Review: Because I Said So!

Because I Said So!: The Truth Behind the Myths, Tales, and Warnings Every Generation Passes Down to Its Kids

Author: Ken Jennings
Narrator: Ken Jennings
Duration: 5 hrs, 5 mins
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Source: Edelweiss

Description from Goodreads:
Ken Jennings is here to tell us that mother and father didn't always know best. Yes, all those years you were told not to sit too close to the television (you'll go blind!), or swallow your gum (it stays in your stomach for seven years!), or crack your knuckles (arthritis!) are called into question by our country's leading trivia guru. Jennings separates myth from fact to humorously debunk a wide variety of parental edicts: no swimming after meals, sit up straight, don't talk to strangers, you'll get worms from cookie dough, and so on. Combining the Q&A tradition of Why Do Men Have Nipples? and the anti-helicopter parenting philosophy of The Dangerous Book for Boys, Jennings exposes countless examples of parental wisdom run amuck, armed with medical case histories, scientific findings, and even the occasional experiment on himself (or his kids). Whether you're a parent who wants to know what you can stop worrying about or a kid (of any age) looking to say, "I told you so," this is the book you've been waiting for.

Review:

Today I drove up to Asheville, NC for a book signing with a whole bunch of authors, including Lenore Appelhans and Beth Revis. On the way, I finished up this audiobook in the car. Expect this to be a short review, both because I've got things to do and because there's not a whole lot to say.

Basically, this book is a whole bunch of trivia about the things your parents tell you. For example, I now know that my mom was lying when she told me I would damage my eyes by reading in a room with low light. Take that, mom! If you love trivia or want to feel vindicated when you told your parents their rules were crazy, this book is for you.

Ken Jennings doesn't have the best voice for narration and has a couple of odd pronunciations, but does a good job anyway. He doesn't take anything too seriously and has a punny sense of humor which I appreciate. I'm sure this would be fun in print too, but the audio was good because I might have skimmed some of the research info, which would have been a shame because it's great.

Alright, this is definitely my shortest review ever (at least since early days), but just know that this is big fun for a nerd like me.

Overall Rating: 4/5