Kentucky Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff

U.S. State Curiosities

by Vince Staten, Liz Serrano

One day a year Kentucky is the most famous state in the union. That's Kentucky Derby Day, the first Saturday in May when the annual Kentucky Derby is run at Churchill Downs. On that day, Kentucky is the home to fast horses, beautiful women, and great whiskey. For the other 364 days it is home to fast women, beautiful horses, and people recovering from too much whiskey.
This duality -- hey, we're important today; but tomorrow we're nothing -- is a perfect reflection of a state of great contrasts.
Kentucky is the home of the most famous people in the world, Muhammad Ali. It is also the home of the most infamous, Charles Manson (his boyhood home is in Ashland --unmarked, of course).
Novelist Robert Penn Warren was a Kentuckian, as was gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.
Illinois may have Land of Lincoln on its license plates, but Kentucky was where Honest Abe was born. He just moved away rather quickly.
These contrasts extend down to our you can't buy a drink in Bourbon County (it's against the law to sell alchohol there) but you can in Christian County.
Kentucky is one giant curiosity.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

212 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

Reviews

[Raeann · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this book did it's job, I now have a bunch of interesting places I want to visit in Kentucky. I would of never known that we are home to the worlds smallest church, the worlds largest stained glass window or a model of Jerusalem Garden Tomb if I hadn't read this book. My favorite part was the section of ridiculous Kentucky city names which included Whoopee Hill and Possum Trot.

[Timmy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I found the tone of this book a little obnoxious - that is to say, not my sense of humor. Other people might find it funnier... Also, the second half of the book was dominated by blurbs on town festivals, rather than info on people, landmarks, or historical items, so I began to wonder what was the book's intent.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book to read - full of lots of interesting facts and details about the state of Kentucky. Some I knew, some I didn't. I also liked the way the author divided the book by region.

[Aleah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Three basic adjectives to describe it: educational, funny, & concise.

Now, I have a large array of positive thoughts towards the book itself, however I thought the chapters were too brief on certain subjects (Abraham Lincoln, Edgar Cayce, Mammoth Cave, Mackey's Bar, ect). Clearly, Vince Staten focused more on wacky Kentuckian facts than on the popular subjects listed, but I only wished that he could have emphasized on incorporating odd facts about well-known subjects instead of skimping out on their details.

[Rodrigo Boccoli Gallego · Rating 3 out of 5]

There isn't too much to say about this book, it's just a funny book with some randon curiosities about the Kentucky, but, after reading it, it has grown in me a desire to visit this state. It has curiosity on almost every subject, from history to baseball, passing through products, famous people, and geography.

[Whitney Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very fun book. I especially enjoyed finding out the stories behind the things that I have seen around all the time, but never really thought about. I also discovered a bunch of things around the state that I really want to see now!

A fun read for a Kentucky girl!

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very fun!