The proper way to rip a phonebook (dictionary, book of mormon, bible, (insert favorite religious text here), cookbook, any nathaniel hawthorne book, etc...):
First, remove or fold back the front and back covers. These are almost impossible to rip through, and you will still look macho enough if they aren't there.
This next step is the most difficult part. You need to fold the phonebook in half with the crease parallel to the binding, similar to if you were rolling it up to beat someone over the head with.
The trick is to grasp it so none of the pages can slide anymore. Unfold the phonebook slightly, and a little bit of space should open up between each page (as opposed to the pages sliding. keep a good grip!).
Now here is the fun part. If you did it right, you should be able to start ripping the book. Keep "unfolding" the book, ripping each page where the crease was as soon as that page becomes almost flat again. Get it? You are ripping it one page at a time.
As soon as you can see the little tear in each page, keep pulling apart as hard as you can. If you're lucky, the whole book should rip where your initial fold was. Good job!
I would recommend practicing on smaller and older phonebooks so you can get the hang of it, and soon you will be a master book destroyer!! Go impress some chicks.