Mass Historia: 365 Days of Historical Facts and (Mostly) Fictions

This book is extremely funny or extremely offensive, depending on your point of view. I'm in the extremely funny camp! Nothing (well, not much) is sacred to this author, as he lampoons everything in his path. There is one entry for each day of the year, illuminating events that happened on each day with a combination of facts and totally made-up lunacy! The satire is so thick you can cut it with a knife. This is my kind of humor! Sometimes the actual facts are so bizarre, you think he had to have made it up (ahem, beard tax). The book had me looking things up to compare "real" history to the author's take on it. Fun!

Mass Historia is an astute semi-farcical reflection on the historical events to be remembered on each day of the year. The subtitle "365 Days of Historical Facts and (Mostly) Fictions" is a little off base - as there certainly seems to be more fact than fiction represented.
I laughed out loud several times, and in thinking of how to review the book I'm sorely tempted to just type quote after quote from it and just say, "See? Brilliant!". My spouse was somewhat annoyed that I would read from it to her on such occasions as 'trying to go to the bathroom' or 'for the love of god, it is 2 am, shut the f*¢& up'.
Memory techniques offer suggestions to attach humor or the unexpected to facts you wish to recall. This engages the senses and show more makes a more permanent home in your mind for things you'd like to remember. As difficult as it may be to get this book through the door of a classroom - I think it could be invaluable for any student of history (of course, about the time somebody makes you read something, you resent that thing automatically, so kindly disregard this idea of mine).
It would make a great daily calendar, as well as several other applications people unanimously disrespect and invalidate - like the Coffee Table Fixture, the Bathroom Companion and the Presser of Flowers.
Should you suffer from the afflictions that result in the cherishing of sacred cows - do consider this book as a gift idea for those annoying thinkers and progressives in your family tree (the ones that routinely scowl at your donating to the NRA and the 700 Club in their name come the holidays).
A rock solid 4 stars out of 5 from me. While laughing at such turns of phrase as: "Hitler was supposedly the one responsible for the (Volkswagen Beetle's) rounded design, which was inspired by the supple curves of Hermann Goering's abundant and aerodynamic muffin-top." I would have gone to 5 stars, for sure. Screw it, I'm going to 5 stars. show less

If MyOtherBoyfriend, Steven Colbert, can give his “thumbs up” to this work, then who am I to argue? Okay… let’s be serious, I am one who argues… a lot. So here it goes: I did love this book, and like the other reviewers, I laughed out loud and mightily at the jabs poked toward some serious historical moments. Yet, when I tried to share my amusement with my 14 year old son - who also enjoys a caustic wit and is a comprehensive thinker in his own right - I realized that what made this work so damn funny to me also made it boring as hell to him. That was a bummer! Most of the humor is specifically targeted at my age bracket and I felt, in describing the hilarity to my son over breakfast, I also needed to rely on VH1’s decade show more specials “I love the…” to aid his forced-guffaws and rolling of the eyes response. And while I may be dealing with the throes of teenage angst and displacement developmental stages of my teenaged son, I was supported in my theory when I realized that I was not misplacing my copy of the text while trying to finish reading it, the book was being absconded by my husband who was also as tickled as I. This is fun read with only a few slights against Oprah and Emma Goldman… oh, and Sylvia Plath which might reveal, to a savvy women’s studies major, that maybe Regan is a touch on the misogynist side of life, but not so far as to be totally offensive ; ) Overall, this is an awesome addition to our excremeditating™ library - and our guest bathroom has some of the finest: Mommy Laid an Egg; The Day My Butt Exploded; the Life 101 series; and How to Get Along With Your Parents Without Losing Your Mind – I think that for the most part, it will be our friends and houseguests who appreciate the effort much more than my kids and their friends. And I suppose that’s what GenX lit is all about: short-attention-span theater and self-absorbed humor. I can only say, “well done, Chris Regan, Well Done!” show less

If you enjoy laughing at the pain and misery of others (and who doesn’t) this book is for you. "Mass Historia" is a pretty funny look at the past. There are a number of interesting facts hidden inside the humor so if you’re not careful you might learn something before you’re done. Written by one of the writers of the Daily Show’s "America (The Book)" and contains the same type of humor.

The book gives one or more historical events for every day of the year. In addition to the historical event there is a humorous made-up event or a humorous comment about the actual event. Some of the humor is laugh out loud funny, some is mildly amusing, and some I didn't really find all that funny. Occasionally a joke gets overplayed, like show more President Taft's large stature. show less

I found some parts of Mass Historia amusing. But overall, each day's history lesson comes off as too hyperactive and frenetic. Subtle humor, it is not. A paragraph is not enough real estate to throw in a handful of puns, zingers, and wink-wink nudge-nudge jokes. To maximize its entertainment potential, a witticism needs some space to breathe.

This a good book to read for a quick chuckle. No big guffaws, though. Very american-centric. If you like the Daily Show, you'll enjoy reading this. I'd say it's a good bathroom book. The design and graphics are very nice.

Mass Historia by Chris Regan is a well-written and beautifully bound book. It is a bit reminiscent of America the Book by The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, but this is not too surprising as he was a co-author of that book and a former writer for The Daily Show. Mass Historia is a satirical catalogue of historical half-truths chosen by Chris Regan for each day of the calendar year. Many entries gave me a chuckle, a few made me laugh out loud, but most made me roll my eyes and groan. Some of the jabs at history were a bit too forced and stopped short of humor. Overall though, this is a fun coffee table book to flip thru leisurely.