The Truth Never Stands in Way of a Good Story [Hardcover]

Jan Brunvand (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 10, 1999

"My sister's boyfriend knows a family who...", "One of my wife's colleagues has a friend who knows someone who...", "This is a true story that was forwarded to me by...", "This is not a joke!". In this lively and engaging book, the nation's foremost expert on urban legends explores the spontaneous germination of these bizarre, yet plausible, narratives that play on the absurdities and prey on the fears of modern life. Through voluminous correspondence from readers of his books and syndicated newspaper column, Jan Harold Brunvand has become something of a clearinghouse for evolving versions of urban legends. Here, he looks in detail at a dozen rampant and long-lived examples of this vigorous category of contemporary folklore, tracing their histories, variations, sources, and meanings. Brunvand tracks the various permutations-by fax, by e-mail, by newspaper, by word of mouth - of such legends as "The Red Velvet Cake", "The Brain Drain", and "The Baby Roast". He points out their common elements - notably, their insistence on the truth of the story and their attribution to a "friend of a friend". His son Erik Brunvand, an associate professor of computer science at the University of Utah, contributes his own view of computer hacker legends traded across the Internet. Captivating and thought-provoking, "The Truth Never Stands in the Way of a Good Story" pins down the qualities that give urban legends their air of authenticity and make them hard to believe, yet impossible to dismiss. For those interested in popular culture and current events, as well as those wary of being taken in by false information, Brunvand's book reinforces his most basic piece of advice: "Don't believe everything you hear".

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Verbally transmitted stories that have influenced history, beliefs, morals, and humor, folktales usually derive from a retelling by a "friend-of-a-friend" through which the tale has become accepted as fact. In the past half-century, the study of these brief vignettes--which range in theme from animal horror stories to accidents, business and professional events, and pranks--has achieved academic status. These two anthologies recount legends from the oral American tradition, using classic and contemporary sources. Brunvand, the unchallenged master of narratives that incorporate the absurdities and fears of modern urban life, adds another tome to his impressive collections of urban tales and humor. Along with more esoteric entries, familiar nuggets of oral fiction are included, such as title pieces from "The Mexican Pet" and "The Vanishing Hitchhiker." Equally valuable is Canadian raconteur Genge's anthology. His work is a remarkable collection of myths that make the rounds in offices, college dorms, and wherever people swap stories that spring from our deepest fears and fascinations. Including tales like "Scare Me!" and "Corporate Convulsions," these legends have appeared in the popular press and circulated via photocopies, faxes, and computer links, Well crafted and riveting, these anthologies are essential to Americana collections. Recommended for all libraries.
-Richard K. Burns, MSLS, Hatboro, PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Folklore professor Brunvand has delivered another sprightly study of urban folklales. This time around, Brunvand tracks the various versions of such legends as 'The Red Velvet Cake" (one variation is the Mrs. Fields Cookies recipe story), 'The Exploding Toilet' (Dave Barry should find this chapter interesting) and 'Lights Out!' (a false gang-initiation story spread by fax... The work is delightfully up-to-date." -- Today's Librarian "Brunvand, the unchallenged master of narratives that incorporate the absurdities and fears of modern urban life, adds another tome to his impressive collections of urban tales and humor. Along with more esoteric entries, familiar nuggets of oral fiction are included, such as title pieces from 'The Mexican Pet' and "The Vanishing Hitchhiker.' ... Well crafted and riveting." -- Library Journal "An in-depth exploration of urban legends... [Brunvand] has made a career of collecting, analyzing, and cataloguing these legends, from stories of alligators in the sewers to tales of spider-egg-infested bubble gum." -- The New Yorker "Urban legends can travel by word of mouth or by print, and lately the Internet has become a prime vehicle for dissemination... However they are spread, Mr. Brunvand says, they all share some characteristics. The 'insistence on the truth of the story, the attribution to specific friends of friends, the age of the story and (most of all) the variations in details among the different versions are all hallmarks of the modern urban legend."" -- New York Times "Is it true that a penny dropped from the Empire State Building would make a dent in the pavement? That bath water runs out in opposite directions in different hemispheres, due to the Coriolis effect? That Post-it notes were invented by accident? Who could put their hand on their heart and claim they knew all along that 'Thomas Crapper invented the flush toilet' was false, but that 'military planes are tested by firing chickens at them from a special cannon' was true? ... [Brunvand], a slightly reluctant global 'expert' on the [urban legends] phenomenon ... continues his series of mildly jocular academic studies of oral repetition and variation." -- Mike Jay, Times Literary Supplement "The nation's foremost expert on urban legends here explores the spontaneous germination of these bizarre yet plausible narratives that play on the fears and absurdities of modern life." -- Skeptical Inquirer ADVANCE PRAISE Brunvand has the ability to be both scholarly and charming at the same time. This is his best legend book since The Vanishing Hitchhiker." -- Patricia A. Turner, author of I Heard It through the Grapevine: Rumor in African-American Culture "Urban legends cut through society in countless ways, and tracing their history is a daunting task that only an experienced scholar-adventurer like Jan Brunvand can handle. In his latest work, he guides the reader through many examples of how old forms of folklore leap with ease into the world of international travel and communication, and even into the realm of cyberspace." -- Bill Ellis, president of the International Society for Contemporary Legend Research

Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press; 1ST edition (December 10, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252024249
• ISBN-13: 978-0252024245
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,171,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The saga continues..., April 14, 2000

By 

Pseudonym - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Truth Never Stands in Way of a Good Story (Hardcover)

More text-booky than previous endeavors, Brunvand brings us yet another urban legend anthology. Perhaps "anthology" isn't the best word. "The Truth Never Stands..." is more of a work of research, delving into the origins and travel patterns of the legends rather than legends (and variations of the legends) themselves. I do recommend this book, but only to die-hard UL enthusiasts and folklore aficionados. If you don't really care about where the urban legend came from, then this book will be a bore. As for the casual UL reader, I recommend any of Brunvand's other books.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Do not flash your headlights in San Jose!, April 9, 2000

By 

Paul Moskowitz (Yorktown, NY) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Truth Never Stands in Way of a Good Story (Hardcover)

I frequently receive urgent warnings from from friends and colleagues via e-mail. They always provide me with crucial information, e.g. do not use your cell phone near a gas pump (the pump will explode); do not open certain e-mail messages (your drive will be wiped); and of course - do not flash your headlights in San Jose (you will be murdered to facilitate a gang initiation). Thanks to the works of Brunvand, I amaze and mystify my friends by my ability to recognize these electronic urban legends. This book carries on the urban legend tradition of the author's other works: "The Mexican Pet", "Curses! Broiled Again", for example . I recommend this new book without reservation. You too can become an urban legend spotter.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good study, June 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Truth Never Stands in Way of a Good Story (Hardcover)

I agree with the Olympia reader, below. If you want a collection of stories, you're better off with his 1999 book, "Too Good to Be True." But if you are more deeply interested in this subject, this is the book for you. The only down side is that he has tackled most of these legends already in previous books. The upside is that he goes more into depth, in some cases tracking them all the way back to a person named in the story and finding out how that person is connected to it.