Customer Reviews

The Concise Guide to Sounding Smart at Parties: An Irreverent Compendium of Must-Know Info from Sputnik to Smallpox and Marie Curie to Mao

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I wouldn't have thought you could give a thing like this 5 stars -- but it deserves it! It's as if Dennis Miller wrote entries for the Encyclopedia Britannica. Some of the names & events in here I'd barely heard of -- but when you read each chapter, you realize this was one seriously important person/event in the world -- how is it possible I didn't know these details?! Actually, this book is funnier than Dennis Miller (because not as snarky), and it really made me feel like my college education was inadequate -- but it shored up those Smartness Gaps and made me laugh out loud as it did. Plus, a forward by Mike Nelson from Mystery Science Theater?! You can't lose. Buy it and put it someplace in your house where every so often you'll pick it up and read a chapter.

I found this book to be an enjoyable, fun, informative and ready reference for any novice to important historical subjects.

Also, all of the other subjects covered were done in such a fun, light and memorable way i am certain i will use this book when i find myself in social situations outside of my element.

I highly recommend this book to everyone because, even if you don't need to improve your social skills, it is a spirited and enjoyable read. Highly recommend!

I think the book helps fill in the gaps (and we all have them) of knowledge in so many areas. I know I had a few Fridays when I could have payed closer attention in class. Now I don't feel so bad. On top of it, these guys are alot funnier than were any of my teachers.

For someone who is quite shy, this opened so many avenues of conversation for me. Work functions and parties we're no longer something I dread, armed with these tidbits of knowledge. Knowing that I don't have to be a Jeopardy champion like Ken Jennings to be up on the intellectual and well read. Hosting or attending, parties, functions or gatherings are ooodles of fun to attend when you have this book in your corner.

As a trivial knowledge nut I was pleasantly surprised by this book (a recent gift from my wife). The book covers of some of history's greatest figures and events in an easy to read, damn funny manner. It even hits on some of history's lesser-know lunitics (i.e Jim Jones, Squeaky Fromme). The writers have a gift for finding humor in every subject they cover. I even found myself laughing at the Black Plague (and I now know why we can blame it on the Italians). And if you're into sounding smart, as this book assumes it's readers will be, there's the added bonus of suggested one-liners that will bring the subject of your choice to light. Overall, a fun and easy read.

Ok, so I didn't like history much in high school.
Same for trig, geography and home economics. Have you ever tried to
put a zipper into a skirt? Pleeeasssse!
Now I can remedy my past with this quick read and make up for all those C's
I got in school. It's better than cramming for an exam, it's funny, and
those gems within the parentheses are the funniest parts of the book.
Why do crossword puzzles when you can read this, go out to a party the same
night, and wow those at the bar with your newfound knowledge? Maybe I'll even
retake those exams and see if I can pull up my GPA.

This book is my brother's favorite (and now mine) for reading in the bathroom, for those long visits. Both sitting in the tub, or just sitting, this is the kind of information in a fun package that I can really get behind. I don't dig history dry and from a weighty tome but I do like to feel like I'm patching up some of the holes in my somewhat sketchy liberal arts education. I loved the commentary and I think the authors are geniuses. A TERRIFIC christmas or birthday gift for your Mom or Dad. It been fun to quiz one another on all the info, too. Buy it.

This is a fun, entertaining book that is actually educational in the process. A must-have as a stocking stuffer for this year! (When is your next one coming out???)

I kept picking this book up when I saw it on display in a bookstore. Now I have it. It'll make you laugh and make you think... sometimes of how stupid you sound, sometimes how smart you seem. Pick it up for yourself, for your socially inept friends, or just for the hell of it. You'll be glad you did.

can there be a greater honor? seriously - classic funny, informative and a great gift. Sure to be the next must-have in line with the "Worst Case Scenario" books of years back - yet this is infinitely more useful, since I don't plan on fighting a gator or having my parachute not open. Who doesn't want to sound smart at a party? glad i got it so i can impress at that next holiday function...