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The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A.J. Jacobs
mrsfligs's review against another edition
4.0
Written by the same author as The Year of Living Biblically, this book chronicles A.J. Jacobs' attempt to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica from cover to cover. The quest turns out to be more difficult and enlightening than the author ever anticipated, and it is a hoot to go along on his journey. Just as with his other book, you end up learning a lot but without having to work too hard (my favorite way to learn)! One of my favorite parts was when he tries out to be on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Besides reading more about everything than anyone should, the book also documents the author's personal growth in his life and marriage. A fun and informative read!
stephaniereads9b0f8's review against another edition
5.0
SO funny. Very well written book of a man who spends a year reading the Encyclopedia Britannica.
rebeccalm's review against another edition
I picked up this book, for the first time, over a decade ago at a friend's house and had been thoroughly absorbed by it. I only got to read about half the book before I had to leave it behind, and didn't get back to it right away. Fast forward to now, when I found it at the library and felt a nostalgic pull to pick it back up and finish it...only to re-read the thing and stop halfway again. Boy do the years since it's publishing really date this book.
I love the idea of this man reading the entirety of the encyclopedia, but his conveyance of that knowledge and his anecdotes and experiences kind of fell flat for me. I know he's a pop-culture journalist, but this book was full to the brim with references that have not aged well or are now completely obscure. I was no longer enjoying it by the time I got to the L's and decided to stop it there.
I love the idea of this man reading the entirety of the encyclopedia, but his conveyance of that knowledge and his anecdotes and experiences kind of fell flat for me. I know he's a pop-culture journalist, but this book was full to the brim with references that have not aged well or are now completely obscure. I was no longer enjoying it by the time I got to the L's and decided to stop it there.
elemmakil's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure if I liked reading this book, but I'm glad I did. I mightn't recommend the book to anyone but neither would I discourage anyone from reading it. Funny (it actually isn't that funny) how a book that formally is organized like an encyclopædia (and like The encyclopædia, the great Encyclopædia Britannica), but has a structure very unlike it; namely, there's a story that carries through it. Although, according to this book, there might yet be a story that runs through the encyclopædia, too.
meganamato's review against another edition
3.0
Worked well as a bedtime book that I read over the course of a few months after having purchased for a dollar from a used book store. Some interesting tidbits and narrative - enough to keep me reading to the end....but honestly, not a book I'm going to keep on my shelf.
acejolras's review against another edition
funny
informative
medium-paced
3.0
A very fun romp through the encyclopedia with the author’s life that year mixed in. I hovered between giving 3 or 4*, but went with 4 because there were quite a few jokes (mildly racist, quite sexist) that didn’t age well. Though it was very queer-affirming! I learned a lot of interesting facts, some of which have already helped my crossword game, in an engaging way.
sharppointysticks's review against another edition
3.0
I had started reading this book years ago, but never finished it. I picked it back up again and started over. I cannot believe that A.J. Jacobs read the whole encyclopedia. Just reading him summarizing it was an overwhelming amount of facts. Still it was a heartwarming family tale with lots of random fun facts thrown in. I'm glad I finally finished it, it was worth it.
jcpdiesel21's review against another edition
4.0
A thoroughly enjoyable book, and probably my favorite by A.J. Jacobs. I love how his large quests for knowledge always entail smaller side projects that are equally as interesting and enhance and deepen his projects. I liked how some of his entries were brief and to the point, with a few facts followed by a witty observation or joke, and some were lengthy, relating directly back to his own life, however loosely. It was interesting to see how Jacobs' relationships with his brother-in-law Eric and his father evolved while he was immersed in this project, and I appreciated his candid and humorous comments about speed reading and memory improvement classes that turned out to be scams. His experiences spending time with Mensa members, chatting with Alex Trebek and attempting to get on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire were definite highlights. I'm not sure how relevant a quest to read an entire set of encyclopedias is today, given how much we now rely on the internet for instant information, but it sure was entertaining to read about.