makes his stories come to life. It is like a 3D movie, compared to a standard movie.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Read my headline.

Any additional comments?

This is the second book that I have read by A.J. Jacobs. It was his first book. I would recommend that book too.

Well worth it!

An enjoyable one time listen. Good balance of humor and human interest. Touching ending - you gotta hang in til the end.

Drop Dead Funny

Would you listen to Drop Dead Healthy again? Why?

I would listen again because I love the humor of A.J. Jacobs and the way he checks out the literal interpretation of whatever he's writing about. Bless his wife.

What other book might you compare Drop Dead Healthy to and why?

I also listened to "The Year of Living Biblically" which is even funnier than this book. Jacobs can get into some real predicaments. And again, God bless his wife.

What about A. J. Jacobs’s performance did you like?

His emotion

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed a lot while listening to this book -- it's great for traffic time.

Interesting story but not that helpful

If you’ve listened to books by A. J. Jacobs before, how does this one compare?

This is the first introduction to AJ Jacobs. I guess I expected this book to be less narrative. I was expecting more about what was learned and less about what was going on in his life while he researched for the book. It's more a diary than a self help book.

What didn’t you like about A. J. Jacobs’s performance?

Jacobs should have gotten a professional to read the audio book. I'm not sure what it is about his voice that distracts me from the words he is saying, but it is very distracting.

Witty but Generic

The book excels when the author is laughing at himself and when he gives the best lines to his wife or family. I did laugh out loud multiple times. He does jump around frequently from fad to fad and even with that there is some good random advice. Best advice of all, he mentions that he listens to NPR on his podcasts and he learned he could speed up the playback. After realizing I could speed up his narration, I immediately did and his reading performance was much better. He's a much better listen at one and half speed.

At least in regards to lowering stress and the laughing club for example, there is some redundancy with Jonathan Haidt's "The Happiness Hypothesis". I noticed when they cover the same topic, I much prefer Jonathan Haidt's book.

Funny Book

I thought this book was well written and very witty. It actually had some imformation about different products or diet and exercise methods that I had read about and thought about trying.

This book was very entertaining but not one that stuck to my ribs. I enjoyed it at the time but almost forgot about it until I was looking through my library for something else to read.

fun interesting

fun, interesting. lots of info, different style from what I have been. listening.

wish more details on sources