Book Review: Interesting Stories for Curious People

On Christmas 2023, I was gifted the book Interesting Stories for Curious People written by Bill O’Neill. This was the second book by this author that I have read, as I reviewed The Great Book of Alaska in December 2022. Today’s review is also a reminder that I need to move more quickly through my ever-growing book pile. Just like Alaska, Interesting Stories is written at a middle school reading level, mixes humor with more serious topics, and cites none of its sources. This is a great first stop for learning interesting facts but certainly not a work to include in a bibliography.

The book contained several stories related to previous posts on the blog. “Before Columbus” described theories of earliest Western exploration of North America and included a shoutout to Dighton Rock, which I visited in July 2024. “Lingua Franca” described common languages spoken throughout history, which I explained in more detail during an installment to Lord of the Rings: The Animated Musical (LOTRAM) called “Appendix F, I The Languages & Peoples of the Third Age”. A similarly linguistics-themed chapter “Sequoyah, Where Did You Go?” covered the creation of a Cherokee writing system and the disappearance of its creator. While I did not dig into mysteries surrounding Sequoyah, I did mention his work during another LOTRAM installment, “Appendix E, II Writing”.

A straightforward segment on “Steam Power in the Ancient World” neatly overlapped with my book review of Greek and Roman Technology by K.D. White. Finally, the segment “Disco’s Dead” had nothing to do with my blog, but it did reference one of my favorite moments in sports history, an explosion of disco records in the outfield of Comiskey Park and an ensuing riot during Disco Demolition Night, which took place between a pair of Chicago White Sox vs. Detroit Tigers baseball games on July 12, 1979.

Like all of Bill O’Neill’s books, Interesting Stories for Curious People is currently available on Amazon and is affordably priced at $6.99. An audiobook version is currently available through Audible for $1.99. While entertaining and easy to read, a few of the true crime themed stories may not be appropriate for all audiences. This is the ideal gift for someone in your life who enjoys trivia and spends too much time reading academic journals.

Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 7/10

Accessibility: 9/10