Becoming Batman, E. Paul Zehr
Becoming Batman, E. Paul Zehr
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

Becoming Batman
The Possibility of a Superhero

Author: E. Paul Zehr, James Kakalios

Narrator: Rudy Sanda

Unabridged: 9 hr 40 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 05/16/2023

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

Possessing no supernatural powers, Batman is the most realistic of all the superheroes. His feats are achieved through rigorous training and mental discipline, and with the aid of fantastic gadgets. Drawing on his training as a neuroscientist, kinesiologist, and martial artist, E. Paul Zehr explores the question: Could a mortal ever become Batman?

Zehr discusses the physical training necessary to maintain bad-guy-fighting readiness while relating the science underlying this process, from strength conditioning to the cognitive changes a person would endure in undertaking such a regimen. In probing what a real-life Batman could achieve, Zehr considers the level of punishment a consummately fit and trained person could handle, how hard and fast such a person could punch and kick, and the number of adversaries that individual could dispatch. He also tells us what it would be like to fight while wearing a batsuit and the amount of food we'd need to consume each day to maintain vigilance as Gotham City's guardian.

A fun foray of escapism grounded in sound science, Becoming Batman provides the background for attaining the realizable—though extreme—level of human performance that would allow you to be a superhero.

About E. Paul Zehr

E. Paul Zehr is a professor of neuroscience and kinesiology at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, where he is also a biomedical research scholar. He holds black belts in both empty hand and armed martial arts.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bernie

[Note: This book is about sport and exercise science, particularly as they pertain to the martial arts. If you’re a martial artist or are interested in fitness and movement arts at the extremes of human capacity, you’re in the right place. If you’re interested in the comics and an overview of topics......more

Goodreads review by Peter

What do you think of when you think Batman? A) Batman is nothing without years of martial arts training and thousands of push-ups. or B) Batman is nothing without his gadgets and money. E. Paul Zehr is clearly in the A camp, while I am all about B. This book is less about becoming Batman then it is abou......more

Goodreads review by James

Here's a nonfiction book about some geeky and interesting questions: Given any training necessary, could an actual man become as strong, highly skilled, and agile as Batman is in the comic books? If so, could that man fight crime the way Batman does? If so, for how long? It's hard to imagine someone......more

Goodreads review by Jason

I wanted to enjoy reading this book much more than I did. All of the ingredients were present: a fascinating topic (given the proper genetic potential, fanatical motivation, and unlimited financial resources, could someone actually achieve the physical and mental performance levels of the comic book......more