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rhidee's review against another edition
4.0
Having already listened to The Dollop for years, I knew what I was in for here. This book is like The Dollop lite, short form versions of the stories with only the brief overview in each case. It's still fascinating but not as great as the podcast itself, with so much less content. I loved the illustrations however. It's a nice item to have as a fan of the show.
zlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
I’ll admit this up front: I was hoping to find a lighthearted book about some of the odder aspects of American history and culture suitable for my library’s ESL, Adult Basic Studies/Transitional (high school completion) collection. Something that was suitable for adults that would engage readers. The United States of Absurdity is quite entertaining. Unfortunately the four-letter words and humor may likely be off-putting for my students from socially conservative cultures both in and outside of the U.S. Aside from that, it made me laugh, so I recommend this rapid, rowdy read for general audiences over age 21. I’d even recommend this book to knowledegable history buffs, especially the kind that enjoy other people’s retellings of them, just because it’s always great to encounter someone else that loves history, too. A perfect recommendation for fans of the Comedy Central show, Drunk History. Should Anthony and Reynolds ever decide to write a follow-up, it will no doubt be popular.
semziza's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book, but it could have been better. It basically had rather short summaries that because of their length miss certain nuances. The podcasts are much more in depth and there is a lack of follow up that I am inclined to believe was done to be funny. Such as with body snatchers a comment is made on how bodies were stripped naked and they don't know why, when a little research will show most places have laws for stealing items like jewlery and clothes from a dead person, but no laws about stealing the body.
missayme's review against another edition
3.0
Fun, but lacks the banter that makes the podcast so great. If you listen to a lot of weird history podcasts (like I do) then most of the histories will be familiar.
zeozombz's review against another edition
4.0
Very fun book. I will re-listen to it again. The book tells some crazy historical events (events you will not read in a history book, sadly) in the United States. Seems like there is some sort of hope for the evolution of society and science.
amber_lea84's review against another edition
3.0
I hope you like bad puns.
This is one of those books that's kind of hard to rate because it's dumb and entertaining. I actually thought a few things in this book were bullshit, but I googled them and I stand corrected.
I think my biggest complaint about this book is the brevity. I think each of these stories could have easily been twice as long. There were times where they would state something ridiculous and then immediately move on leaving me going, "Wait...what? No, what? Go back. Elaborate. There is way more story there."
This is one of those books that's kind of hard to rate because it's dumb and entertaining. I actually thought a few things in this book were bullshit, but I googled them and I stand corrected.
I think my biggest complaint about this book is the brevity. I think each of these stories could have easily been twice as long. There were times where they would state something ridiculous and then immediately move on leaving me going, "Wait...what? No, what? Go back. Elaborate. There is way more story there."
thegeekybibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
If you enjoy reading about odd and ridiculous events in history, then this is the book for you. Let's face it: the history we learn in school isn't exactly a barrel of laughs. All those events that happened throughout the centuries—while important to know about—are decidedly lacking in the humor department. This book has many funny anecdotes, but it's not exactly the sort of history that would find its way into a school textbook.
What you will find are stories about such notable moments as:
* The 14-year-old boy who made nitroglycerin in an improvised "lab", who eventually built a breeder reactor in his parent's backyard.
* Henry Heimlich's campaign to make the Heimlich maneuver the preferred way to save someone from choking to death, followed by his attempts to prove malaria could cure cancer... and Lyme disease... and AIDS.
* Harry Smolinski's attempt to create a flying car... using a Ford Pinto.* A cheese wheel that was gifted to Andrew Jackson, which was four feet in diameter, two feet thick, and weighed a whipping 1400 pounds.
* The Straw Hat Riots of 1922, which began because some men were absolute heathens and wore their straw hats past the acceptable dates of May 15th to September 15th.
Some of the stories were more interesting than others (as would be the case with any collection such as this), and I was aware of a few—such as the story of the "Radium Girls". I was in need of a light read, and this fit the bill nicely.
I received an advance review copy of this book courtesy of Ten Speed Press via Netgalley.
What you will find are stories about such notable moments as:
* The 14-year-old boy who made nitroglycerin in an improvised "lab", who eventually built a breeder reactor in his parent's backyard.
* Henry Heimlich's campaign to make the Heimlich maneuver the preferred way to save someone from choking to death, followed by his attempts to prove malaria could cure cancer... and Lyme disease... and AIDS.
* Harry Smolinski's attempt to create a flying car... using a Ford Pinto.* A cheese wheel that was gifted to Andrew Jackson, which was four feet in diameter, two feet thick, and weighed a whipping 1400 pounds.
* The Straw Hat Riots of 1922, which began because some men were absolute heathens and wore their straw hats past the acceptable dates of May 15th to September 15th.
Some of the stories were more interesting than others (as would be the case with any collection such as this), and I was aware of a few—such as the story of the "Radium Girls". I was in need of a light read, and this fit the bill nicely.
I received an advance review copy of this book courtesy of Ten Speed Press via Netgalley.