Ken Jennings grew up in Seoul, South Korea, where he became a daily devotee of the quiz show Jeopardy! In 2004, he successfully auditioned for a spot on the show and went on an unprecedented seventy-four game victory streak worth $2.52 million. Jennings's book Brainiac, about his Jeopardy! adventures, was a critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller, as were his follow-up books Maphead and Because I Said So! He is also the author of Planet Funny. Jennings lives in Seattle with his wife Mindy and two children.
"Because I Said So! is the MythBusters of old wives'
tales. But beware: it could be a dangerous book if it falls into
the wrong hands; namely your kids'. All of us can look back on the
cautionary admonitions our parents and grandparents used to shout
at us when we were in the middle of fun, and now our suspicions
that they were hokum are verified! But we have to keep this to
ourselves. If our kids get a hold of this book, we'll have nothing
left to kill their joy with. So buy this book, read it, and then
hide it away!" -- Ken Denmead, New York Times bestselling author of
Geek Dad
"A fun, lighthearted compendium of conventional wisdom, mostly
parental, which debunks plenty of old wives' tales and urban myths
while offering a few surprising truths.... 'Occasionally Mom knew
what she was talking about,' as this clever book confirms, but
often she did not." * Kirkus Reviews *
"With his trademark with and genius. . . . Jennings imparts wisdom
and good sense in this highly entertaining and oddly educational
book." * Publishers Weekly *
"Sets aside esoterica in favor of the received wisdom of American
parenting. . . . Jennings maintains his humor and warmth, keeping
everything on the level of friendly, well-researched advice from
the dad down the street who, by the by, would totally own your ass
on trivia night at the neighborhood pub. Because I Said So! is
breezy and illuminating, a mix that would be more volatile in less
capable hands." * The A.V. Club *
"Armed with case histories, scientific finds and experiments on
himself and his own children, Jennings let us in on what we really
need to worry about ... and whether parents can now say 'I told you
so!'" * Los Angeles Times *
"Jennings examines dozens of parental warnings, scoring their
veracity against the most up-to-date scientific knowledge he can
find. The result is highly engaging, occasionally surprising, and
even somewhat useful. . . . If this book keeps one kid from having
to wait an hour between eating and swimming, it will have done its
job." * Boston Globe *
"Jennings examines dozens of parental warnings, scoring their
veracity against the most up-to-date scientific knowledge he can
find. The result is highly engaging, occasionally surprising, and
even somewhat useful. . . . If this book keeps one kid from having
to wait an hour between eating and swimming, it will have done its
job." * Boston Globe *
"Jennings examines dozens of parental warnings, scoring their
veracity against the most up-to-date scientific knowledge he can
find. The result is highly engaging, occasionally surprising, and
even somewhat useful. . . . If this book keeps one kid from having
to wait an hour between eating and swimming, it will have done its
job." * Boston Globe *
"Ken Jennings reveals the truth behind all those things you tell
your children." * Parade *
All-time Jeopardy champion Jennings (Maphead; Brainiac) tackles the veracity of old wives' tales that will likely be familiar to most listeners: feed a cold and starve a fever; sitting too close to the TV will ruin your eyes; if you cross your eyes, they'll stay like that; never run with scissors. Jennings uses medical case histories and evidence, scientific studies, and even sometimes experiments on himself to prove or disprove each saying. Verdict Hilarious, entertaining, and surprisingly informative, Jennings's volume is recommended for young and old alike and anyone who's ever wondered about the warnings their mother gave them when they were a child. Great fun.-Gloria Maxwell, Metropolitan Community Coll.-Penn Valley Lib., Kansas City, MO (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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