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

I bought this book for my father and he really enjoyed Ken's writing style and the format of the book which was a series of stories rather than one long story. We didn't realize Ken Jennings was an author. I'll definitely look for another for my dad.

I enjoyed almost all the topics. Importantly, the funny, light touch Jennings provides made reading this book from start to finish a true delight. I learned a few things too

Ken Jennings is not only the GOAT of Jeopardy! but he's also quite a decent writer, and funny as well. This book was a great and easy read and seemed to have been well researched. I'll probably buy one or more of his other books as well.

I'm a mom and I loved this book. It reveals the truth (or lack thereof) behind so many of the things you heard from your parents when you were a kid and unthinkingly never questioned as an adult: "Mom said it so it must be true." But it turns out that Mom made it up on-the-spot. You begin to realize that when you become a mom and start making up answers. This has become my go-to gift for new moms, moms to-be, and parents in-general. It was so much fun to read that Ken Jennings has become an entry on my "top 10 famous people I would like to have lunch with."

Researched and presented well. To me there were more obscure pieces than ones I was familiar with so it made half of the book uninteresting to me. But perhaps I'm just limited or maybe these are more endemic to his area.

Ken Jennings is a lot cooler than he appeared when he was on Jeopardy. This guy is very funny. He has a self deprecating sense of humor that sneaks up on the reader. His humor is a lot cooler than I would have expected. The premise is taking all the things your parents or teachers told you, and fact checking them. These are things like if you cross your eyes they will stay that way; if you crack your knuckles you will get arthritis; if you touch a baby bird that has fallen from its nest the mother will abandon it; etc. He goes on to examine things like, just how dangerous is it to run with scissors; can you really die from popping pimples (yes, you can); is breakfast really the most important meal? This book started a lot of fun conversations for us. Highly recommend, and I hope Jennings keeps writing.

Fun stuff. But poor writing and editing skills. His editors need training in basic punctuation and use of parenthesis. He uses em dashes and commas to separate parenthetical statements (which are numerous). He spells out all numbers (hard to read), says "since" instead of "because," lots and lots of sentences with ", but ..." when he could make it easier to read by just ending the sentence and starting a new sentence, and on and on.Also provides some "WTF" statements, like this one (pg 193-194) while taking about electric shock: "So plenty of people are still contending with faulty toasters or faulty wiring [Note: Missing commas after "toasters" and "wiring"] or both. If you want to be extra-safe [Note: No dash needed: It's "extra safe"], assume the worst: the outlet might be wired backward [Note: WTF?], for example, or you might accidentally hit the on/off switch while you're rooting around. Even be careful with wooden implements or when the toaster is unplugged: your poking around could damage the heating element (mica is farily brittle) or cause a short circuit between the wiring and the toaster's metal frame. You won't get a shock immediately but [Note: Missing comma before "but"] next time you plug in, you could be toast."Anyone who knows electricity knows that a short circuit will NOT shock you because the circuit is shorted (meaning the current is flowing through the short circuit, not you). And how do you wire an AC outlet backward? Obviously, he didn't have anyone who knows electricity edit this.This is just one of many examples. Kinda surprising for such a smart guy.

"Because I Said So!" was a good time. I don't have kids, but I was certainly told many of these myths when I was younger!After a read through, it is obvious the author put a lot of time and effort into compiling a wide variety of studies and used quality sources. He has done a great job in arriving at clear cut answers whenever possible, and explaining where things are still murky or unknown. I laughed- and groaned happily- through the jokes. The selection of these generational tales and the author's entertaining voice really make this a unique book in the 'mythbusting' genre.Highly recommended for yourself- and as a reasonably priced gift for that person in your life who is otherwise hard to shop for. I think just about anyone who sits down to read this book will find the time well spent.

"Because I Said So!: The Truth Behind the Myths, Tales, and Warnings" is great for people who love factoids and a good laugh.Many of the things I heard as a kid are in this book, and it's nice to find the truth out about each one...

Present for my Mother (who used "because I said so!") with aplomb. Although it's full of Americanisms it's still funny,