A friend was getting rid of it, and I thought Why not? I like that the author tried to attribute the urban legends to earlier stories or to parable/fable type writings where there is a lesson or moral that we are supposed to learn. He also provides numerous tips to help people recognize urban legends when they come across stories in their email or in person. ( )

Rating: 3.5 of 5

A fun introduction to urban legends. Not a huge selection of tales - nowhere close to N.E. Genge's book - and they were, for the most part, already well-known to me and probably most other people in the world. Toropov opened the book with the concept of "Urban Legends as Collective Dreams" which, although interesting food for thought, seemed out of place given the overall lighthearted tone of this guide. The real gems, though, were the sidebars, especially the "Strange but True" callouts.

I would recommend this guide to anyone new to urban legends, or anyone who wants a quick refresher before digging deeper into modern myths.

Notes for my quick reference:

It was while reading this guide that I began to realize how many urban legends have been used in the TV show Supernatural. Even the BBC show Luther used "killer under the bed" for one of its episodes.

Defined UL as "a compelling story of unknown or enigmatic origin that spreads in various forms and may use humor or terror to deliver a lesson (often involving punishment for violating a social code.) (p.4)"

"As you make your way through this book, consider the possibility of examining urban legends as though they were collective dreams built around shared challenges, concerns, and patterns of thought (p.19)." ( )

Humerous overview of urban legends, with some insight into why we make these legends. The online resources included alone are reason enough to check this book out. Includes the classics (Mikey died of eating pop rocks and soda), the evolution of the classics (cooking the baby instead of the turkey), and some of the newer ones (Steve from Blue's Clues ODs), and includes the truth behind some of the legends (when possible) and some thoughts as to how they started. ( )