- Hardcover: 304 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; 1 edition (April 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0060535318
- ISBN-13: 978-0060535315
- Product Dimensions: 23.5 x 16.2 x 2.8 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,538,490 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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First Sentence
NOTHING SO VIVIDLY UNDERSCORES the peculiar American fascination with the lawn than the Dixie Chopper Jet. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
NOTHING SO VIVIDLY UNDERSCORES the peculiar American fascination with the lawn than the Dixie Chopper Jet. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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9 reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
An Interesting Read
19 April 2004
Format:Hardcover
Poplorica is quite an interesting read--the authors have chosen 20 innovative ideas, things or trends and written essays on how this particular thing has drastically changed the face of America, at least in its own little slice of life. All chapters are interesting, some more interesting than others--but that's probably going to depend on the reader's interest anyway. The book delves into assumptions many of us take for granted (and the younger you are, the more of these assumptions you probably do take for granted). For instance, what was music life like before the electric guitar. If it weren't for Les Paul and other innovative musicians, we wouldn't have those fabulous guitar solos we so enjoy now. Why does every suburban house have a lawn? Did you ever stop to think about all of the changes the disposable diaper made possible? This is an entertaining and thought-provoking book, if only because it makes you think a bit about various aspects of American culture and how they got they way they are.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
A really wild, funny book
7 May 2004
Format:Hardcover
Pros: the writers have a nice, easy to read style, filled with plenty of ironic humor.
Cons: they should have done 25 items instead of 20!
Cons: they should have done 25 items instead of 20!
POPLORICA is a very absorbing and amusing book, filled with strange facts and events--how a young Muhammad Ali, for example, copied the flamboyant style of cross-dressing wrestler Gorgeous George, after meeting him on a radio show, how Alfred Kinsey became a sex researcher after his own disastrous honeymoon, why Americans are so obsessed with their lawns and with losing weight, how the electric guitar was invented, etc. The book is divided into 20 chapters and each one is a separate story, so it's ideal reading material if you only have a few minutes at a time to pick it up....a great book to read on a plane trip or the beach, or to leave on your nightstand. Every chapter has some sort of strange, odd surprise in it that will leave you laughing.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
THE OPERATIVE NUMBER - 5/5
15 May 2004
Format:Hardcover
Combining wit, humour, history and sociology into one book proves to be an exciting cultural adventure for Kiger and Smith. The things that we take for granted and their implications for modern life are laid out with such a sense of fun, that you almost forgive the guys who created air conditioning and tv dinners for their contributions to a comfortable, yet more isolated world. One reference to George W. Bush in the book is so unexpected that it makes one laugh out loud, then long for the old days of high ceilings and accordion fans. As a Canadian who hates mowing lawns, it is comforting to know that we didn't start the trend, but annoying to see how like always, we seem to follow. (My "Canadian Identity" was shattered after realizing that I knew of each and every innovation in this book quite well...LOL) And the chapter on Kinsey makes one wonder how a guy who knew so little became the most knowledgeable man in the world in his field....
Read it, pass it on, use it for those times you have a lag in the conversation, and need "a little known fact" to jumpstart it again. It should also be required reading for modern history classes and sociology majors who need something concrete to illustrate how a little thing can make a big difference culturally. This book is like finding the dump on an archeological dig- thrilling and important, but much less dirty, and a heck of a lot more fun to dig through.
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