Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: The Book of Scary Urban Legends (Paperback)

by Jan Harold Brunvand (Editor) "Before radio and television, long before the Internet and e-mail, and even before there were folklorists around to collect them, rumors and legends circulated in..." (more)
Key Phrases: pickled arm, cadaver arm, urban legends, Bloody Mary, The Vanishing Hitchhiker, Ann Landers (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Rum flavored by a dead man in the cask; black widow spiders nesting in beehive hairdos; women’s intestines broiled by tanning booths; teenage couples menaced by men with hooks for hands: if these are the sorts of tales that thrill and chill you, this an anthology worth picking up. Folklorist Brunvand (The Vanishing Hitchhiker) assembles a creepy cornucopia of urban legends, organizing them by theme ("Chills Up Your Spine," "Accidents") and considering them in a surprisingly sedate manner. The result is a blend of "primary text" urban legends (transcribed from field interviews, collected from e-mails or reprinted from local newspapers) and more reflective introductions that consider the motifs and variations of each urban legend. Some tales are old chestnuts, familiar to anyone who’s been to a camp or a slumber party in the past 50 years, but others indicate more contemporary fears: stories of vacationers waking in unfamiliar hotel rooms, groggy and minus a kidney, or rumors of sexual predators who purposefully spread HIV to their unsuspecting partners. Brunvand traces most of these legends to their roots and debunks some of the more widespread ones, but he never lets his skepticism dampen his enthusiasm for the stories themselves.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School–Brunvand is known to many as the godfather of the American urban legend. In this collection, he has compiled the scariest, grisliest ones–some that are unfamiliar but many that have been heard at sleepovers and depicted in horror movies over the past several years. Since many of them will be known to urban-legend lovers, the book's real strength is in the subtle changes within different versions of a legend. The runaway madman with the hook for a hand, the ghost of the dead girl, the slasher under the car or in the backseat all make appearances here, but in slightly different circumstances. Sometimes the distances are great, but the differences are few. For example, the "Hairy-Armed Hitchhiker" appears in two versions, one from England and one from Los Angeles. Brunvand also integrates how much the Internet, particularly e-mail, has changed the dissemination of urban legends. He gives credit to urban-legend debunking site www.snopes.com, and the final chapter concerns the widespread hysterical e-mails that purport to come from experts but actually originate from the usual dubious sources. All in all, this is a good addition where such titles are popular.–Jamie Watson, Harford County Public Library, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; illustrated edition edition (October 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393326136
• ISBN-13: 978-0393326130
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #409,163 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great read for Halloween or anytime, October 17, 2004

By	Sean Michael Farren - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I remember hearing the "Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the lights" story while attending a Midwestern university and it was sufficiently believeable to spook me for a long time until I read that it was an urban legend. Professor Brunvand's book details various legends from those that will send chills up your spine to others that will just tickle your funny bone. A highly recommended read for all!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reminds me of telling stories around a campfire, July 7, 2007

By	Dee "deannalyn72" - See all my reviews

If you enjoy myth and folklore, this will be an interesting read. I liked the fact that it gave several variations of the legends, everythig from where it originated from to who its told by and how it changes from being passed around. As you read through you will know some of these legends and think back to who told them to you. If they say it happend to them or a friend of a friend you can hand them the book and sadly tell them it's been around for years!.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 3 thumbs up, October 7, 2004

By	Zack (Lakewood, NJ) - See all my reviews

this book is very cool. fun to read so you won't get bored. and you find out where some of the urban legends originated too, which will make you an interesting conversationalist at any party.