Ethvert fremskridt indebærer også et eller flere tilbageskridt. Med teknologiens fremmarch er børneværelserne fyldt op med elektronisk tidsfordriv: computere, hi-fi-anlæg, tv, mp3-afspillere, mobiltelefoner osv. Men hvor er de gamle drengelege så forsvundet hen? Er de helt gået i glemmebogen ?Fx at lege med tændstikker og ild? Papirfly? At gå på æbleskud? For slet ikke at tale om de rigtig “farlige” lege? Fx at lege med krudt? Nu har brødrene Conn og Hal Iggulden skrevet en bog – Den farlige bog for drenge – hvor de forsøger at guide læseren gennem drengeuniversets legeudfordringer. Hvordan man bygger en sæbekassebil, laver en elektromagnet, skriver med usynlig blæk osv. Grundtanken i bogen er, at drenge altid har været drevet af nysgerrighed og har søgt spænding, hvor de kunne finde den.
Der er også andre gode råd i bogen, fx svaret på den tilbagevendende gåde i drengeuniverset: Hvordan man behandler en pige? Her er en smagsprøve:
“Advice About Girls
1. It is important to listen. Human beings are often very self-centered and like to talk about themselves. In addition, it’s an easy subject if someone is nervous. It is good advice to listen closely—unless she has also been given this advice, in which case an uneasy silence could develop, like two owls sitting together.
2. Be careful with humor. It is very common for boys to try to impress girls with a string of jokes, each one more desperate than the last. One joke, perhaps, and then a long silence while she talks about herself . . .
1. When you are older, flowers really do work—women love them. When you are young, however, there is a ghastly sense of being awkward rather than romantic—and she will guess your mother bought them.
2. Valentine’s Day cards. Do not put your name on them. The whole point is the excitement a girl feels, wondering who finds her attractive. If it says “From Brian” on it, the magic isn’t really there. This is actually quite a nice thing to do to someone you don’t think will get a card. If you do this, it is even more important that you never say, “I sent you one because I thought you wouldn’t get any.” Keep the cards simple. You do not want one with fancy stuff of any kind.
3. Avoid being vulgar. Excitable bouts of windbreaking will not endear you to a girl, just to pick one example.
4. Play a sport of some kind. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it replaces the corpse-like pallor of the computer programmer with a ruddy glow. Honestly, this is more important than you know.
5. If you see a girl in need of help—unable to lift something, for example—do not taunt her. Approach the object and greet her with a cheerful smile, while surreptitiously testing the weight of the object. If you find you can lift it, go ahead. If you can’t, try sitting on it and engaging her in conversation.
6. Finally, make sure you are well-scrubbed, your nails are clean and your hair is washed. Remember that girls are as nervous around you as you are around them, if you can imagine such a thing. They think and act rather differently to you, but without them, life would be one long football locker room. Treat them with respect.”
Bogen er udkommet på Harper Collins.