Synopsis
The author of "I've Forgotten Everything I Learned In School!" and a Parade magazine columnist, whose 228 I.Q. invites comparison to Einstein's, offers another collection of intriguing facts and discussions on controversial issues. National ad/promo.
Reviews
YA?This book is filled with readers' questions and answers straight from back issues of Parade magazine's "Ask Marilyn" column. Responding to everything from scientific to street-wise queries, vos Savant employs humor and simple analogies that encourage critical thinking. The book has a table of contents divided into 5 parts and 33 subheadings, so YAs may delve directly into a specific interest or easily revisit an area. "Safety in Numbers" shares some of the author's formulas?something the column rarely divulges. Sections such as "The New World" and "Thinking and Feeling" are packed with facts, opinions, and homespun common sense, making the pithy text prime for classroom talk or parlor games. An index of letter writers by town and state heightens the amusement of the last section, "Questions That Need No Answer." Peppered by vos Savant's quips, these previously unpublished letters shed light on what quirky thoughts lurk in the minds of our neighbors. Students wanting to add a colorful note to a term paper or a zinger to a debate will find this title quotable as well as bright.?Karen Sokol, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Vos Savant (Ask Marilyn) purportedly the world's smartest woman, with an IQ of 228, showcases her wit and wisdom in this collection of letters culled from Parade's "Ask Marilyn" column. Hardly the pedantic intellectual one might expect, vos Savant is both earthy and glamorous, and more reminiscent of a Marilyn named Monroe than Einstein or Hawking. And, yes, vos Savant does know a lot, from the minor to the profound. Both are present here in abundance. Math and science buffs will love her brain teasers and logic puzzles, while others will skip these to read her salty wisdom on politics and love. There's even a chapter, "Questions That Need No Answer!," containing letters raising ridiculous or impossible questions (e.g., "What happens to gum after it is disposed of?"). This book, as stimulating as it is fun, is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Vos Savant is smart enough to make even members of the exclusive Mensa society feel like dummies; her IQ is 228, the highest on record. Here, she tackles brain teasers and social problems.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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