The United States of Absurdity, Dave Anthony
The United States of Absurdity, Dave Anthony
17 Rating(s)
List: $15.00 | Sale: $10.50
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The United States of Absurdity
Untold Stories from American History

Author: Dave Anthony, Gareth Reynolds, Patton Oswalt

Narrator: Dave Anthony, Gareth Reynolds

Unabridged: 2 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/09/2017

Synopsis

The creators of the podcast The Dollop present illustrated profiles of the weird, outrageous, NSFW, and downright absurd tales from American history that you weren't taught in school.

The United States of Absurdity presents short, informative, and hilarious stories of the most outlandish (but true) people, events, and more from United States history. Comedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds cover the weird stories you didn't learn in history class, such as 10-Cent Beer Night, the Jackson Cheese, and the Kentucky Meat Shower, accompanied by full-page illustrations that bring each historical "milestone" to life in full-color. 

Reviews

Goodreads review by Anthony on December 11, 2017

The hosts of The Dollop podcast take us on a journey through the frequently hilarious, macabre and bizarre world of American history. A grand carnival of crackpot inventors, circus freaks, religious zealots and political hucksters combine to give a surprising insight into how the US got to be the wa......more

Goodreads review by ☘Misericordia☘ on May 08, 2018

Many of the stories (can call them jokes!) are not funny but instead deadbeat and plain insensitive. Q: It’s one of those ideas that sounds great until you think about it, and then it sounds crazy.(c) Q: You knew you had a crazy idea when they said no in that era. (c) Q: RADIUM GIRLS (1917–1930s) ... The r......more

Goodreads review by Little on July 01, 2024

Enjoyable funny and interesting read. Recommended......more

Goodreads review by TraceyL on August 08, 2019

This is a collection of stories about weird Americans who lived throughout history. I had already heard about most of these people, so I didn't really learn anything new. It has a sense of humor to it which didn't work for me. Pass.......more

Goodreads review by Ronald on May 20, 2019

The United States of Absurdity by Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds is a completely irreverent look at the skeletons in the closet of US history. What could be more naked than skeletons in the closet? Nevertheless, this is not porn. There is language that might offend the prudish. To counteract that,......more

Quotes

"The United States of Absurdity, a new book from the hosts of the American history podcast The Dollop, couldn't have picked a better time to arrive. Think of it as A People's History of the United States for the slightly lazy."
—NPR.org

"If my history teachers in high school had been half as smart and one-tenth as entertaining as Dave and Gareth, I could probably tell you who fought in the Spanish-American War today.”
—Josh Olson, Oscar-nominated screenwriter for A History of Violence

“This book, just like The Dollop, will teach you things you'll wish you had learned in history class. I dare you not to be equal parts fascinated, horrified, and in stitches.”
 —Al Madrigal, actor and comedian, The Daily Show

"Dave and Gareth have created an amazing record of historical eccentricities which, while hysterically informative, has thus far only been available for your ears. This book will take The Dollop into the uncharted territory of your eyes. And hopefully, if my many requests are heeded—there will be a scented version."
 —Chris Hardwick, @midnight and Talking Dead

"The United States of Absurdity is so funny that it makes me want to kidnap Dave and Gareth, keep them in a basement, and then live out their identities as my own…which would still not be the weirdest story in this book."
 —Wil Anderson, stand-up comedian, television host, writer, and podcaster

“Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds could make anything funny. This book is proof. Good thing they decided to use their powers for good to educate the masses with the lessons we can learn from history. Even the parts of history that make us vomit in our mouths a little.”
—Ronny Chieng, stand-up comedian and correspondent on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah

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