Weird History 101: "My Dinner with Attila the Hun", "I Started World War 1", "Watching Custer's Last Stand" and Other Tales of Intrigue, Mayhem and Outrageous Behaviour [Paperback]

I'm a history Master's student, so I love delving into books that promise obscure primary sources and alternate views of history. The chapter seemed promising if a bit one-sided, but as I continued reading into the areas that I'm most familiar with, I noticed a number of inaccuracies and exaggerations. For instance, the author makes mention that in Egypt, there were so many mummies that they were burned as fuel for railroads as well as being used in the papermaking industry. Both of these assertions are ludicrous. The first claim is based completely on a satire written by Mark Twain, the second by a number of sources whose sources were themselves flawed.

The author also attempts to pass off as fact a letter written by Martin van Buren to Andrew Jackson about banning railroads. The letter has been proven time and time again to be a hoax. It's language, style and even the facts it presents are anachronistic and out of character for van Buren. It was most likely the creation of a lobbying group.

I have only read maybe a quarter of the book, but now anything that he says, I'm forced to view with a suspicious eye. While this book may indeed be weird, history it is not.

THE GOOD: First of all, anyone wanting to read this book and come away with some hardcore, little known historical facts is going to walk away disappointed. This is not a book that will turn you into a "I didn't know that" or "Trivial Pursuit" genius. The book is entertaining though, as previously noted, there are some skewed facts. I think that the book should be kept in perspective (read for entertainment) and not taken as gospel history.

THE BAD: The title was a little misleading. This wasn't "Weird" history as much as it was different perspectives on well known history. It covered subjects from dropping bombs on Japan to the indian/white man fall out to the death of the Red Baron. Each chapter retold of the accounts from eye witnesses. See, not weird, just from an angle most have not been exposed to.

THE UGLY: I agree with Bill's review (Skewed History 101). There were times I was reading this book and I started thinking, "Wow, I really hate white people, Republicans and America!" The WW2 bombing of Japan covered in a sub-chapter titled "U.S. Tried for War Crimes" basically slams the US for dropping two bombs and never lets up. Another sub-chapter called "Native Americans Versus Western Civilization" was basically an eight page beat down of the white man during the days of the wild west. It recounts those days through the eyes of Indian Chiefs so you know it will not be pleasant to read. I don't mind truth because we all know the Indians got screwed. But to read a chapter of account after account after account is a little unnecessary.

Also, in the sub-chapter which covers the death of the Red Baron, I thought it was interesting that when eye witnesses were discussing measurements, they sometimes said feet or yards and other times said meters. Kind of an odd inconsistency.

Ubermonkey says that if you want some light entertainment and don't mind the politics behind the story, this book is worth the read. However if US/white person/Repblican bashing bothers you, then you may want to read about "weird" history elsewhere.

Very interesting reading, very hard to put down. These are very simply the words of people who were there.Dolly Madison describes the burning of the white house, testimony of the only survivor of a Nazi Gas Chamber, Wyatt Earp's testimony of what really happened at O.K. Corral in Tombstone, descriptions of Lincoln's and Washingtion's dirty sense of humor. It is the "other point of view". This book shows people as people, not legends, or heroes, horrors are horrors, not honor, not glamourized hollywood stunts. The info is raw, by people who were there. There is a lot of Native American point of view info about the Custer's Last Stand and the war against the indians.