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A review by paperbacksandpines
The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A.J. Jacobs
3.0
I found the premise of The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World to be compelling. I would love to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica (or at least be one of the types of readers who could consume that volume of information)! To be exposed to so much information contained therein and to be able to learn so much (or as much as I am capable of learning) is amazing. The more I read, the more impressed I was with the enormity of Jacobs' undertaking.
The facts contained within The Know-It-All were interesting. Equally interesting, however, was Jacobs' thoughts and conclusions about the trivia. Jacobs didn't seem to take himself so seriously, as his self-deprecating tone and comparisons to brother-in-laws indicated. Yet at times, it seemed like there was an underlying tone of belief in his superiority of knowledge over "common thinkers."
Jacobs occasionally strayed into more depth when he pursued learning the difference between knowledge and information. He went to extraordinary lengths to speak with experts these fields. I would have liked to have read about the connection between knowledge and wisdom.
Although I was impressed with Jacobs' journey, I didn't find him as amusing as many of the Goodreads' reviewers. Even the more amusing parts of this book never made me chuckle aloud or in my head. I would equate reading this book to watching a B or C grade TBS sitcom. I haven't decided whether or not I will read another Jacobs' book but I do know I'm not in a rush to go out and read his next book.
The facts contained within The Know-It-All were interesting. Equally interesting, however, was Jacobs' thoughts and conclusions about the trivia. Jacobs didn't seem to take himself so seriously, as his self-deprecating tone and comparisons to brother-in-laws indicated. Yet at times, it seemed like there was an underlying tone of belief in his superiority of knowledge over "common thinkers."
Jacobs occasionally strayed into more depth when he pursued learning the difference between knowledge and information. He went to extraordinary lengths to speak with experts these fields. I would have liked to have read about the connection between knowledge and wisdom.
Although I was impressed with Jacobs' journey, I didn't find him as amusing as many of the Goodreads' reviewers. Even the more amusing parts of this book never made me chuckle aloud or in my head. I would equate reading this book to watching a B or C grade TBS sitcom. I haven't decided whether or not I will read another Jacobs' book but I do know I'm not in a rush to go out and read his next book.