The Know-It-All

28116Title: The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World
Author: Susan Gloss
Source: PaperBack Swap
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review Summary: I thought A.J. Jacobs might be too irreverent for me, so I was surprised to find his passion for knowledge and success both relatable and fascinating.

The Know-It-All is a classic stunt memoir, in which author A.J. Jacobs attempts to read the entire print version of the Encyclopedia Britannica… all 33,000 pages of it. Organized by letter, A.J. shares fun facts he learned in each section as well as words that were relevant to his life while he was reading. This included things relating to everything from his job to his attempts to have baby, from his drive to accomplish something to his relationship with his father. Along the way, he also explores the nature of intelligence, testing different definitions with activities like joining Mensa and auditioning for Jeopardy.

In retrospect, I probably should have known how much I was going to enjoy this. I love stunt memoirs and the only thing that could improve on that idea is having a bookish goal. However, the snarky title of this book and of A.J.’s other memoirs made me wonder if this would be a little too light and irreverent for me to enjoy. My negative feelings about pretty much all movies with Seth Rogen come to mind. I was pleasantly surprised by the intelligent humor and thoughtful musings I found instead. In the end, I loved the way this book was presented and the content the author chose to include.

The encyclopedic organization was brilliant. It made me feel as though I was sharing in the author’s reading experience. As someone who loves reading non-fiction in part for the fun facts, I loved that he included some of the choicest tidbits from his reading. And as someone who loves non-fiction in part for the human element, I loved that the book included bits of A.J.’s personal life and how his life was impacted by his encyclopedia reading quest. Finally, as a lover of life-long learning, I empathized with A.J.s desire to know as much as he could. I also enjoyed his thoughtful musings on the nature of intelligence and thought the ways he tested it added some interesting action to the potentially dry task of reading an encyclopedia. The humor was occasionally repetitive, but otherwise spot on. I’d recommend this most highly to other lovers of fun facts, knowledge, and non-fiction.

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8 Comments

Filed under Humor, Memoir, non-fiction

8 Responses to The Know-It-All

  1. Shannon @ River City Reading

    This sounds a little like a non-fiction dream! It sounds like a really interesting journey and I love the way he thought of organizing it.
    Shannon @ River City Reading recently posted…101 (or Maybe Just 22) QuestionsMy Profile

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  2. Andi @ Estella's Revenge

    I’m glad you liked this one! I tried, and sort of pooped out, reading The Year of Living Biblically, but I think I’ll give it another go, and I’ll definitely try this one.
    Andi @ Estella’s Revenge recently posted…Beloved by Toni MorrisonMy Profile

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  3. Jennine G.

    I like books where I learn all kinds of things with humor. They seem to stick better and I can recall them to tell later.
    Jennine G. recently posted…Book Lover GiftsMy Profile

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  4. Katie @ Words for Worms

    This sounds like the nerdiest kind of fun! The whole encyclopedia! I bet he’d be good to have on your trivia team.
    Katie @ Words for Worms recently posted…Burial Rites by Hannah KentMy Profile

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  5. Leah @ Books Speak Volumes

    Ooh, this sounds really fun! The organization sounds fantastic; I love the idea of kind of taking a journey with the author as he reads.
    Leah @ Books Speak Volumes recently posted…Book Review: Judging a Book by Its Lover by Lauren LetoMy Profile

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  6. tanya

    I actually always think of you and AJ Jacobs as being on related journeys – you know, to learn it all. On the other had it seems like Jacobs goes on these year long projects and turns them into books quite regularly. I’m not sure if i like that or am jealous because i didn’t do it first.
    tanya recently posted…Listen to the Squawking Chicken by Elaine LuiMy Profile

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  7. Jennifer @ The Relentless Reader

    This was the first, and best, stunt memoir I’ve ever read. I laughed and laughed like an idiot when I read this one :D
    Jennifer @ The Relentless Reader recently posted…The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle ZevinMy Profile

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  8. Allison @ The Book Wheel

    I have a copy of this book and can’t wait to read it! I absolutely loved The Year of Living Biblically and have a feeling this one will be just as great. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
    Allison @ The Book Wheel recently posted…Comment on Ripped-From-the-Headlines’ “Mistress” Is Magnificent by The Book WheelMy Profile

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