100 Things You're Not Supposed To Know

by Russ Kick

Things You're Not Supposed To Know (3)

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Nothing but the facts from an information archaeologist. This book sheds light on those things that people in power - government, religious leaders, corporations, the rich and well connected - would just as soon wish you didn't know. To them secrets are power. And they'll do whatever it takes to keep them that way - suppressing the truth and covering up facts that might make the rest of us angry enough to challenge the powerful or at least to have a good laugh at their expense. Using careful show more research, Kick uncovers the hidden truth. For example, while self-appointed censors warn constantly about the dangers of pornography, the fact is that pornography has existed since the first cave people carved dirty pictures on the walls. It's also true that two atomic bombs were dropped on North Carolina - although we managed to avoid nuking Greenland, Texas, Canada, Britain and Spain; George Washington embezzled government funds; 1 of 10 people is not fathered by the man they believe is their dad; Barbie is based on a German sex doll; The American colonists practiced cannibalism, and much more. show less

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8 reviews
At times reaffirming, at other times informative and at still other times, questionable. 100 Things You're Not Supposed to Know is filled with information. Some of it I was aware of and knew to be true, other stuff I looked up to confirm and other stuff just bumped this from a higher rating to a lower because now I am more deeply questioning anything I haven't looked up yet.

There's the false assumption that if some states something as "fact" and backs it with some kind of citation that challenges a long-held belief, the long-held belief was wrong. But it doesn't work that way - it only works that way if the evidence strongly supports the repositioning of a belief. So, the lost nuclear warheads - it's been officially documented and show more there's no reason to not believe that since it's something the U.S. Government wouldn't benefit from saying. Other things like old laws still on the books are verifiable, just maybe not common knowledge. And still others have been shown to be true long after the publication of this book, giving Kick some good proof of his research.

However, quoting Dr. Mercola, the anti-vaccine proponent for a piece about how sunscreen causes cancer made me raise an eyebrow. Having researched Mercola and written an article about him, I don't find him as a dependable source. I do find him as an opportunist though, and it was disappointing to see Kick give him ink. It did have the silver lining of shaking me out of the mental complacency I mentioned earlier - believing something just because it's "authoritative" and contrary.

There's interesting information here and a lot if not most is true and accurate (and depressing) but I don't have faith that it's all true, so read with open eyes.
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I didn't find many of these 100 things to be overly surprising, though some were certainly interesting. I get the sense that the author wants us to get up in arms over some of the things our government is doing and hiding from us, but most of his facts come from mainstream media reports, so the events are not exactly hidden. It's more that the American public just doesn't care. And there wasn't anything in this book that made me want to jump up and protest, either, although maybe some of them should have. Guess we're all just too comfortable and jaded. It was a fun read and provided me with a few factoids to use in banter (for example, apparently 10% of the world's population was not fathered by the person they think is their dad). show more Basically just a bit of brain candy. show less
It taught me tons of factoids that are fun to throw at unsuspecting people. The information is presented in an easy-to-read, darkly humorous fashion. Definitely the kind of book that you pass around to others in order to share the wealth.
This is the kind of stuff that I love reading about, but then I get nightmares once I close my eyes...it's informative, but depressing. I made the mistake of reading its larger brother (_Everything You Know Is Wrong_) almost cover to cover on a weekend trip to Seattle...VERY depressing stuff, I tells ye! But good, if you can handle it :)
I read this book very quickly-basically in the time it took to get my car inspected and the oil changed. This book presents various facts because they are shocking, hypocritical, or down-right goofy. This would make an excellent warm-up reading before trying to read some weighty conspiracy theory information. Over-all, an easy and enlightening read that is very snarky and funny.
Years ago I was in Circus of Books on Sunset, probably on my way to a concert, and I happened across this book (or one of the two books its made up of) and I was totally interested. But I was poor, and didn't buy it. More recently, my fiance gave me this, and I love it.
Forced and awkward. Either unsurprising or uninteresting. Many points stretched way, way too far. Can find better hairbrained worries with a quick Google search.
½

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25+ Works 4,787 Members
Russ Kick is the editor of the three-volume anthology The Graphic Canon and the bestselling anthologies You Are Being Lied To, Everything You Know is Wrong, 50 Things You're Not Supposed to Know and Death Poems: Classic, Contemporary, Witty, Serious, Tear-Jerking, Wise, Profound, Angry, Funny, Spiritual, Atheistic, Uncertain, Personal, Political, show more Mythic, Earthy, and Only Occasionally Morbid. He is also the creator of the popular website www.thememoryhole.com. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Series

Common Knowledge

Canonical title
100 Things You're Not Supposed To Know
Original publication date
2004
People/Characters
Reference
Dedication
Thanks to Anne, my parents, Ruthanne, Jennifer, Billy Dale, Brett & Cristy, Darrell, Terry & Rebekah, Mike, Matt, Gary, Richard, Alex, Rebecca, Disinfo, and others who've slipped my overstuffed mind at the moment.
First words
What turns a fact into something "you're not supposed to know"?
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)May Jealous have mercy on my soul.

Classifications

Genres
Reference, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, History, Politics and Government
DDC/MDS
909.009History & geographyHistoryWorld history
LCC
D10 .K44History of Europe, Asia, Africa and OceaniaHistory (General)General
BISAC

Statistics

Members
323
Popularity
98,162
Reviews
7
Rating
½ (3.38)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
4
ASINs
3