Hardcover, 596 pages
English language
Published Sept. 7, 2008 by Dutton.
The best-selling author of The Areas of My Expertise presents a tongue-in-cheek compendium of made-up facts that fall under such headings as "The Method by Which We Elect Our Presidents," "How to Be a Famous Minor Television Personality," and "Gambling: The Sport of the Asthmatic Man."
I’ve been reading Hodgman since he was a McSweeny’s contributor, but somehow went 15 years between reading the sequels to The Areas Of My Expertise. As before, the audiobook feels like the canonical version. There were a few passages taken directly from This American Life performances, but at least he got Ira Glass to contribute an interesting anecdote beforehand. I like the prose of Medallion Status or Vacationland more, but Hodgman being silly is pretty great too.
You get exactly what it says on the tin. John will keep you entertained by explaining things in as silly of a way as possible. Occasionally, you'll wonder if the world wouldn't be better off if things actually ran this way.
