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Title: A People's History of the Peculiar

Subtitle: A Freak Show of Facts, Random Obsessions and Astounding Truths

Author: Nick Belardes

Narrator: Reid Doughten

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-23-14

Publisher: Viva Editions

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 16 votes

Genres: History, World

Publisher's Summary:

Did you know that Thomas Jefferson's grandson was an ax murderer? Do you delight knowing that some dinosaurs were as teeny tiny as hens? Wonder what it's like to live in Hell Town at the End of the World? How about an ailment so surreal it's named after Alice in Wonderland? In A People's History of the Peculiar, historian Nick Belardes has dug into the raw source material found in historical archives, scientific studies, and libraries the world over to find facts, lists, definitions, and astonishing information guaranteed to provide readers with the best cocktail conversation topics for many years to come! Also found here are first-person interviews with people who can explain the unexplained, from the permanently puzzling Mothman conspiracy to secret Star Wars Jedi religious cults and the charmingly eccentric reason why British aerospace engineers sent teddy bears floating out into space. These real-world facts are outlandish enough to sharpen the brain and occupy readers' minds for hours of entertainment.

Members Reviews:

WTF?

There's more than a few books out there along these lines. I'm not sure I've ever run across one, though, that was so stream-of-consciousness. This is just one random thing after another, with many of them leaving you scratching your head why it was ever included. Here, for example, is a complete entry from Odd Occupations:

"There's a job that needs to be done at your local wastewater treatment plant, and maybe you're the right person to do it. Chris Bell is a California wastewater treatment plant operator. A normal day for Chris might involve doing mechanical work a pump or on one of two methane-operated cogeneration units. When he first started, he never thought it was odd, and even to this day still doesn't see it as offbeat. He said people probably can't imagine being in charge of their own food and waste."

And here's one from Amasses from the Past (called Soldier's Spell):

"There are mysteries in what makes a soldier and how soldiers cope with what they do. Here's a quote to ponder from historians Fred Anderson and Andrew Cayton in their book The Dominion of War: 'Soldiers always die in war, and those who survive must somehow make sense of those deaths and of their own survival.' If they have to make sense of it, why do they do it? Military historian John Keegan has mentioned a soldier's spell that many military personnel seem to fall under: "the spell of an entirely different world."

And, finally, here's an excerpt from Louisa May Alcott's daily journal and a blurb from a chapter on medicine (both in toto):

"Weighed - 143. One pd. Less than a month ago. But am much better. Sleeping well, eat bread & butter, some meat, & take water. Hooray! Cut out my dress took a walk. Headache discharged & felt better."

"Multifetal Pregnancies

The incidence of twins has dramatically increased in the United States since the 1970s, to dramatic proportions."

Define Peculiasr

The promise of the title is well supported. with the selections in the book. A fee new items but a lot of familiar items.

Love the book.

With Every turn of a page I learn something new.