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.
Download and start listening now!
"This was a great read. It gave me tons of inspiration on how to fix/make things around my house and reminded me just how I always loved the ingenuity of MacGuyver! I learned how to...clean out my gutters without a ladder! "
— Danielle (4 out of 5 stars)
“What Would MacGyver Do? collects real-life tales of ingenuity with everyday objects.”
— Entertainment Weekly“Before CSI, there was Angus MacGyver…What Would MacGyver Do? features [true stories] of MacGyver-esque ingenuity.
— New York Post" Entertaining enough for a plane ride, nothing special "
— Sean, 2/20/2014" Some interesting stories, even a couple that do seem to be inspired by the television show that the book draws its inspiration from. But the introductions to each section lean more to the lackluster, sometimes more or less recapping each of the stories that are in the section. "
— David, 2/17/2014" I am a MacGyver tv show junkie. LOVED the show growing up. So my wife gave me this book almost as a gag gift. But it's actually really awesome!! "
— Tim, 2/10/2014" half way through. pretty unimpressive feats of not really living up to macgyver's legacy. "
— Jonathan, 2/8/2014" I loved watching 'MacGyver' as a kid and when I got this book I wanted to see what creative ideas people could come up with. The book starts out good, but some of the later stories should not have been included because they are just nonsense... I think some people have never even watched the show to actually come up with a bright idea that could "save the day". "
— Ms., 2/6/2014" A should-read book in finding humor in the workplace. "
— Lori, 2/5/2014" I was hoping to hear (I listened to the audiobook) more stories like the first one, about real ingenuity, but they were mainly crowd-sourced anecdotes of minor problems, with obvious solutions. "
— Carol, 1/25/2014" A quick read that inspires problem-solving through means often unrelated to the original problem. Humorous, though a bit heavy on content from Esquire magazine. Would have liked to have seen submissions from a broader segment of society. "
— Claudia, 1/16/2014" Meh, very few seemed like actual MacGyverisms. "
— Kate, 1/1/2014" Great idea for a book but poor execution. I was looking more for stories of explosives made with paper clips and Diet Coke, not coffee brewed with socks. It doesn't quite deserve the MacGyver mullet on the cover. "
— Jeffry, 12/31/2013" None of these stories are better than MacGyver but some were pretty funny. One of my favorites was making coffee usinga dress sock... "
— Beth, 12/9/2013" Maybe MacGyver was so awesome that everything is lame compared to the real thing. "
— JQ, 12/5/2013" Interesting tidbits of ingenuity. But what are their plans for the Zombie invasion ? "
— Kevin, 11/2/2013" Some funny stories, some Duh stories. Good entertainment, but I'd read it at the library instead of paying for it. "
— Holly, 10/1/2013" If you can get past the author's introduction of who he is, why he wrote the book and how he did it, which seems to take forever, the rest of the book (book on CD) is OK. But just OK. Neat idea, but lacks the pizazz I expected from this type of book. "
— Joe, 5/21/2013" The book doesn't really answer the question it sets out to. "
— Dinh, 1/17/2013" good coffee table book "
— Rob, 1/9/2012" Funny! Some of them were a bit of a stretch to call them MacGyverisms, but it is a funny read. "
— Misha, 11/20/2011" Want to be like MacGyver? This won't do it. "
— Don, 6/27/2011" Utterly pedestrian tales of people getting out of scrapes. Very few are ingenius or clever. Dry, dull, disappointing. "
— Kara, 5/17/2011" I thought this book would be way better, but the stories were disappointing and not nearly as "MacGyverish" as I would have thought. I wonder how bad the ones were that didn't make it into the book. "
— Danielle, 4/7/2011" half way through. pretty unimpressive feats of not really living up to macgyver's legacy. "
— Jonathan, 2/17/2011" Do not waste anytime whatsoever on this book. It is misleading and awful. <br/>If you need more info, go to Amazon and read the dozens of "HATED IT" reviews. "
— David, 10/15/2010" Entertaining enough for a plane ride, nothing special "
— Sean, 7/17/2010" A quick read that inspires problem-solving through means often unrelated to the original problem. Humorous, though a bit heavy on content from Esquire magazine. Would have liked to have seen submissions from a broader segment of society. "
— Claudia, 2/27/2010" These short stories of "Macgyverisms" were a fun distraction while I was doing my holiday baking. I never watched the show, but was familiar with the concept. I appreciated the creativity that the contributors showed. This may appeal to YAs too, especially hands-on type guys. "
— Marcia, 12/24/2008" If you can get past the author's introduction of who he is, why he wrote the book and how he did it, which seems to take forever, the rest of the book (book on CD) is OK. But just OK. Neat idea, but lacks the pizazz I expected from this type of book. "
— Joe, 7/28/2008Brendan Vaughan is an articles editor at Esquire magazine and the winner of a National Magazine Award for New Media.
Shelly Frasier has appeared in many independent film and theater projects in Arizona and Southern California and has done voice-over work for commercials and animation projects. She trained at the Groundlings Improv School in Hollywood and South Coast Repertory’s Professional Conservatory in Costa Mesa, California. She has performed at theaters throughout North Hollywood and Orange County.