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BOOK REVIEW Hippo Eats Dwarf: A Field Guide to Hoaxes and Other B.S. by Alex Boese Harvest Books - April 2006
Reviewed by Dr. Jonathan Dolhenty Sometimes it's necessary to just read for the sheer fun of it. And that often means to read something funny. While I spend most of my waking hours in serious pursuits (thinking within the realms of philosophy, science, religion, history, et al), it becomes imperative, now and then, to loosen up and simply enjoy immersing oneself in a book which has absolutely no social-redeeming value but offers lighter fare (not to mention "enlightening" fare) and lots of things "off the wall." And that is exactly what Alex Boese's book Hippo Eats Dwarf does (subtitled "A Field Guide to Hoaxes and Other B.S."). It is not earth-shattering. It is not about cosmic matters. It is not going to change the world. It is just pure entertainment; a combination of trivia and humor, providing some interesting "facts" about and insights into the wide world of misinformation which challenges all of us today. The above really means I do recommend this book for everyone's personal library, if for no other reason that, once read and/or consulted, you'll be in the "know." And, believe me, in our culture today, that's important. Or, on the other hand, I could just recommend it because it's a fun read. It's easy for me to do this because I'm a trivia addict and "news junkie" -- always have been from my tender years. As a "news junkie" I've been in 12-step programs and psychotherapy for years, but so far it's not working (if I don't get my daily dose of news, I go into withdrawal -- there is no "cure" -- and I'm seriously considering asking The New York Times to allow me to set up a hospital bed in its newsroom). As to "trivia," my library is full of books about that sort of thing. I recently purchased a copy of The Encyclopedia of American Radio. I love it! It's full of trivia about all the persons, programs, and so forth, who were an important part of radio's heritage (and radio was what I had during my "formative" years -- pre-TV). For over forty years, I've had a copy of A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English on my bookshelf. (I think I originally bought it because it contained the etymology of all those "dirty" four-letter words we weren't suppose to use -- or even know! -- 1,362 pages of good, solid reference material.) All in all, in fact, I doubt if anyone could have asked me a question I couldn't find the answer to in one of the reference works in my own library. I found out I was wrong; that has now changed since Hippo Eats Dwarf has been added to my collection of trivia books. Hippo Eats Dwarf is a genuine reference work, even though it will never achieve the status of the Encyclopedia Britannica or the Oxford Dictionary of the English Language. But who cares? I haven't had anything like it in my library until now. So, you see, I was lacking some source of important contemporary information. Thank the stars no one had asked me a trivia question before where it would have been necessary to have this book in order to answer it. I mean I had no idea there was such a thing as "Munchausen Syndrome by Internet" (page 109). Try looking that up in the Encyclopedia Britannica! Was there really an "Operation Fake Tourist" (page 190)? Well, apparently, but it's not in any of my travel manuals. And, furthermore, I rather considered myself to be something of an expert when it came to sexual matters (from study, not necessarily personal experimentation!), but I knew nothing about "Teledildonics," until I read this book (page 55). How the world is changing! Another plus: Boese offers us a whole set of so-called "Reality Rules." For example, Rule 2.1: "What models look like in fashion magazines does not correspond to what people look like in real life"; Rule 7.1: "No trick, play, or scheme is beneath the dignity of a spammer"; and Rule 13.3: "There's nothing like the promise of future wealth to separate a person from his sanity." Then, there's the number of "Reality Checks" he also includes, most of which should make all readers pause and think: "Was there once a website hosted on a server powered entirely by potatoes?" Anyway, what I'm really trying to get across is that Alex Boese has given me a valuable resource to help me understand (or "attempt" to understand) the age in which I live: the world of the Internet (addicted to, but recovering slowly), I-Pods (don't own one), PDAs (don't need one), and "virtual" reality (don't live there so far). According to the author's bio, he is a (or "an" -- take your choice) "hoaxpert"; you see, I've even learned a new word after reading this book -- "hoaxpert," who would have believed it! Seriously, though, he has a master's degree in the history of science from the University of California (San Diego); so he has a serious academic credential and who am I to argue with that? I am glad he wrote this book and not I, since just uncovering the information included must have been an extensive research project. Kudos to the author. Frankly, I'm just too lazy to seek out such trivia but I'm glad that someone else is. And, finally, don't pay attention to the negative reviews of this book by others (in fact, see "Fake Amazon Reviews" on page 112 of Boese's work for info about this problem). Take my word for it, this book is fun, entertaining, and an excellent resource. My book reviews, you can be assured, are never a "hoax" and I certainly don't subscribe to the proliferation of B.S. when it comes to critiquing books. So Hippo Eats Dwarf and I were made for each other and most "trivia addicts" and "news junkies" will find this work an important addition to their personal library. 
Order at Amazon.com Hippo Eats Dwarf: A Field Guide to Hoaxes and Other B.S., by Alex Boese Order at Powell's Books Hippo Eats Dwarf: A Field Guide to Hoaxes and Other B.S., by Alex Boese |
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