Haven’t you always wanted to form your own country? Why not take all the gold from Fort Knox or borrow” the Mona Lisa to pay for your personal sovereign nation? All these unlikely activities and more are detailed in Hunter S. Fulghum’s new book, Don’t Try This At Home: How to Win a Sumo Match, Catch a Great White Shark, Start an Independent Nation and Other Extraordinary Feats (For Ordinary People). Drawing on the success of the Worst-Case Scenario series, Fulghum goes one step further and provides instructions on how to perform the kinds of death-defying action hero stunts that look impossible even on the big screen. While readers are, of course, cautioned not to actually attempt any of these stunts, the instructions provided are surprisingly thorough. Each activity, from smuggling top secret documents to rescuing POWs, is accompanied by a detailed list of what you’ll need, approximately how long the mission will take and step-by-step instructions that guide you through the process.
While impractical, the outlines make for fascinating reading and will most likely increase your respect for anyone who could actually pull off these stunts. For most of us, the opportunity to be a real-life action hero will never come, but at least we can rest assured that, should the day arise, we’ll be prepared.
