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Posted: Dec 05 2009 02:28 pm

http://blog.icewarm.org/?p=624

http://www.amazon.com/Badass-Relentless-Onslaught-Gunfighters-Commanders/dp/0061749443/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260037691&sr=8-1

I'm currently listening to "Badass" by Ben Thompson. This is a book covering various badasses throughout history. so far I'm only on the first section but it is pretty funny and informative so far. Many of the people and situations are referenced using modern terminology. There is a section on King Leonidas and Emperor Xerxes is referred to as a "jackass." There are many other situations and people referred to terms like this.

Overall the book is pretty informative and quite funny.

Posted: Dec 05 2009 02:33 pm

IceWarm wrote:

http://blog.icewarm.org/?p=624

http://www.amazon.com/Badass-Relentless-Onslaught-Gunfighters-Commanders/dp/0061749443/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260037691&sr=8-1

I'm currently listening to "Badass" by Ben Thompson. This is a book covering various badasses throughout history. so far I'm only on the first section but it is pretty funny and informative so far. Many of the people and situations are referenced using modern terminology. There is a section on King Leonidas and Emperor Xerxes is referred to as a "jackass." There are many other situations and people referred to terms like this.

Overall the book is pretty informative and quite funny.

nice, i have this on my amazon wish list and i might pick it up next paycheck.

let us know how the whole thing works out

Posted: Dec 05 2009 02:45 pm

I'm almost done listening to the first section. I'm using the Audible version of this book. So far the book is really good. I like how the situations are partly described in layman's terms. For example Caesar's assassination is described something like this(don't read if you don't want it to be spoiled:)
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Eventually some dudes were like "Caesar is too awesome. Its not good for humanity to have such a total badass running around killing everyone." So they stabbed him in the back twenty three times. That's the price you pay for being awesome.

The book does not go into great detail on situations like this but the author gives you a brief, yet funny summary of the situations,.

Posted: Feb 21 2010 12:47 am

Again this book is a pretty funny look at badaaes throughout history. I have the book in Audible format, as well as in print.

Aparently the author is working on a book focusing on fictional badasses. Here is an e-mail I sent him and his repsonse:

From: Mike Boyd
Subject: Badass - A Thank You
To: (his e-mail is avaolable on his site but I don't feel it would be apropriate to post it here)
Date: Friday, December 25, 2009, 5:56 PM

Thank you for writing Badass. I bought the book and also got it from Audible. It is by far the most fun I've had learning about history. I'm currently on my second read through and second listening. It helps pass the time at work when I can listen to it on my Creative MP3 player. If you ever write another book about other badasses I would pick it up in a heartbeat. I've been reading the web site for a while and I love that also. I'd like to eventually see other badasses on the site included in a future book. A book about fictional badasses would also kick ass like how you did an article on Indiana Jones. Anyway thank you for this kick ass book and web site.

Best Wishes, Mike

Response:

from:
to Mike Boyd
date Wed, Dec 30, 2009 at 4:11 PM
subject Re: Badass - A Thank You

Hi Mike,

Thanks so much for the kind words... I'm really glad you liked the book! My goal was for people to have as much fun reading it as I had writing it, so it's good to hear that you're digging it. As far as your suggestion goes, you're dead-on -- I'm actually working on a follow-up book based on myth, folklore, and fictional characters ranging from Gilgamesh to Dirty Harry. There's so much crazy stuff out there, I think it would be a blast to write.

-Ben

I'll be picking up that book whenever it comes out. It sounds like it will be a blast to read just like the original.

Posted: Feb 21 2010 01:21 am

nice. im almost done reading this book myself. i only read it on the bus, but its a great read. keeps me distracted from all the teens in short shorts.

Posted: Feb 21 2010 05:39 am

Who's your favorite "badass" so far? I really enjoyed the section on Caesar, Anne Bonny, Elliot Ness, and Chandragupta Maurya...drunken war elephants are definitely badass.

Posted: Feb 21 2010 01:22 pm

Votes are for :

Testla, the only scientist in the mix. 10th degree supergenius still doesn't get the press Edison did, and its probably because at the time and still to this day, "down to earth inventor uses sheer determination and All American ingenuity(read:claimed his army of real technician's inventions form himself) to bring us into the new age with lightbulbs and movie projectors" sounds better than, "Croatian with disgustingly large brain, poor social skills, and severe psych issues uses cold foreign logic to bring us into the new age with the absolutely essential AC current, which most people not even knowing what the hell that is, and a bunch of stuff he'll never get credit for.

Another vote for Maurya-Sexy warrior women bodyguards and angry elephants, how can you go wrong.

Bass Reeves-As a minority, I'm always pleased when the white only club of the wild west is forced to acknowledge that someone other than white people lived there, much less did stuff. He's got the perfect record of large volume of criminals and high profile names under his belt, impeccable integrity, and in addition to the bitchin name he's got a bitchin moustache. Seriously, look it up.

Napoleon-I feel bad for the guy. Almost conquers the whole of europe, and ends up the living embodiment of incompetent short french guy jokes. He earned and deserved the entry.

El Cid-A knight so tough that his post dead body was used as a bluff. Kickass, especially for a knight, which are usually stuck up british toffs or violent amoral thugs with both owing more battlefield success to their horse and armor than any real fighting talent.

I got this book recently, and its very satisfying.

Posted: Feb 21 2010 02:15 pm

my fave is definitely tesla simply because he is the only scientist there. and cause he was mad. and badass

Joined: Apr 05 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 26

Just started reading this book and it is pretty entertaining. I like the story about the samurai who killed his arch enemy with a boat ore. Its getting harder and harder to find a true badass as time goes on. Guns have kinda leveled the playing field as far as combat goes...

Posted: Feb 25 2010 09:36 pm

I also liked the section on Agustina of Aragón. One part that I found to be pretty funny was when it says something about French troops rushing her position and that she ran to a cannon, loaded it, fired it at the French troops. The line in the book says something about the French troops being reduced to a "smoking crater of dead-ass bitches." The audio version refers to it as a "pile of dead-ass bitches."