The Exploding Toilet

This was a lot of fun. The introduction explains what modern urban legends are and sets up some of the different kinds found here. And then come the legends themselves—what an interesting set of tales! These are all allegedly true* stories that are so ridiculous that they couldn’t possibly be real. (Don’t worry. They aren’t.) But they’re a fun diversion, and more than that, they illuminate much that is funny (or scary) in our modern lives. One can learn so much about a culture by the stories it produces, and some of these tales, bizarre as they are, speak to life in America. For example, there are a handful of tales about the September 11 attacks; their presence here shows the different ways that this tragedy has become part show more of the fabric of our society. This book is full of stories about danger, freak accidents, injustice, karma, and yes, even potty humor. An eclectic mix, for sure: Interesting, poignant, or just really, really, strange.

*Not really true. Although, to be fair, at least one of them is. I was able to verify one of these legends as real, based on information found on a government website that corroborated this tale and provided further information.

Just a quick note about the content. I am deeply saddened to see negative reviews for this book on the basis that these aren't real urban legends. These ARE urban legends, plain and simple. According to a study of urban legends as published in the journal Innovative Higher Education, urban legends are defined thus: "an urban legend is a specific type of folklore that centers on an event involving ordinary people in recent times; circulates widely, often by email; and purports to be true, whether or not the events described in the tale actually occurred." This peer-reviewed journal article did not invent the definition; on the contrary, they retrieved it from snopes.com, a website dedicated to investigating urban legends and discovering the truth. So the academic world and the practical, experienced professionals all agree on what an urban legend is. And that's exactly what these stories are: ordinary people, circulated widely, and allegedly true. This is an excellent collection, and if urban legends aren't your thing, that's fine. But I hate to see this book judged so harshly for being exactly what it claims to be. Its very introduction lays out clearly what it is and what it hopes to achieve. And it's an incredible journey. show less

There’s a lot of humor in this small book. It’s likely intended for older children, but adults will certainly appreciate the collection of short vignettes. At least one is true, as verified by fcc.gov, but I would take the rest with a grain of salt . . better make that a tablespoon! Still, it’s funny and entertaining, a quick read when you need a lift. And I bet you’ll be telling your friends about what you’ve read.

While many of these anecdotes are interesting and amusing, but personally, I would call only a select few true urban legends. Most of the urban legends I have read in other books, like the excellent German collection by Rolf Wilhelm Brednich, Die Spinne in der Yucca-Palme: Sagenhafte Geschichten von heute are short, and almost always anonymous (they might mention a geographic place, but names, except maybe if a celebrity is involved, are as a rule omitted).

The stories featured in The Exploding Toilet: Modern Urban Legends however, not only often feature personal names, they are also sometimes overly long, with many of them actually reading more like humorous anecdotes and jokes than bona fide urban legends. I found these stories an show more amusing and diverting break from my usual reading choices, but I would have given this book a higher rating, if David Holt had not insisted on describing this collection as modern urban legends, as many of the stories contained therein simply do not correspond to what my definition of an urban legend is. show less

I like this book of modern urban legends because I think that it will get reluctant readers to read. The book is full of short legends that are quite funny and entertaining.

The Exploding Toilet: Modern Urban Legends collected and retold by David Holt and Bill Mooney, is a leisurely read for teens between the grade levels of 7-12. It covers popular: American Folktales, American legends and urban folklore. It’s composed of humorous, scary, witty and paranormal myths and legends. For instance: a dead mother calls for help to save her child who is trapped alive under wreckage; or, when a man flicks his cigarette into the toilet unknowingly that there is gasoline fluid in it, and it explodes! The writing style is simple and is composed of both short stories and short passages of legends. The problem with this book is that none of the entries are given a source of their origin, at times it may give a show more geographic setting but that’s it. Also, most readers may be intrigued to pick this book because of the funny title; however, it did make you smile on some parts but not enough to make you laugh. Overall, I recommend this book to teens and adults for leisurely reading. show less

We've all heard modern urban legends. Take, for example, the oft-repeated story of knowing a friend whose cousin's mother-in-law ordered Kentucky Fried Chicken and found a deep fried rat in her bucket of chicken. It didn't happen but the story spreads anyway. The Exploding Toilet is a collection of similar urban legends: "Two animal rights protesters were protesting the cruelty of sending pigs to the slaughterhouse in Bonn {Germany}. Suddenly the pigs, all two thousand of them, escaped through a broken fence and stampeded, trampling the two protestors to death." As for the exploding toilet? You'll have to read that for yourself!

Urban legends circulate even faster these days because of the Internet. A wonderful website debunks or show more verifies all the stories circulating through e-mail and Internet postings. So the next time you hear a story too good or weird to be true, check out http://www.snopes.com show less

It was funny, interesting, and i had a good time reading it. I even learned some safety tips that i probably would have never heard any where else.