Now I Know: The Soviets Invaded Wisconsin?!

So, though the title is a little misleading (they weren't ACTUAL Soviets), the book itself is pretty interesting. It's written in short chunks, so you can read a piece here and a piece there, or even skip over something if the topic isn't interesting to you at all. I like the Bonus Facts after each section. Some of the stories sent my kids researching to find out more....which is always a good thing!

I'm generally quite serious about trivia books, snaffling them up when I can for a nice, easy, generally less taxing read. This is a good example, although a little too USA-centric to travel. Stories about a Brazilian footballer who was completely inept at the game and totally adept at hiding that fact for decades, and a cat who wrote scientific papers, are great fun; wrangling about American phone numbers less so. But the book also shows some wonderful connections between things, and that's not in the thematic links between the short chapters, but within them. So measles invented the phone number, and a life of selling his blood to fund sports tickets saved a man's, well, his life. Tales like these make this book a winner, even if it should have left its own shores more often (and I don't really count a fascination with Cold War spying as doing that). Within the tales you get affirmation of what you always knew – institutional green paint jobs are supposed to be calming, which was once poo-pooed, but green tablets reduce anxiety; and definitely taught what you didn't know – beaver meat is OK on a Friday, because it's not made of meat (sic), and chickens can operate street lighting. Also, bonus factoids make it even more of a win-win, for I was ignorant of why Woodstock was called Woodstock when it wasn't held within 40 miles of the place.

An excellent beside, bathroom, or guest room book, perfect for delving into for little bits of time. The anecdotes are delightful and varied and the bonus facts add plenty of interest.

It's nicely written and tons if fun.

Thank you to Adams Media and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun read - I love trivia, and the title grabbed my attention (I grew up across the lake from Wisconsin). No, the Soviets didn't really invade Wisconsin, but then again, they did in a way. The author puts my trivia knowledge to shame, I liked his endless curiosity and his humorous writing so much, I subscribed to his daily mail newsletter.

Linking one story to the next by way of one aspect was a very clever touch, which also kept my interest high - although this is also a book you can read parts of, put aside and pick back up.

This book describes a lot of little known events in history. It would be fun to use as a 1x week fun reading in class or as inspiration for kid/hs research projects.

There is a huge benefit to books like Now I Know: The Soviets Invaded Wisconsin?, which is extremely well written. Falling into a category that sometimes perplexes those given the job of assigning categories, one starts thinking about audience: to whom is a book of historical tidbits/significant trivia important? Frankly, the answer is all those who wish to know something about the unexpected details that unite our world in pertinent ways. That audience may be of teachers or students, and the purpose is to gratify the reader's (typically) unquenchable desire for answers and to populate his/her memory bank of fascinating trivia with which to interest others.

The author, Dan Lewis, is justified in saying he makes transitions from one subject to the next and he does it so well! Writing teachers may wish to use a couple of his transitions simply to show how it can be done with panache. Each time Lewis branched into a new subject, I remained interested, and that is a hard feat to accomplish (kudos!) when writing about seemingly unrelated topics. His finished product is one of the best I have ever seen in this category of writing. I recommend it as a gift book: easy to dip into, full of content that readers can use to stir conversation. Thank you #NetGalley #AdamsMedia

Books filled with random historical facts are always interesting, and this one was no exception. Some of the tidbits were better than others, of course. But overall, this was a worthwhile read that's given me some fascinating stories to share. Plus, it's always nice to pick up some new info that could be useful during a future trivia night.

This book is full of nuggets of knowledge, perfect for anyone who loves trivia or to get older students interested in learning more. It can be read straight through or read out of order (although the electronic version, which I read, is easier to read straight through than to skip around in). I've also signed up for this author's emails of even more interesting facts. I'm very happy to have found this book and author, and will be recommending to friends and fellow teachers!