The right book can make you laugh, make you cry, make you scared of every shadow or inspire you to try something new.

But can a book save your life?

It works for Thursday Next in The Eyre Affair, which I was reading just last night.  She’s left for dead but saved by a copy of Jane Eyre placed in her breast pocket that catches the bullet and leaves her with only bruised ribs.  It’s the perfect literary moment oft-repeated in books and film – but how realistic is it, really?

That’s what the guys at Electric Literature wondered.  So they put the latest and thickest books to the test to see how they would fare against a handgun.  Watch and see if you still want to put your faith in paperbacks and hardcovers.

As much as I hate to see books destroyed, I love this.  I just want to throw a few more solid classics in there to see the results.  And maybe my college Con Law book, while we’re at it.  I feel like the quality of the cardboard and the density of the paper must factor in there somewhere, and I don’t want to give up on the power of books just yet.  Sequel, please?