Official Review: Dolphins Don’t Run Marathons
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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Dolphins Don’t Run Marathons" by Sam Brand.]
Are you a human ant, chimp, or dolphin? Confused? In Dolphins Don't Run Marathons, Sam Brand believes all humans can be categorized as either an ant, chimp, or dolphin. Human ants are driven marathon runners with a one-track mind for success, no matter the cost. Human chimps are happy people who prefer socializing over exercising, although they might do something active from time to time. Human dolphins are the best of both worlds; they're social, fun-loving people who enjoy short runs and other forms of exercise (with a heavy emphasis on water activities and sex).
If you find that you identify most with human chimps, I would go ahead and suggest not reading this book. There's not much for you here. If you identify most with human dolphins, the most you'll get out of this book is an opportunity to pat yourself on the back for being amazing. Those of you who identify with human ants, however, will find that most of this book is addressed to you.
The 26.2 chapters of this book are filled with advice for human ant runners. At its core, it's essentially telling ant runners that they need to listen to the human dolphins and stop long-distance running. He lists the downsides of marathon running; these cons range from being so time-consuming that there's no time for other commitments or socializing to some pretty serious health problems. Instead, they should focus on activities that dolphins enjoy, such as kayaking, hiking, yoga, water aerobics, or sex.
Amidst all of the advice, Brand shares his personal experience of transitioning from being a human ant to becoming a human dolphin. After achieving his peak success, running in the New York Marathon, a wise dolphin friend sheds some light on how all of his training has made him miss out on a lot of other important things in life. Thanks to this advice, Brand starts trying other activities and begins to notice the negative traits of other human ants.
This book falls somewhere between a memoir, a self-help book, and a running/health book. Brand shares a lot of eye-opening statistics and data about the health risks of marathon running, as well as the health benefits of other activities. The reader has to take Brand at his word as there are no citations to any studies or other reputable sources. Perhaps everything he claimed is true, but I think his argument would have been stronger if he'd provided the reader with where he obtained the information. Additionally, I am pretty sure that there is at least one false (or, at the least, questionable) claim; I'm pretty sure that yoga can't make you taller after puberty, it just helps your posture. I could be wrong, which is why it would be nice to be able to check out a credible source that backs up the claim.
His message about the costs and risks associated with running marathons is strong. However, I feel like it would have been stronger without trying to lump people into categories, or at least not relying on it so heavily. While the author clearly had some fun comparing certain types of people to animals (and some comparisons were entertaining), I felt like the comparisons were sometimes taken a bit too far. For example: "Even baby dolphins can swim the moment they are born, which is more than you can say for chimps, ants, and humans." While that's true, the saying that we shouldn't "judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree" comes to mind. There was also an odd bit about the sex life of dolphins, which somehow was supposed to prove that human dolphins also have good sex lives. I felt like these sorts of claims took away from the more important message about the damaging effects of marathon running.
Overall, the conversational, upbeat tone was enjoyable. The short chapters with, at most, a couple of paragraphs per page made it a quick read. Unfortunately, the book has more than ten errors, most of which are missing hyphens and improper capitalization.
Overall, I give this book 2 out of 4 stars. While I think the message was a good one, I think categorizing people distracted me from it. The errors and lack of citing any sources also led me to deduct a star. It doesn't deserve 1 star because it contains an important message about not letting marathon running - or any goal - consume your life. I think the best audience for this book is marathon runners or those who are thinking about running marathons.
******
Dolphins Don’t Run Marathons
View: on Bookshelves |
Are you a human ant, chimp, or dolphin? Confused? In Dolphins Don't Run Marathons, Sam Brand believes all humans can be categorized as either an ant, chimp, or dolphin. Human ants are driven marathon runners with a one-track mind for success, no matter the cost. Human chimps are happy people who prefer socializing over exercising, although they might do something active from time to time. Human dolphins are the best of both worlds; they're social, fun-loving people who enjoy short runs and other forms of exercise (with a heavy emphasis on water activities and sex).
If you find that you identify most with human chimps, I would go ahead and suggest not reading this book. There's not much for you here. If you identify most with human dolphins, the most you'll get out of this book is an opportunity to pat yourself on the back for being amazing. Those of you who identify with human ants, however, will find that most of this book is addressed to you.
The 26.2 chapters of this book are filled with advice for human ant runners. At its core, it's essentially telling ant runners that they need to listen to the human dolphins and stop long-distance running. He lists the downsides of marathon running; these cons range from being so time-consuming that there's no time for other commitments or socializing to some pretty serious health problems. Instead, they should focus on activities that dolphins enjoy, such as kayaking, hiking, yoga, water aerobics, or sex.
Amidst all of the advice, Brand shares his personal experience of transitioning from being a human ant to becoming a human dolphin. After achieving his peak success, running in the New York Marathon, a wise dolphin friend sheds some light on how all of his training has made him miss out on a lot of other important things in life. Thanks to this advice, Brand starts trying other activities and begins to notice the negative traits of other human ants.
This book falls somewhere between a memoir, a self-help book, and a running/health book. Brand shares a lot of eye-opening statistics and data about the health risks of marathon running, as well as the health benefits of other activities. The reader has to take Brand at his word as there are no citations to any studies or other reputable sources. Perhaps everything he claimed is true, but I think his argument would have been stronger if he'd provided the reader with where he obtained the information. Additionally, I am pretty sure that there is at least one false (or, at the least, questionable) claim; I'm pretty sure that yoga can't make you taller after puberty, it just helps your posture. I could be wrong, which is why it would be nice to be able to check out a credible source that backs up the claim.
His message about the costs and risks associated with running marathons is strong. However, I feel like it would have been stronger without trying to lump people into categories, or at least not relying on it so heavily. While the author clearly had some fun comparing certain types of people to animals (and some comparisons were entertaining), I felt like the comparisons were sometimes taken a bit too far. For example: "Even baby dolphins can swim the moment they are born, which is more than you can say for chimps, ants, and humans." While that's true, the saying that we shouldn't "judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree" comes to mind. There was also an odd bit about the sex life of dolphins, which somehow was supposed to prove that human dolphins also have good sex lives. I felt like these sorts of claims took away from the more important message about the damaging effects of marathon running.
Overall, the conversational, upbeat tone was enjoyable. The short chapters with, at most, a couple of paragraphs per page made it a quick read. Unfortunately, the book has more than ten errors, most of which are missing hyphens and improper capitalization.
Overall, I give this book 2 out of 4 stars. While I think the message was a good one, I think categorizing people distracted me from it. The errors and lack of citing any sources also led me to deduct a star. It doesn't deserve 1 star because it contains an important message about not letting marathon running - or any goal - consume your life. I think the best audience for this book is marathon runners or those who are thinking about running marathons.
******
Dolphins Don’t Run Marathons
View: on Bookshelves |
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