Poplorica: A Popular History of the Fads, Mavericks, Inventions, and Lore That Shaped Modern America

by Patrick J. Kiger and Martin J. Smith

Book Overview

Pop culture meets pop reference in this irreverent tour of surprising 20th-century events and inventions that forever changed the way we live. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060535318
• ISBN13: 9780060535315
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: HarperTorch
• Length: 284 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

THE OPERATIVE NUMBER - 5/5

Combining wit, humour, history and sociology into one book proves to be an exciting cultural adventure for Kiger and Smith. The things that we take for granted and their implications for modern life are laid out with such a sense of fun, that you almost forgive the guys who created air conditioning and tv dinners for their contributions to a comfortable, yet more isolated world. One reference to George W. Bush in the book is so unexpected that it makes one laugh out loud, then long for the old days of high ceilings and accordion fans. As a Canadian who hates mowing lawns, it is comforting to know that we didn't start the trend, but annoying to see how like always, we seem to follow. (My "Canadian Identity" was shattered after realizing that I knew of each and every innovation in this book quite well...LOL) And the chapter on Kinsey makes one wonder how a guy who knew so little became the most knowledgeable man in the world in his field.... Read it, pass it on, use it for those times you have a lag in the conversation, and need "a little known fact" to jumpstart it again. It should also be required reading for modern history classes and sociology majors who need something concrete to illustrate how a little thing can make a big difference culturally. This book is like finding the dump on an archeological dig- thrilling and important, but much less dirty, and a heck of a lot more fun to dig through.

A really wild, funny book

Pros: the writers have a nice, easy to read style, filled with plenty of ironic humor.Cons: they should have done 25 items instead of 20!POPLORICA is a very absorbing and amusing book, filled with strange facts and events--how a young Muhammad Ali, for example, copied the flamboyant style of cross-dressing wrestler Gorgeous George, after meeting him on a radio show, how Alfred Kinsey became a sex researcher after his own disastrous honeymoon, why Americans are so obsessed with their lawns and with losing weight, how the electric guitar was invented, etc. The book is divided into 20 chapters and each one is a separate story, so it's ideal reading material if you only have a few minutes at a time to pick it up....a great book to read on a plane trip or the beach, or to leave on your nightstand. Every chapter has some sort of strange, odd surprise in it that will leave you laughing.

Why you should buy this book

There are two reasons you should buy this book. First, it's fun to read. You can jump in almost anywhere and find something interesting. Secondly, you'll find yourself quoting it like crazy. And when you do you'll feel smart and people will say, "Wow, I never knew that!" The authors did a great job of finding things you always wondered about and telling you the story behind it. My favorites are the one about the development of the Big Bertha Golf Club and the electric guitar -- I mean, I never knew that!

FACTOIDS THAT REALLY MATTER!

This is one of those "salted peanuts" books--I dare you to read just one entry. The authors have managed to find the zero milestones for all sorts of taken-for-granted things--from lawns to electric guitars--and darned if there aren't fascinating back-stories for one and all. Alternately funny as hell and strangely touching, this is a book that elevates the commonplace to pop heaven. Sequel, anyone?

History Made Fascinating!

This is the kind of reference book that would have made those boring college courses more than bearable. And its quirky "take" on American pop culture serves as a useful complement to Ken Burns, "American Experience" and "Antiques Roadshow." Are you listening, PBS?