The Truth Never Stands in Way of a Good Story

by Jan Harold Brunvand

Book Overview

"My sister's boyfriend knows a family who . . ."
"One of my wife's colleagues has a friend who knows someone who . . ."
"This is a true story that was forwarded to me by. . ."
"This is not a joke "

In this lively and engaging book, the nation's foremost expert on urban legends explores the spontaneous germination of these bizarre yet plausible narratives that play on the absurdities and prey on the fears of modern life.

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0252070046
• ISBN13: 9780252070044
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

More on ULs

Those who have read Brunvand's other books, or various compilations of urban legends, will likely be most interested in this collection of articles and essays. Each of the 13 articles generally focuses on an individual legend, and Brunvand thoroughly researches the tales by tracking down numerous versions of the stories and positing how they may have originated. The style is scholarly, but accessible and interesting. His writing is a good introduction to more advanced ways of studying folklore, and the analysis and commentary adds to our understanding of how these stories develop and why they have become part of various communities' cultures. Compilations of ULs do document good stories, but just reading lots of the same old ULs can become a bit boring after a while. This book shows that there are interesting histories to the tales and that understanding these histories and cultural contexts enrich our understanding of folklore in contemporary life.

Interesting and well researched.

This is the first Brunvand book that I've read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I'm usually very skeptical and don't believe Urban Legend stories that I hear but I must admit this book debunked a few tales I assumed to be true. This book does tend to have an acedemic tone to it at times and I didn't mind this. Some readers may not want this much detail however. If you are at all interested in Urban Legend, folklore, or even those ubiquitous internet rumors then you'll enjoy this book.

A good study

I agree with the Olympia reader, below. If you want a collection of stories, you're better off with his 1999 book, "Too Good to Be True." But if you are more deeply interested in this subject, this is the book for you. The only down side is that he has tackled most of these legends already in previous books. The upside is that he goes more into depth, in some cases tracking them all the way back to a person named in the story and finding out how that person is connected to it.

The saga continues...

More text-booky than previous endeavors, Brunvand brings us yet another urban legend anthology. Perhaps "anthology" isn't the best word. "The Truth Never Stands..." is more of a work of research, delving into the origins and travel patterns of the legends rather than legends (and variations of the legends) themselves. I do recommend this book, but only to die-hard UL enthusiasts and folklore aficionados. If you don't really care about where the urban legend came from, then this book will be a bore. As for the casual UL reader, I recommend any of Brunvand's other books.

Do not flash your headlights in San Jose!

I frequently receive urgent warnings from from friends and colleagues via e-mail. They always provide me with crucial information, e.g. do not use your cell phone near a gas pump (the pump will explode); do not open certain e-mail messages (your drive will be wiped); and of course - do not flash your headlights in San Jose (you will be murdered to facilitate a gang initiation). Thanks to the works of Brunvand, I amaze and mystify my friends by my ability to recognize these electronic urban legends. This book carries on the urban legend tradition of the author's other works: "The Mexican Pet", "Curses! Broiled Again", for example . I recommend this new book without reservation. You too can become an urban legend spotter.