Customer Reviews

L.A. Exposed: Strange Myths and Curious Legends in the City of Angels

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Actually, this book really does take an admirable stab at debunking ridiculous and/or incredulous stories and/or myths concerning things which have happened within or near the City of Angels. It contains some things that I have never heard of and presents logical explanations as to how some stories got started and evolved.
This is a great kickback book for that special day when you are snowed in or dodging buckets of rain and just want to have some fun. Hours will shoot by and you'll never know it.

This book contains 297 full pages of the truth you want to know. Los Angeles and Hollywood are full of rumors, gossip and mysteries. This book will tell you a little history, what people are saying, what happened, and THE TRUTH. Now you will know the truth of...Is Tom Cruise Gay?, Is John Travolta gay?, Did Barbara Streisand do porno? Who does now!, What happened to Marilyn Monroe, Sam Cooke and Jayne Mansfield. Did Dennis Hopper contact a UFO?, Which actors and rock stars are big or hung? The story of the tiki god (fertility god) with the three-foot hard on at Trader Vic's. Also included is the Elizabeth Lake creature at the lake located 15 miles west of Lancaster, California. Indians once claimed the lake to be a passageway to the underworld, a passageway designed by the devil himself. Also, does Southern California have earthquake weather? There are 98 mysteries in this book, the story and the truth will be revealed to you. Also the truth of Jimmy Hoffa's death is on page 278.

If you like your scandal mixed with history, or vice versa, you will like this chatty book of scandals and the true story of what makes LA tick. Some times the author uses a tad to much pschyo-speak, but a throughtly enjoyable book for those who want to look behind the red carpet, and into the bedrooms.

This book is full of tasty tidbits of tinseltown trash talk. Young obviously spent years researching many rumors about L.A. and its inhabitants. It's not just about celebrites and their dirty secrets, it also talks about city government scandals and even little details like what the different colored bandannas that gay prostitutes display in their back pockets really mean. Young also lets the reader decide whether some stories are true or not by presenting the results of his research and not forcing his opinion on you. It is a delightfully entertaining read.

Los Angeles--more than any other town--is built on rumors so thick on the ground that they've largely calcified beyond urban legend and in to accepted fact. However, the author of this book has--to his credit--gone out of his way to take each of these rumors and investigated them as best he could, given that many of these events took place decades ago and especially as they took place in an L.A. ruled by movie tycoons with a lot at stake and great incentive to cover up the dark and nasties, and minions expert at doing just that. Nevertheless, this book is an interesting and revealing look into the truth behind the gossip that built this city.

I bought this book upon my arrival in Los Angeles and found the stories contained within fascinating.
Some I had heard of beforehand but many were new to me. The author takes great pains to separate the fact from the folly and does so in a straightforward no frills style.

Diana Mercer is the co-author of Your Divorce Advisor and her company is [...]

There are some really crazy stories in this book; the LAPD history is most interesting and a bit scary. I would have liked a few more murders and not so many 'monster' stories, but I still really enjoyed it and loved that each story was only a few pages long. Lots of great photographs too.

If you love the seedy underbelly of all things that glitter (I know I do!), you GOTTA get this book! Great history!

Covers most anything of mystery about L.A. and then some. From the extremely weird, to Hollywood scandals. No one is spared here; from Barbara Streisand to Keanu Reeves. But the one highlight for me was the mention of one of my most frightening childhood memories, the strange appearance of what we in South Central commonly referred to as "The Wolf Woman." You don't find much on this eerie phenomenon of the early 1960s. Mr. Young has done his homework well. You won't find it easy to put down, especially if you're from L.A.

If you are interested in the bizarre history of Los Angeles or a student of urban myths than this is the book for you, super smart and easy to read but infinatly enjoyable. Kenneth Anger be damned.