The Smart Aleck's Guide to American History

By Adam Selzer
Delacorte Books for Young Readers, $12.99, 326 pages

History books are often dreary affairs at best, overloaded with dates and factoids of questionable worth in the real world. Where are the snarky, entertaining chronicles of events past?

Well, worry not, because the Smart Aleck Staff is at your disposal, and they’ve got the history book for you. The Smart Aleck’s Guide to American History steamrolls through centuries of history, hitting the high points and some of the low with tongue firmly planted in cheek. But amidst the humor and sarcasm are presented plenty of genuinely interesting historical facts both famous and obscure.

While it’s more chuckle-inducing than laugh-out-loud funny, it has some terrific features. “Stupid Hats from History” was one of my personal favorites, and the numerous references to other editions of Smart Aleck handbooks made for a hilarious running gag. (Notable examples include The Smart Aleck’s Guide to Really Tacky Attempts to Cash In, The Smart Aleck’s Guide to Shutting Your Pie Hole, and The Smart Aleck’s Guide to Why Star Wars is Awesome, Volume 16.) And their use of Billy Joel’s classic We Didn’t Start the Fire as a lesson plan for their coverage of 20th century history was particularly inspired.

In the end, The Smart Aleck’s Guide to American History is a fun historical refresher for young and old alike. You might even learn something. But don’t hold that against them.

Reviewed by Glenn Dallas