The Mental Floss History of the United States: The (Almost) Complete and (Entirely) Entertaining Story of America [Hardcover]

Erik Sass (Author), Will Pearson (Author), Mangesh Hattikudur (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 5, 2010

Smarter than your old history teacher, funnier than the founding fathers, and more American than apple pie, The Mental Floss History of the United States is an almost (but not entirely) comprehensive primer on American history (or at least, the good stuff). From the editors of MentalFloss.com and mental_floss magazine—with its tagline: “Feel smart again”—comes an American History text packed with hilarious (but true!) trivia written in the smart-aleck tradition of The Mental Floss History of the World, Mental Floss Presents In the Beginning, and the first mental_floss book, Condensed Knowledge. Perfect for trivia buffs, history lovers, college students, and anyone who likes to laugh and learn. United States history has never been so fun.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“[M]anages to educate and entertain simultaneously, which is a win-win for everybody!” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer )

“A cavalcade of delicious facts, surprising trivia and refreshingly honest, hilariously smart-alecky insight that finally sets the wayward historical record straight.” (AmericanProfile.com )

“[B]reezy, bullet-pointed and well illustrated.” (Financial Times )

From the Back Cover

Smarter than a history teacher, funnier than the Founding Fathers, and more American than Alaska, an almost (but not entirely) comprehensive primer on American history (or at least, the good stuff)

In trademark smart aleck style, this is history according to mental_floss, an insightfully accurate and incisively humorous exploration of little-known truths and widely believed falsehoods, which simultaneously exposes some of America's oddest moments, strangest citizens, most egregious frauds, and much, much more.

Ten meaty chapters, peppered with fun trivia, entertainingly cover the essential timeline of the social, political, and cultural happenings of American history and mythbust all the lies teachers told us along the way. Was Abraham Lincoln really a heroic defender of liberty and freedom? Were the Sixties actually a groovy time of peace and love? Has the U.S. always been dependent on foreign oil? mental_floss sets the record straight and shares the fascinating stories behind politics, literature, fashion, televangelism, serial killers, genetic engineering, Yuppies, SPAM, the original Swine Flu, potato chips, rollerskating, mobsters, rum, communists, beaver wars, the rise and fall of irony, and everything else made in the U.S.A.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Harper (October 5, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061928224
• ISBN-13: 978-0061928222
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #182,808 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Erik Sass is a journalist who covers the media business from his main base of operations in Los Angeles, with branch offices around the country. When not writing for mental_floss, he reports on magazines, newspapers, radio, and billboard advertising for MediaPost.com.

A shy, withdrawn child ("loser"), Erik spent many of his formative years reading about history. Ironically, the knowledge he acquired transformed him from mopey misfit to man-about-town; now much sought after for his historical anecdotes, he is considered an indispensable conversational ornament to any party attended by persons of substance.

A giver, Erik also works with mental_floss to share these benefits with others. In addition to the present volume, he was a contributing author for mental_floss presents: Forbidden Knowledge, and also writes about history for mental_floss magazine.

Erik has not vomited on the shoes of government officials or their spouses; however, he has vomited on his own shoes more than once.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Middle-School History Teacher Approved and a Great Read August 25, 2010

By Bryan Newman VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Well, one caveat for that approval, my wife the history teacher, was offended by the occasional headline "Lies my teacher told me." She would like to point out, teachers don't lie, textbooks lie and bad teachers repeat them. Apparently good teachers find textbooks from three different nations and then discuss the biases of each account.

But we both love this book. We are leery of myth-busting-pop-history- bathroom-reading type books because they often get too snarky or they twist and distort facts for entertainment's sake (or worse, for an agenda's sake.) So when my wife saw me reading this book, she immediately grabbed it out of my hands and flipped to her strongest historic subjects. Immediately she said "Aha, this isn't right!" followed by a little more reading and, "Well actually that is a pretty good description of how it happened." A half hour later she handed it back to me announcing "this is actually pretty good, let me know when you're done." (This is also where she pointed out that teachers don't lie.)

I've had a real hard time putting it down since I received it. The writing is humorous, occasionally chuckle out loud funny. Some of the humor comes from sarcasm and subtle jokes, but most of it comes simply from ironic historic truths. Life really is stranger than fiction some times.

As for the book's claim for near completeness, it is impressive. It covers a huge range of stories and keeps returning to subjects like fashion, religion, culture, economics, and of course politics through different periods of US history. From big to small it covers everything from King Phillip's War to hoop skirts to the invention of potato chips to things as obvious as World War II. I am amazed at how much information the authors convey in short but concise snippets that are often barely half a page long. The book is densely packed with information, but timelines, quotes, and sidebars break up the pages into delicious tidbits that keep you moving to the end of the book. For me there was not too much new material, but it was delivered so entertainingly I read it cover to cover in a marathon three days. I highly recommend it to anyone with a love of history or trivia.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Did you know?? Now you do! August 31, 2010

By Jennifer VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Mental Floss does it again! I have to admit that I am a HUGE Mental Floss Magazine enthusiast. I've been a subscriber for years and each and every magazine goes thru every family member before being brought to my office for everyone else to read. This book is even better for me as it is the History of the United States, another favorite of mine. I think the only way to describe this book to a first time Mental Floss reader is to say that it is complete truth wrapped in hysterical antedotes and clever statements. An example of this is an interesting fun fact about Alexander Grahm Bell; "Ironically, Bell came to hate the constant ringing of his own home telephone and banished it from his study so he could think in peace." Pretty cool, huh! This book covers the very early parts of America from the Vikings to the Puritans to Reagan, Rap and Rambo with a bit in between! It's full of real, truthful historical information. It reminds us of what our teachers told us in school and then gives us the truth in an easy, funny and completely accruate account of the facts. I also loved the last chapter filled with each president's biographys from Washington to Obama. Extremely interesting to read for everyone. Happy reading!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable romp through American history August 29, 2010

By Reading Junkie VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Just finished this book, and it was pretty good. I noticed several errors in it, though (p. 100 in the "Dancing Shoes" section there's a series of symbols instead of words, and on p. 237. I thought it was "Nanking," not "Nanjing.") Also, to be nitpicky, please cut back on usage of the word "basically," It's an -ly adverb; using it too many times is a sign of weak writing.

There was no works cited page; I would think the authors have to mention the sources who provided the information used in the book. Maybe it'll be in the final edition.

The tone is a bit snarky, which I liked. I don't mean that in a bad way; it seems to me the authors assume people reading the book have a sense of humor, and that made this book both informative and lively.

It covers the gamut of American history, from 25,000 years ago to 2009.

I see this as a "bathroom book," one to peruse and flip through while taking care of nature's business. Again, that's not a derogatory comment. People use "Readers Digest" for the same reason.

And even though I'm pretty well-versed in history, I did learn some new facts (I was especially fascinated how FDR arranged to get all that Saudi Arabian oil in 1945; that I did not know).

A book that's entertaining and worth your time. I'm glad I flipped through it and learned something.