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

by David Matalon, Chris Woolsey

Banish awkward silences, boring weather talk, or (worst of all) the embarrassing conversation gaff with this pithy, hilarious guide to effortless party banter.

We’ve all been there. You’re at a party, surrounded by the most important people in your life. You’re cool. You’re casual. You’re witty and urbane. Until suddenly, quite unexpectedly, things take a turn for the worse when a subject thought to be common knowledge is lobbed your way. A hush falls over the room and every head seems to swivel expectantly in your direction.
[ART: SET THESE OFF IN A DIFFERENT COLOR?]
“Rasputin. Sure, Rasputin. The Russian guy, right? Who . . . who . . . whooooo was Russian.”

“Che Guevara? You mean the dancer?”

“Oh my God! Mao Tse-tung? They have the best chicken with cashews!”
The Concise Guide to Sounding Smart at Parties was written with just this moment in mind. In fourteen pain-free, laughter-filled chapters, authors David Matalon and Chris Woolsey brush away years of cobwebs on subjects as wide-ranging as the typical round of Jeopardy: war, science, politics, philosophy, the arts, business, literature, music, religion, and more.
Armed with The Concise Guide to Sounding Smart at Parties, you’ll know that Chicago Seven wasn’t a boy band, Martin Luther never fought for civil rights, and Franz Kafka isn’t German for “I have a bad cold.” You’ll be the smart one who’s the center of conversation—and nothing beats that feeling.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Trivia

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Janine Southard · Rating 1 out of 5]

The topics are wonderful, but the writers are two guys from Hollywood who don't think readers can handle learning stuff. Also, they provide factoids that won't spark a discussion and get int the way of remembering any interesting information (e.g., the exact date and location the Red Baron was born).

Extra frustrating: the snide/sarcastic asides are neither pertinent nor clever.

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frankly, I bought this for the "trivia" aspect of it, not because I feel I need to sound smart at parties. It's clever, but one does reach a point where they might feel the jokes become too abundant...And I will never reference anything learned from this book...but it was a nice, light read!

[Angelia · Rating 1 out of 5]

The tone of this book is irritating - the authors attempt to weave humor into these essays on a range of topics, but they aren't funny and the writing style gets in the way of the facts. I tried to get through this 4 or 5 times, but to no avail.

[Asha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book. I got it as a stocking stuffer at Christmas and I page through it sometimes when I want something quick and entertaining to read. The chapters are short with helpful little quick notes and they are funny.

[Chris Woolsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I learned that learning can actually be fun and I also learned how to confidently move in social situations with the information I picked up! Highly recommended.

[Jean Oram · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mini chapters that are witty and educational.

[Valerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the trivia would be fun, and it was. But sometimes the sarcasm was a bit too much. Several times I couldn't tell if the "facts" were facts or jokes.

[Kevin Zwiefelhofer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting tidbits mixed with sarcasm; maybe too much of one and light on the other.