Curses! Broiled Again!


Book Description

From the master folklorist and sly wit, Jan Brunvand, comes a collection of all-new urban legends. Did your cousin's wife's dentist's daughter go to the tanning parlor once too often and had her insides cooked? Has your husband's brother's nephew teacher try to make a dead rabbit look alive? If so, you've heard—or you yourself may have told—two of the seventy-plus legends in this collection. Urban legends are "those bizarre but believable stories about batter-fried rats, spiders in hairdos, Cabbage Patch dolls that get funerals, and the like that pass by word of mouth as being the gospel truth." But of course, though often told as having happened to a FOAF (friend of a friend), they aren't true. Included in this collection are legends about sex, horror, cars, business, and academia. Among them are "The Bible Student's Exam," "The Pregnant Shoplifter," "The Ice Cream Cone Caper," "Don't Mess with Texas," and "Mrs. Fields' Cookie Recipe."




Too Good to Be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends


Book Description

A collection of oft-repeated urban legends brings together the best of modern myths, from the stoned baby sitter who mistook a baby for a turkey to the fabulously expensive recipe for chocolate chip cookies.




The Truth Never Stands in the Way of a Good Story


Book Description

"Here he [the author] looks in detail at a dozen rampant and long-lived examples of this vigorous category of contemporary folklore, tracing their historyies, variations, sources, and meanings."--Jacket.




Be Afraid Be Very Afraid


Book Description

A collection of over ninety frightening urban legends, arranged by theme.




The Baby Train and Other Lusty Urban Legends


Book Description

America's premier folk detective is back on the case, sniffing out those zany but dubious stories that "really happened" to a friend of your sister's boyfriend's accountant's mechanic. Jan Harold Brunvand—''Mr. Urban Legend" [Smithsonian]—tracks the most fabulous tales making today's cocktail-party circuit and shows why those stories that sound too good to be true probably are too good to be true. The eponymous episode—"The Baby Train"—sheds light on certain predawn activities that have linked unusually high birth rates to the whim of train schedule makers. Other stories offer a revealing peek behind the story of "The Exploding Bra," expose the embarrassing source of "The Hairdresser's Error," resurrect a "Failed Suicide" Buster Keaton would have died for, and show why adults are better off not bringing their comic book fantasies out of the closet. From "Superhero Hijinx" to "The Shocking Videotape" to "The Accidental Cannibal," The Baby Train uncovers the mysteries behind some of the bawdiest, goriest, funniest, most pyrotechnic urban legends yet.




American Folklore


Book Description

Contains over 500 articles Ranging over foodways and folksongs, quiltmaking and computer lore, Pecos Bill, Butch Cassidy, and Elvis sightings, more than 500 articles spotlight folk literature, music, and crafts; sports and holidays; tall tales and legendary figures; genres and forms; scholarly approaches and theories; regions and ethnic groups; performers and collectors; writers and scholars; religious beliefs and practices. The alphabetically arranged entries vary from concise definitions to detailed surveys, each accompanied by a brief, up-to-date bibliography. Special features *More than 2000 contributors *Over 500 articles spotlight folk literature, music, crafts, and more *Alphabetically arranged *Entries accompanied by up-to-date bibliographies *Edited by America's best-known folklore authority




God Is Not Mad at You


Book Description

When bestselling author Joyce Meyer posted "God's not mad at you" on Facebook, she didn't anticipate that her words would trigger thousands of responses of gratitude and relief. Apparently many Christians struggle to reconcile their perception of God as both a loving parent and a stern judge. In GOD IS NOT MAD AT YOU, Joyce will help those who haven't truly received God's love because they are afraid of His anger and disapproval. She explores the source of this confusion, so His genuine character can be better understood and His love can be experienced on an entirely new level. Chapter titles include: * Perfectionism and Approval * The Pain of Rejection * Guilt and Shame * Developing Your Potential * Run to God, Not from Him * Getting Comfortable with God "It is important for us to remember that God's anger is directed toward our sinful behavior rather than toward us. If you feel guilty right now and are afraid that God is mad at you, then you are miserable. But your misery can be immediately changed to peace and joy by simply believing God's Word. Believe that God loves you and that He is ready to show you mercy and forgive you completely. Believe that God has a good plan for your life. Believe that God is not mad at you!" --Joyce Meyer




The Book of Bitch


Book Description

THE BOOK OF BITCH is an unapologetic, illustrated A to Z guide for those reclaiming and celebrating their inner bitch. Writer and artist Ailie Banks is a self-proclaimed bitch. The word has been thrown at her, and the women around her, Ailie's entire life. A bitch is stereotypically thought to be unkind, uncaring and ultimately untrustworthy. But in Ailie's eyes, a bitch is someone who stands firm and speaks their mind in the face of sexist rhetoric. They don't filter themselves for the comfort of others and they don't give a single damn about meeting societal expectations. From Ambitious Bitch to Zealous Bitch, THE BOOK OF BITCH is an alphabetical tribute to the word sneered through clenched teeth at those who refuse to shrink in the face of oppression. This book shows once and for all that every bitch is multifaceted, every bitch is human and every bitch deserves to be celebrated. 'It's taken me a long time to embrace my inner bitch, but Ailie Banks's incredible illustrations have finally made me proud to say I'm a bitch and that's definitely NOT a bad thing!' Scarlett Curtis, curator of Feminists Don't Wear Pink 'I want to be an Ailie Banks kind of bitch. Terrorising bigots, breastfeeding in public, glam while surviving and holding a megaphone - these illustrations are badass and uncompromising. This book just put 'tenacious' back in my vocabulary and on my to-do list.' Bri Lee, author of Eggshell Skull 'As a self-identifying, all-encompassing, proud, loud and powerfully unapologetic bitch, this book speaks to me on too many levels. It has perfect descriptions for the complex narrative that is the life of a bitch, coupled with images that reflect me - chubby, strong, oft-hairy, always beautiful. I feel seen, acknowledged and understood.' Lillian Ahenkan, FlexMami




Encyclopedia of Urban Legends


Book Description

Presents descriptions of hundreds of urban legends and their variations, themes, and scholarly approaches to the genre, including such tales as disappearing hitchhikers and hypodermic needles left in the coin slots of pay telephones.




Encyclopedia of Urban Legends [2 volumes]


Book Description

This revised edition of the original reference standard for urban legends provides an updated anthology of common myths and stories, and presents expanded coverage of international legends and tales shared and popularized online. From roasted babies to vanishing hitchhikers to housewives in football helmets, this exhaustive and highly readable encyclopedia provides descriptions of hundreds of individual legends and their variations, examines legend themes, and explains scholarly approaches to the genre. Revised and expanded to include updated versions of the entries from the award-winning first edition, this work provides additional entries on a wide range of new topics that include terrorism, recent political events, and Hurricane Katrina. Entries in Encyclopedia of Urban Legends, Updated and Expanded Edition discuss the presence of urban legends in comic books, literature, film, music, and many other areas of popular culture, as well as the existence of "too good to be true" stories in Argentina, China, Italy, Japan, Mexico, and several other countries. Serving as both an anthology of stories as well as a reference work, this encyclopedia will serve as a valuable resource for students and a source book for journalists, professional folklorists, and others who are researching or interested in urban legends.