Dumb, Dumber, Dumbest: True News of the World's Least Competent People

by John J. Kohut

Gathers more than five hundred true stories categorized under such headings as "mensa rejects" and "dumb happens"

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1996

Reviews

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining if you like the Darwin Awards and whatnot. Reading about dumb people makes me feel a bit better about my life lol. But it also makes you worry for the future. :-/

[Graham Clayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A potpourri of over 500 examples of really stupid behaviour, such as the man who shot himself in the mouth because he had a bad toothache. The geographical locations of the behaviour would suggest that stupidity, instead of music, is the world's common language. Fun to read either in one sitting or to dip into from time to time.

[Ren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly entertaining if taken in very small doses. Needless to say, I didn't read all the entries in this book. I just can't take anymore. Incredible that there are so many truly stupid people out there...

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good collection of short humorous anecdotes highlighting the members of our society who don't possess a full share of the common sense pool. I've read a few of these stories before, although there were some stories taken from my local newspaper, so that could add to the familiarity. The book reminded me a bit of the Darwin Awards books I've read, although those stories are a bit longer and almost always end up with the subjects removing themselves from the gene pool, whereas these pieces feature every level of stupidity from harmless acts lacking in foresight to the same poor decisions that could lead to Darwin Awards.
The book is simply a compilation of stories, so the pieces seem to be directly taken from the news articles where they originated, although the authors probably homogenized the writing a bit, especially the ones from foreign papers, in order to make the book flow and not feel choppy.
A perfect book for the gym or other place where light, quick reading is in order.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm giving this one star because of one entry. In the section on stupid lawsuits, the book tells of the story of a man who was in a mental hospital and was released, then set himself on fire in a suicide attempt, losing both his legs and sustaining major burns. He then sued the psychiatrist who he had told he would kill himself, and who discharged him anyway. That is NOT funny. And it is NOT stupid. Mental illness is real. he was in the hospital for treatment for a mental illness, and this doctor completely botched his treatment. The mere hint that such a terrible tragedy could be considered funny is disgusting.

[Wagrobanite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really crazy and funny stories

[Ryan Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of amusing anecdotes about people doing ridiculous things.