The De-Textbook, by Cracked.com

Rating: 3/5
207 pages
2013
Publisher: Plume
Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewers

Description: It’s Cracked, but true. You Might Be a Zombie and Other Bad News was a New York Times bestseller and has already returned to print seven times. Now, the writers at the Internet’s #1 most-read humor site have created a dementedly hilarious textbook parody. By the time we were out of school, we’d learned that spinach is full of iron, there are three primary colors, and we have five senses. Unfortunately, these and most of the other “facts” we crammed into our heads are simply not true. The De-Textbook is here to erase it all—easily, painlessly, and hilariously. (From LibraryThing)


Review: If you've ever visited Cracked.com, this book is about what you'd expect; short, easily digestible, humorous pieces, just with less lists and no links to suck you in for several hours.

However, given this book's premise, the fact checking should have been much better. There were a number of things that, as I read through, I noted down as facts to double check before writing this review, then I hit the section that talked about why things weren't better way back when, and I no longer needed to.

The section has many valid points, it also has a handy chart of things to consider about the 1910s-1990s. While the chart is clearly humorous, the three items listed under the 1990s contains two that I know are just plain wrong.

Yes Cracked.com, the internet and cell phones both existed in the 90s. Cell phones have been commercially available since the early 80s and the origins of the internet date back to the 60s. Both experienced a noticeable growth in the 90s. (Also, Tyrannosaurus Rex, still badass, even with feathers.)

In short, its funny, but keep in mind the facts here are probably as reliable as the stuff they're claiming to clear up.