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anna_m_k's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.5
Interesting and oddly nostalgic, The Vanishing Hitchhiker looks into several U.S. urban legends and examines them in a critical and engaging way. Though the text is dated - microwave ovens aren't that new - several of these legends are still ones I've heard. Brunvand's exploration, dissection, and discussion of these legends are great introductions for the lay person to get interested in critically engaging with the folklore around them. The final section, an appendix giving amateur folklorists some tips and tricks of the collector's trade, is a great way to end the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, and Death
wildjessturing's review against another edition
Imagined it as a bit more of a collection of urban legends but the ratio of legend to explanation/analysis has a lot more of the latter and that’s not really what I wanted from this read. Incredibly dry
annepw's review against another edition
3.0
These urban legends are interesting, as is the commentary, but the book is too dated to pull much of a punch today. I would love to see a revised edition featuring urban legends about microwaved smartphones and the like. But the vanishing hitchhiker story is still one of the all-time classics.
quirkycatsfatstacks's review
4.0
Book Summary:
The odds are more than good that you've grown up hearing different urban legends. Perhaps you didn't even realize your favorite story was based on one! Understanding how these urban legends are born and adapted helps us understand storytelling and humanity.
This is a collection of American urban legends, the most famous being The Vanishing Hitchhiker.
My Review:
Ever since I was little, I've been fascinated by folklore, fairy tales, and urban legends. But it wasn't until recently (ish) that I realized I could pick up full collections of urban legends and their variations. I must thank Ghost Roads (by Seanan McGuire) for that. I must also thank it for my current obsession with the Vanishing Hitch-Hiker.
Naturally, I dove into this collection. I just couldn't resist. This book lists the most common/famous urban legends of America (love it) and explains their origins, historical context, variations, and how they've changed over the years.
Best of all? There are citations. Okay, I know. That sounds SUPER nerdy. But that means this is a freaking fantastic resource for writers. I don't know about you guys, but I can't wait to pick up the next one (now, excuse me while I run to the library).
Highlights:
Urban Legends/Folklore
References
Storytelling
You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy
The odds are more than good that you've grown up hearing different urban legends. Perhaps you didn't even realize your favorite story was based on one! Understanding how these urban legends are born and adapted helps us understand storytelling and humanity.
This is a collection of American urban legends, the most famous being The Vanishing Hitchhiker.
My Review:
Ever since I was little, I've been fascinated by folklore, fairy tales, and urban legends. But it wasn't until recently (ish) that I realized I could pick up full collections of urban legends and their variations. I must thank Ghost Roads (by Seanan McGuire) for that. I must also thank it for my current obsession with the Vanishing Hitch-Hiker.
Naturally, I dove into this collection. I just couldn't resist. This book lists the most common/famous urban legends of America (love it) and explains their origins, historical context, variations, and how they've changed over the years.
Best of all? There are citations. Okay, I know. That sounds SUPER nerdy. But that means this is a freaking fantastic resource for writers. I don't know about you guys, but I can't wait to pick up the next one (now, excuse me while I run to the library).
Highlights:
Urban Legends/Folklore
References
Storytelling
You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy
inagreenshade's review against another edition
5.0
This book deserves five stars for citing the illustrious Charles Clay Doyle, America's foremost authority on cannibalism in dead grandmother myths and the leading contributor to my refrigerator magnet collection.
dajna's review against another edition
4.0
This reader wants to thank Openlibrary.org
This book is not available in Italy (well, I couldn't find it anywhere) and I was almost tempted to delete it from my to-read list.
I'm fond of urban legends and this book is a sort of must-read for whoever wants to know more about classic tales of folklore. You'll find the whole lot: the vanishing hitchhiker, the dead granma whose body is stolen with the car, the babysitter cooking the baby in the oven and the old lady drying her poodle in the microwave. And more, of course. But the important chapter is the last one: professor Brunvand explains how to address such tales and their storytellers, how to collect and verify the stories.
I think Brunvand is a good teacher. He knows how to keep you interested and he knows how to explain thing to a casual reader like me. I'd like to know his opinions about the new means of spreading folklore, such as the infamous "read! this is real! please share!" posts on Facebook.
This book is not available in Italy (well, I couldn't find it anywhere) and I was almost tempted to delete it from my to-read list.
I'm fond of urban legends and this book is a sort of must-read for whoever wants to know more about classic tales of folklore. You'll find the whole lot: the vanishing hitchhiker, the dead granma whose body is stolen with the car, the babysitter cooking the baby in the oven and the old lady drying her poodle in the microwave. And more, of course. But the important chapter is the last one: professor Brunvand explains how to address such tales and their storytellers, how to collect and verify the stories.
I think Brunvand is a good teacher. He knows how to keep you interested and he knows how to explain thing to a casual reader like me. I'd like to know his opinions about the new means of spreading folklore, such as the infamous "read! this is real! please share!" posts on Facebook.
suneaters's review
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Pretty good for what it is, but nothing very special or groundbreaking.
rzarate9696's review
5.0
Absolute banger. I'm late to internet history and am only now looking into creepypasta culture, and now I'm working my way backward into the urban legends of yesteryear. Chelsea Weber Smith mentioned this book as a big inspiration to her in her podcast "American Hysteria", specifically the urban legend episode, and luckily a lot of this writer's books are available at my local library. It's cut and dry in the best way; all the old urban legends that have been adapted into movies two times over are analyzed and discussed here, boiled down to their cultural significance and impacts on society. I very much enjoyed and will read any of Brunvand's work I can get my hands on. Hopefully he doesn't turn out to be a complete asshole as I learn more about him.