One Man’s Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection
Having achieved enlightenment in The Year of Living Biblically and sharpened his mind in The Know-It-All, bestselling author A.J. Jacobs had one feat left in the self-improvement trinity: to make over his body and become the healthiest person in the world. In Drop Dead Healthy: One Man’s Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection, the intrepid Esquire editor-at-large explores every aspect of the body, from biceps to the brain, from testosterone to toenails, to get into shape. A self-described ‘mushy, easily-winded, moderately sickly blob’ Jacobs, at the urging of his family, vowed to retool every part of his long-neglected body. The task was massive.
He assembled a team of expert medical advisers, a group that included A-list doctors, researchers, nutritionists and trainers. He pledged to disentangle medical myths from reality. He listened to his sage, 96 year-old grandfather’s advice, as well as the chiding of his hippy aunt, Marti. He made a 53-page list of things to do to improve his health. It includes everything from the traditional “eat leafy green vegetables” and “lift weights” to the unusual “win an Academy Award” (Oscar winners live three years long than non-Oscar winners) and hum to prevent sinus infections. Then, over the course of two years, he subjected himself to a grueling but entertaining regimen of exercise, diets and experiments that yielded surprising insights-and tested the patience of his wife, Julie.
Jacobs broke down his quest body part by body part, from lungs to stomach to brain to lower back and beyond. Among his adventures:
Part memoir, part adventure, part how-to manual, the book is as uproariously funny as it is informative and inspiring. All the while, it tests our culture?s assumptions and obsessions with what makes good health and allowing the reader to reflect on his or her own health, body, and eventual mortality.
For despite his success-a transformation Jacobs proves with data, photographs, and inspiring narrative-good health emerges in these pages as a means to a simple end: a life well-lived. In the end, Jacobs sets aside his full-time, nonstop obsession with healthy living and once again shares a cupcake with his young sons.
“consider ‘Guinea Pig’ a greatest hits volume, of sorts. Some fan favorites, but also some new material.” –Buffalo News
“We love the lifestyle experiments of author A.J. Jacobs” –Entertainment Weekly
“THE GUINEA PIG DIARIES is as funny and as instructive as memoir can get.” –Knoxville News-Sentinel
“We can become healthier by learning from A.J.’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, host, “The Dr. Oz Show”
“‘Immersive journalism’ is a rather popular trope these days, and GQ editor A.J. Jacobs is one of its most entertaining adherents, performing a public service with his quest for knowledge in his latest book, THE GUINEA PIG DIARIES…His experiments, alternately Herculean and banal, are emblematic of how difficult it is in this modern age to find enlightenment; ‘know thyself’ regularly brushes up against the cold, rocky bottom of daily life.” –L.A. Weekly
“Who wouldn’t want to be fitter, happier, more productive? In this riotous, madcap book, A.J. Jacobs sets himself an ambitious goal: to become the person we all wish we could be. It’s vintage A.J. Do your future self a favor and buy this book.” –Joshua Foer, author of Moonwalking with Einstein
“His tongue-in-cheek writing style and breezy voice make the book an easy and enjoyable read.” –Jewish Book World
“I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book, and once again, the brilliant A.J. Jacobs had me laughing out loud—and also deciding to change the way I live. Drop Dead Healthy is a rare mixture of the hilarious, the absurd, and the scientifically sound. Who knew it could be so entertaining to read about broccoli puree and shoeless jogging?” –Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project
“Jacobs…could be the funniest nonfiction writer this side of Bill Bryson…The experiments themselves are fascinating and lead to genuinely surprising conclusions…and Jacobs’ storytelling is lighthearted and frequently laugh-out-loud funny…There aren’t a lot of nonfiction books you want to read over and over, but this is certainly one of them.” –Booklist, starred review
“Can one man go from a ‘python that ate a goat’ physique to perfect specimen? From Roman soldier workouts to Areca palm plants, from the sublime to the absurd, A.J. has tried it all. I laughed my ass off the whole way and learned a ton...including about my ass.” –Timothy Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Body
“Jacobs continues his unique brand of immersion journalism…[and] his style is crisp and often laugh-out-loud funny….[An] endearing and nimble look at how pursuing absurd extremes can illuminate the more mundane aspects of contemporary existence.” –Kirkus Reviews
“A.J. Jacobs is very, very bad for your health. He will keep you up reading till 2 a.m., disturbing your circadian rhythms, making you sleep through breakfast and overeat at lunch. He is delicious. He’s habit-forming. He will give you infectious titters and terminal glee. Don’t let that stop you. Indulge.” –Mary Roach, author of Bonk and Packing for Mars