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Randy Cassingham
5 of 5 Stars
Randy Cassingham has been collecting and sharing strange news stories for almost 20 years now on his newsletter, This Is True. Often funny and always thought-provoking, this e-book collection features weird-but-true stories ranging from outrageously funny to just plain outrageous.
The format -- all single-paragraph stories, each with a headline and tagline -- makes this a good book to keep on your phone to pick up whenever you have a few minutes. Watch out, though: it's way too easy to read "just one more story"...over and over and over!
Some stories feature follow-ups, such as a couple who marketed a bizarre invention who later brought it to "Shark Tank," or how politicians' careers fared after some embarrassing incident. Others feature links to expanded stories on the author's blog, opening the story up to additional related thoughts or discussion.
One of the interesting things about this book is that it spans 2001-2002, so it offers a look back at the post-9/11 days, the paranoia of the anthrax scare, and the early spread of "zero tolerance" school policies. It's an interesting view of some of the events that have shaped today's political climate.
Available in paperback and multiple e-book formats at This is True Books.
— Kelson Vibber, 2012-12-11