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 but not a Manual

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

I don't think so. He was a good writer and all, but hearing him jaunt about spending money and time doing this outrageous stuff started to get my jealousy going.

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

His voice, his personality, his true perspective as he wrote it. :-)

Could you see Drop Dead Healthy being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

no no. It's not made for that.

Any additional comments?

This was a good read. Sometimes unrelateable and at times definately unbelievable. There were some topics I thoguht he could have developed more and others could have been left out or the detail pared down. It's good for a laugh, but not as a reference guide.

An entertaining book for who want to get healthy

Where does Drop Dead Healthy rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book ranks pretty high on my list of favorate audiobooks

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked AJ's chemical avoiding aunt not because I am like that but because she admit that she is perceived as nutty.

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked AJ's trial of the pole dancing class.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yup

A comic tries a little of everything

What made the experience of listening to Drop Dead Healthy the most enjoyable?

I am a longtime fan of the experimental books by AJ Jacobs who is best known for writing about the year he spent reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica (the know-it-all) and the year in which he followed all the rules of the bible (The Year if Living Biblically) and now this one where he tries to get “healthy” but because everyone has a different idea of health and how to achieve it he spends a lot of time bumbling between one crazy idea to another without the normal discriminating gaze of an experienced athlete. He does eventually settle on some kind of routine but it is unclear what he was doing. I know that near the end of the book he was benching 185 lbs x 15 reps which is very good for a middleweight and fantastic for a person of his size with so very little experience- he could also do about 170 push-ups in one go. How did he achieve these feats? We may never know. The parts I was most interested in, like his exact workout routine and diet are seldom discussed- more time is focused on new experimental or silly fads. I do know that he spent a lot of time on the wii which gave him a training injury and that much of the book was written while on a treadmill allowing him to walk over a thousand miles – I may need to get one of those. I can't emphasize enough that this is not a “health book” it is a pseudo intellectual humor book about health. It is fun natured and he quotes a lot of the most popular currently trending health books that he got from TED (so he knows these people)- but I do not know what all he kept at the end of the experience other than a lot of tips on eating small portions- He said in an interview that the healthy lifestyle almost killed him- I may been dozing off a little here and there but I don't remember anything like that in there. So the book is very fun but terribly incomplete

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

The other books by AJ Jacobs are really just prequels to this one- same genre- same charicters- different experiments. One certainly has to admire his adventurous spirit, attempting everything at least once- reminding me of what a close minded curmudgeon I really am. I am glad to have his opinion of so very many angles of the health world including a couple I had not heard of before

Any additional comments?

I spent a lot of the book wondering when he was going to get down to business and start the REAL MAN exercises- He did do them at some point but didn't write about it. I feel cheated. Sounds like they worked well, too. Also, a Before and after PDF would have been nice.

Fun listen and learned a few things too

I enjoy books by A.J. Jacobs, and have listened to all of them and enjoyed them all. This one did not disappoint and is one of my favorites of his books. I am glad that he narrated it himself, which makes it even better.

Most of us need to get healthier, and this book was a fun way to learn healthier habits. It helps by wading through the current health info out there and make sense of it. And A. J. doesn't just tell us, he tries it for us!

AJ's Got His Groove Back

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is a "tell-a-friend" worthy listen. Informative, entertaining and quirky. Whats not to like?

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

Jacobs has several of these "reality memoir" type books. The first two, Know It All and Living Biblically, are great reads. Guinea Pig Diaries was not so engaging in audio format and the writer's performance left much to be desired. With Healthiest Man, AJ is back in form displaying his signature blend of charming personal anecdote and fascinatingly obscure factual details to the listener's delight.

Which scene was your favorite?

AJ's forays into the lesser known, more exotic forms of fringe exercise regiments will surely put a smile on your face.

Fun

I like all of his books and this was the first one I listened to. I enjoyed it very much and the content was very good. Basic but still with good information. I am now considering listening to other books of Jacobs.

if you've ever wondered. ...

what would happen if you dilligently sought to improve every aspect of your health, you MUST listen to his! It tells the truth that will set you free. And there is a LOT of humour along the way! I only gave it three stars cuz I didn't like the truth it revealed but the author was just the messenger. I'll not say anymore because the only way one can accept this truth is to listen all the way to the end. If you wish to be able to improve the quality of your life, listen to this book!

Fun Read

Any additional comments?

More of a collection of fun antidotes than a story. This is not a self help book.

Oh, this guy is good!

I was not familiar with AJ Jacobs, but now I feel as though I know his entire family! He is not only a great writer, but he is a wonderful narrator. This is a truly entertaining book, and I literally laughed out loud at some of his health experiments....I'm pretty sure my ears are healthier by listening to the book instead of reading it. It's an aural thing.

I liked the concept

The concept was a good idea. Sometimes he could be over critical of certain things he tried, before he really gave them a chance. Also, some of the "facts" he provided were incorrect. However, I did listen to the entire book and did get an opportunity to hear a few different perspectives that I then looked into further.