Synopses & Reviews
Discover illustrated profiles of the weird, outrageous (and true ) tales from American history that don't appear in school textbooks.
From the creators of the comedy/history podcast The Dollop, The United States of Absurdity presents short, informative, and hilarious storiesof the most outlandish (but true) people, events, and more from United Stateshistory. Comedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds cover the weird stories youdidn't learn in history class, such as 10-Cent Beer Night, the Jackson Cheese, andthe Kentucky Meat Shower, each accompanied by a full-page illustration thatbrings these historical "milestones" to life in full-color. Adding to the giftablehistory/comedy package, each story is accompanied by tongue-in-cheek triviaand timelines that help place the stories in context with the more well-knownhistorical events that occurred around them.
Review
“This book, just like The Dollop, will teach you things you’ll wish you had learned in history class. I dare you not to be equal parts fascinated, horrified, and in stitches.” Al Madrigal, actor and comedian, The Daily Show
Review
“If my history teachers in high school had been half as smart and one-tenth as entertaining as Dave and Gareth, I could probably tell you who fought in the Spanish-American War today.” Josh Olson, Oscar-nominated screenwriter for A History of Violence
Review
“The United States of Absurdity, a new book from the hosts of the American history podcast The Dollop, couldn’t have picked a better time to arrive. Think of it as A People’s History of the United States for the slightly lazy.” NPR.org
Dave Anthony, Gareth Reynolds on PowellsBooks.Blog
People make the comparison to the Wild West far too easily. They’ll compare anything a little unknown to the “Wild West.” Everything is the Wild West! In the ’80s it was the stock market. Reagan let the bull loose and suddenly it was the “Wild West!!” In the 2000s it was the Internet. The Internet was then a nebulous virtual land with possibilities...
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