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A review by labunnywtf
Because I Said So!: The Truth Behind the Myths, Tales, and Warnings Every Generation Passes Down to Its Kids by Ken Jennings
4.0
I downloaded this from Edelweiss because I love trivia. Useless or not, factoids and trivia are one of my drugs of choice.
But I was worried. Because a lot of books like this are so dry, you can choke on them. And even though I knew Ken Jennings was That Guy Who Won Everything Ever on Jeopardy, I didn't watch him on the show, and knew very little about him.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only is this book very informative, but it's actually funny! Who knew it was possible?!
What's even more interesting is, not only does he debunk every day myths ("Don't touch a butterfly's wings, it won't be able to fly without the dust"), but often he goes even further. I may not have believed that about butterflies, but I genuinely did believe that yawning was caused by under oxygenation. Turns out, that's not scientific fact. No one knows 100% why we yawn, or why it's contagious, or why you can catch it from your dog.
Also, people who want to teach their children how to shoot a gun as early as the age of 4 could potentially be both cousins and spouses. Hee.
And there are loads of "You'll shoot your eye out!" injuries each year.
I could keep going. So much fascinating information, and told so well. Really impressed. He mentioned casually in passing a few other "mother myths" from other countries, I would've loved to have heard more of those.
But I was worried. Because a lot of books like this are so dry, you can choke on them. And even though I knew Ken Jennings was That Guy Who Won Everything Ever on Jeopardy, I didn't watch him on the show, and knew very little about him.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only is this book very informative, but it's actually funny! Who knew it was possible?!
What's even more interesting is, not only does he debunk every day myths ("Don't touch a butterfly's wings, it won't be able to fly without the dust"), but often he goes even further. I may not have believed that about butterflies, but I genuinely did believe that yawning was caused by under oxygenation. Turns out, that's not scientific fact. No one knows 100% why we yawn, or why it's contagious, or why you can catch it from your dog.
Also, people who want to teach their children how to shoot a gun as early as the age of 4 could potentially be both cousins and spouses. Hee.
And there are loads of "You'll shoot your eye out!" injuries each year.
I could keep going. So much fascinating information, and told so well. Really impressed. He mentioned casually in passing a few other "mother myths" from other countries, I would've loved to have heard more of those.