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    What Would MacGyver Do?: True Stories of Improvised Genius in Everyday Life
    What Would MacGyver Do?: True Stories of Improvised Genius in Everyday Life
    What Would MacGyver Do?: True Stories of Improvised Genius in Everyday Life
    Audiobook4 hours

    What Would MacGyver Do?: True Stories of Improvised Genius in Everyday Life

    Written by Brendan Vaughan

    Narrated by Patrick Lawlor and Shelly Frasier

    2.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    You're driving on a deserted road when your car dies. Your cell phone isn't getting service. All you have on hand are a gum wrapper and a wire hanger.
    Or maybe you're living in a building without central air conditioning in July. You can't afford an AC; all you have access to are a fan and a bucket of water.

    In such times of desperation, many have called upon the symbol of all that is inventive, the hero who awed thousands with his cool, quick wit: "What would MacGyver do?" they ask.

    For anyone who has ever wished they could channel the 1980s action-adventure icon comes this clever collection of forty-five true stories, commemorating the use of improvised genius to solve everyday problems. Inspired by television's Angus MacGyver (played by Richard Dean Anderson), a secret agent who relied on his brains and scientific prowness-not to mention duct tape and a Swiss Army knife-to save the day, the "MacGyverisms" recounted range from the concrete (using Chex Mix to provide traction in an icy parking lot) to the intangible (saving a relationship with the perfect turn of phrase). Edgy, entertaining, and smirk-to-yourself funny, these masterfully told stories reveal that, with a little luck and a lot of ingenuity, you can "MacGyver" yourself out of virtually any predicament.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateDec 1, 2006
    ISBN9781400172887
    What Would MacGyver Do?: True Stories of Improvised Genius in Everyday Life

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    Reviews for What Would MacGyver Do?

    2.5/5

    27 ratings3 reviews

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    • 1/5
      This is a really bad effort! It seems there were lots and lots of story submissions, but the editorial choices weighed witty and word smart higher than whether the story even came close to being a MacGyver. See the other reviews for other lame examples. The one that made me chuck the book was when a thirsty hiker swallowed his own pee. Yes, THAT's really clever! If I were MacGyver, I'd be blushing in embarassment at this tribute; perhaps even contemplating a slander lawsuit.
    • 3/5
      I love love love MacGyver and was very excited to get this book. While all of the stories were entertaining, quite a few of them would not strictly fall under the category of "MacGyverisms". Still, a few are sheer genius and the book was a quick, entertaining read with moments of "wow, that's genius!" here and there.
    • 3/5
      A collection of short real-life stories from people who came up with creative, on-the-fly solutions to problems in their everyday lives. Or at least, that's what it's supposed to be. The stated goal of the book is to include all kinds of nifty improvised problem-solving, not just the traditional MacGyver-esque paper-clips-and-duct-tape stuff. Which is fine, and there are a few tales here of clever saves in social situations. But a surprising number of these anecdotes just don't seem to qualify at all. I'm sorry, but, really, "I arrived at the airport and realized I forgot my passport, so I called a friend and had him bring it to me" in no way counts as a brilliantly innovative solution, no matter how tight the timing may have been. And a few of these are actually stories of stupidity and failure, like not managing to capture a mouse with homemade traps, or accidentally burning down a construction site. Which was kind of disappointing. It also didn't help that quite a few of the authors came across as unsympathetic people trying to accomplish morally suspect things, such as covering up infidelity, or lying their way into a job. Fortunately, though, in among all of that there were a number of feats that ol' Mac himself would have been proud of, such as fixing a car's clutch with a knitting needle, building an air conditioner with $24 worth of parts, and improvising a spacer for an asthmatic's inhaler. Those stories were generally not written with quite the same attempt to be colorful or amusing as many of the iffier ones, but they were the ones whose protagonists' quick thinking and know-how made me feel genuinely impressed and envious.