Reviews

The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A.J. Jacobs

nikkinana's review against another edition

3.0

An entertaining cliffs notes version of the Encyclopedia Brittanica.

erinmp's review against another edition

4.0

Can a book about reading the Encyclopedia Britannica be funny? It can be hilarious if it's written by A.J. Jacobs. Jacobs mixes brief entries from the encyclopedia that are interesting or just plain bizarre, with tidbits from his own life at the time of reading. Throughout the book we see him join MENSA (a feat shocking to him, afraid he's going to be called out at any time), experience infertility with his wife, try to impress others with his mission and newly acquired knowledge. Jacobs attempts to back up his quest to become the smartest man in the world by speaking with geniuses and experts in intelligence (that doesn't go over so well). He tries to go on Jeopardy, but after an enthusiastic attempt to bond with Alex Trebek over trivia for an interview, he is disqualified and has to settle for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. And to cap it all off, he even gets to join the Britannica staff for a day.

The book is truly hilarious and full of interesting party facts (my favorite: in traditional Balinese society, boy-girl twins were forced to marry because it was assumed that they had sex in the womb). Handy index in the back if you can't quite remember the obscure fact Jacobs mentioned. Great book.

eacolgan's review against another edition

5.0

It didn't surprise me that I loved this book; after all, who better to sympathize with Jacobs' childhood certainty that he was the smartest boy in the world? It was funny, filled with tons of trivia, and best yet, asks the tough question, what's the point of learning? Jacobs' struggle to understand why he's embarked on this staggering quest is both amusing and empathetic, and I was sad when it was over. Definitely plan to read more of his stuff.

heartofoak1's review against another edition

4.0

fun with the encyclopaedia britannica and A.J. Jacobs quest to become the "smartest person in the world." i enjoyed it although by the last 40 or so pages i was ready for the book to end since it got to be a little tiresome reading condensed versions of the encyclopaedia's (spelled correctly, thank you) entries with bits of the author's commentary included. i did find myself laughing at jacob's wry humor, he's very funny. could help with your jeopardy game...

lditty's review against another edition

funny informative reflective medium-paced

3.25

obnorthrup's review against another edition

3.0

A little hokey at points, but you do root for A.J. and learn some unusual facts along the way.

lorenewescott's review against another edition

3.0

finally finished

dougkauffman's review against another edition

4.0

This was a fun and educational read. Some of the humor felt a little forced, but some of it had me chortling out loud. Now I kind of want a Britannica set.

mercenator's review against another edition

4.0

I hated this book to start. The format made me feel frustrated at its disjointedness. By the end, though, I had come to love the wry tone of the narrator and the ability to learn some random facts while enjoying a memoir.

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!