At least once each time my husband and I sit down to watch television, I spout off some useless trivia about Hollywood stars that he has absolutely no interest in. It usually starts off with something like "Hey, did you know the lead singer of that group is married to..." or "That actress' mom is the same actress who played in…" and so on. His usual response sounds something more like an animal's grunt, far from the response full of amazement or shock that my best friend would have supplied. Either way, I still enjoy sharing this useless information because I believe - rather, I dream of the day it will come in handy for him. Who knows, maybe he'll end up on Jeopardy one day and the question to the answer will be something he learned from me. Yeah right… dream on!
But now I have a plethora of facts to quote to him. Everything from protons, neutrons and electrons, to facts about the Cold War, Stock Markets, Religion, Philosophy, art, music and so much more. Facts that are more likely to be topics of interest on Jeopardy as opposed to which actor is divorcing over a love interest they met on their last movie set. Not that either of us will ever end up on Jeopardy, but Know It All: The Little Book of Essential Knowledge is in fact the best book I have on hand to help me feel like the studious citizen I wish I had time to be!
Know It All wraps up almost a hundred different subjects in just two pages each of straight facts. Each topic provides just enough information on its subject to enlighten and educate the reader, in preparation of conversations that could make their way around to these talking points. These "subjects of study" are broken down into nine different chapters of the book, including "Invention and Discovery," "Conflicts of the Modern Age" and "Religion and Thought." Know It All wraps up many things I should have learned (or remembered) from my schooling, but I either didn't pay attention that day, or I didn't use it, and years ago, I truly did lose it.
Know It All also throws in special features - little snippets of information packaging a topic in "an even smaller nutshell" like "Conversation Starters" you can use in casual situations, and even quiz pages to review what you may have learned in that chapter. Even as the book educates you, it does it in a fun and interesting way that will leave the reader wanting more. Each subject is an easy read as there are no fillers and the information doesn't go on and on - just the facts ma'am!
So, whether you are simply looking to increase your knowledge of worldly subjects, or you are interested in cramming for that Jeopardy try-out, Know It All is your best and quickest bet to learning more on the topics that not only come up from time to time, but actually have something to do with your day-to-day life.
Personally, I plan on memorizing a chapter or two so that when my husband and I are drinking our morning coffee and watching MSNBC, I can throw something even more meaningful out into the conversation at hand. Perhaps then I will watch his eyes light up in amazement of my broader scope of knowledge. That would be a nice change from his uninterested grunt over my Hollywood dribble! Thanks Know It All! Now I can feel like a know-it-all, too!
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