The Concise Guide to Sounding Smart at Parties: An Irreverent Compendium of Must-Know Info from Sputnik to Smallpox and Marie Curie to Mao

I wouldn't have thought you could give a thing like this 5 stars -- but it deserves it! It's as if Dennis Miller wrote entries for the Encyclopedia Britannica. Some of the names & events in here I'd barely heard of -- but when you read each chapter, you realize this was one seriously important person/event in the world -- how is it possible I didn't know these details?! Actually, this book is funnier than Dennis Miller (because not as snarky), and it really made me feel like my college education was inadequate -- but it shored up those Smartness Gaps and made me laugh out loud as it did. Plus, a forward by Mike Nelson from Mystery Science Theater?! You can't lose. Buy it and put it someplace in your house where every so often you'll pick it up and read a chapter.

I found this book to be an enjoyable, fun, informative and ready reference for any novice to important historical subjects. Also, all of the other subjects covered were done in such a fun, light and memorable way i am certain i will use this book when i find myself in social situations outside of my element. I highly recommend this book to everyone because, even if you don't need to improve your social skills, it is a spirited and enjoyable read. Highly recommend!

For someone who is quite shy, this opened so many avenues of conversation for me. Work functions and parties we're no longer something I dread, armed with these tidbits of knowledge. Knowing that I don't have to be a Jeopardy champion like Ken Jennings to be up on the intellectual and well read. Hosting or attending, parties, functions or gatherings are ooodles of fun to attend when you have this book in your corner.

As a trivial knowledge nut I was pleasantly surprised by this book (a recent gift from my wife). The book covers of some of history's greatest figures and events in an easy to read, damn funny manner. It even hits on some of history's lesser-know lunitics (i.e Jim Jones, Squeaky Fromme). The writers have a gift for finding humor in every subject they cover. I even found myself laughing at the Black Plague (and I now know why we can blame it on the Italians). And if you're into sounding smart, as this book assumes it's readers will be, there's the added bonus of suggested one-liners that will bring the subject of your choice to light. Overall, a fun and easy read.

Ok, so I didn't like history much in high school. Same for trig, geography and home economics. Have you ever tried to put a zipper into a skirt? Pleeeasssse! Now I can remedy my past with this quick read and make up for all those C's I got in school. It's better than cramming for an exam, it's funny, and those gems within the parentheses are the funniest parts of the book. Why do crossword puzzles when you can read this, go out to a party the same night, and wow those at the bar with your newfound knowledge? Maybe I'll even retake those exams and see if I can pull up my GPA.