The Awful Truths: Famous Myths, Hilariously Debunked – Evidence-Based Stories Behind History and Culture for the Cocktail Party Pundit

by Brian M. Thomsen

ho was Mario Puzo's model for the Don Corleone character in The Godfather? Was it Joseph "Joe Bananas" Bonanno? The infamous Salvatore Maranzano? No . . . it was Puzo's mother! Senator Joseph McCarthy was responsible for the infamous "Hollywood Blacklist," right? Well, actually . . . no, he had nothing to do with it. Perfect for the cocktail party pundit or trivia buff, the quirky tidbits in The Awful Truths turn history, culture, sports, and entertainment upside down. The book examines some of our culture's oldest, most popular myths, and tells the fascinating, hilarious, and shocking stories behind what really happened, accompanied by funny illustrations that bring the players to life. Each truth is supported with ironclad evidence that skillfully explains how and where our misconceptions originated. Sometimes the truth hurts—but with The Awful Truths , it doesn't have to.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, History

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Brian Thomsen was a founding editor of the Questar Science Fiction line of books, and served as managing fiction editor at TSR, Inc.; he also wrote over 30 short stories, and collaborated with Julius Schwartz on Schwartz's autobiography. He also worked as the publisher for TSR's Periodicals Department at one point. He was a consulting editor at Tor Books; as an author he was a Hugo Award nominee.

He died on September 21, 2008, at his home in Brooklyn at the age of 49. He was survived by his wife, Donna.

Reviews

[Michael Gerald · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author claims that this book debunks many famous historical myths in a hilarious way,

I have read other books that are more factual and presented in an interesting way, notably Reader's Digest books like "The Truth About History". And, of course, Ambeth Ocampo is more eloquent and funny in his fascinating narrative of Philippine history.

"Famous myths"? To an American audience maybe. But what does an average international reader know or care about the nuances of decades-old baseball stars or TV shows that only Americans could have watched?

The awful truth is, this book is not really that good or hilarious.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read and easy going due to the nature of a variety of interesting topics. They were written as a collection of short articles so it was easy to stop and continue. And I learned many interesting things such as (from the table of contents) "No one expected Casablanca to become a classic" or "Richard Burton never one an Academy Award" or "Jimi Hendrix was a former US Army airborne paratrooper" or.... Read it and find out for yourself! Recommended for anyone.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mildly amusing, but definitely not hilarious. Some interesting entries but a bit too heavy on the US sports for me. I don't usually skip parts of books but I couldn't be bothered to read those parts! Liked the short lists of truths such as the original names for novels and pen names of famous authors, but I didn't like no footnotes or bibliography. I think maybe it's a US thing, but it drives me nuts particularly in the case of history books and books covering political areas where there is inevitably a bias. Reveal your sources, it might be more work but it makes your book more credible!

[Bladestryke · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read but has very few surprises. A good pickup if your waiting for an appointment or something.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of many books that give you a couple pages of interesting info on various topics, 65 to be exact. Overall it was entertaining, but there is a factual error. Mickey Mantle won the American League Triple Crown in 1956, not the National League (pg. 106). I also think the author gives too little credit to George Lucas and that the subtitle, Famous Myths, Hilariously Debunked, doesn't really apply all that much. Not many of these "myths" are famous and the debunking is not that funny.

[Mel Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good mix of historic-pop culture with humor and descriptive/witty remarks.