Customer Reviews

Pennsylvania Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff

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This is a fun book for Pennsylvania natives who like to stray from the beaten path and learn more about some of the weirder landmarks and tourist attractions across the state. The coverage here is similar in scope and humor to the excellent "Roadside America" book series and website. Non-natives might not be too enthralled by this book, but natives will be surprised by the diversity of people, customs, landscapes, and bizarre attractions that are found across Pennsylvania, even if you travel the state extensively. Some of those small towns can have some real weird things in those nooks and crannies. Just watch out for the many typos in this book, which is interesting because Deleon points out several typos on historical markers and artifacts around the state, especially the misspelling of Pennsylvania on the Liberty Bell.

I was born and raised in Pennsylvania, and even at that, this book told me many things about my state that I had not known. It's well written, with a wry attitude, and occasionally a wink and a nudge (especially in the section about Jayne Mansfield), but it is entertaining through and through. Although I am sure that I will never personally visit many of the sites merntioned in the book, it actually amazed me about how many of them I had actually seen throughout my life! This is probably a book that will only appeal of a native of Pennsylvania, but that doesn't detract from its appeal.