The Choking Doberman: And Other Urban Legends

I normally love Brunvand's books - they're such a fascinating examination of how folklorists work and what folklore does - but I have to admit that I soured on this book entirely on account of a paragraph in the "sex legends" chapter that dismisses date rape as an urban legend, because apparently no one he talked to admitted to experiencing it themselves. (I CAN'T IMAGINE WHY.)

An eye-opening and enjoyable read: The Choking Doberman, the second in a series of books examining urban legend and folklore, is a rare find not only for its attention to the friend-of-a-friend stories that we've all heard, but also for its perhaps unintended window into the evolution of modern legends. Written in 1986, the myths and legends regarding computers and other modern inventions reviewed in the book, as well as the means by which such stories were disseminated, reflect the growing influence of information technology -- old legends about "cable lice" proliferating in phone or power cables have given way to doomsday viruses and other computer-age legends. I also was amused to discover so many legends being integrated into movies show more and television, such as the "baby on the car roof" (Raising Arizona), the woman who punishes her philandering husband with superglue (Reservoir Dogs), etc. Just goes to show that a good story always deserves a retelling. show less

I give Brunvand great props as an academic but he is a failure as a writer. The text is not engaging despite the subject matter. You want to learn about urban legends, Snopes.com is a lot more accessible.

urban legends what they mean and how they spread

Straight Dope part II: The second book of Cecil Adams' Straight Dope is here...
A good follow up for the fabulous first part and full of astounding data...
Get ready for hilarious laughter and information absorbtion...