Strange But True, America

by John Hafnor

Strange But True, America is a 50-state tour de force of every oddball fact missing from standard travel and history books. This 2010 National Best Books Award Finalist and 2011 Indie Book Awards Double Silver Medalist— "Young Adult Non-Fiction" & "History"—proves that truth is always stranger than fiction.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Childrens

202 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2005

About the author

John Hafnor’s Lakota Cowboy is winner of a gold medal in the Will Rogers Western Lit Awards, and follows a series of non-fiction titles. He launched the "strange history" book phenomenon in 1982 with Black Hills Believables. Later came Strange But True America, Strange But True Colorado, Trekking the Last Badland, and the German-language Wahres aus dem Wilden Westen. Hafnor lives in the Colorado, splitting time between Denver and a writer’s cabin on a high mountain lake. He is single and has three grown sons.

Reviews

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember as a child, all the way through my teens, reading local history pamphlets and books. We did a lot of family camping trips, driving to out of the way places and every place we stopped seemed to have a gift store that sold a book about it's unusual history. Invariably the book would be illustrated in pen and ink cartoons. Strange But True America by John Hafnor with illustrations by Dale Crawford is done in the style of these books but it covers all 50 states.

Each state gets two pages: a page of text and a full-page illustration. The text covers either a person, event or unusual place from the state. I'm sure that every state has dozens of such stories to cover. The topic for each state isn't the obvious one or even the second most obvious one. These are odd ball stories but still fascinating.

California's story, for instance doesn't cover the gold rush, the missions, the golden gate, Hollywood or anything along those lines. Nope; it's Murphy's Law. Interestingly, "Murphy's Law" was either coined in California or in Wyoming. Or possibly both places. Sure, it's not what I would have chosen for my state, but I did learn something new!

At the back of the book there are a few extra pages of nationwide oddities, like near misses with unexploded bombs. This coda is a nice way of bringing the book to a close.

I received a copy for review from the author.

[Laura Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice quick read, learned a handful of new information but this book basically just touched on weird things I already knew about.
Not bad for those new to Colorado who aren’t already burnt out on dome of the old legends.

[Swords & Spectres · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a really fun, easy to pick up book brimming with interesting nuggets of history from each of America's 50 states.

My only real downside is that it's littered with typos. They get a bit more noticeable as the book goes on. Still a very enjoyable read with lots of interesting little bits and bobs, just could have been a bit more polished.

[DORET · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a third generation native of the great state of Colorado and I still had to get out the map to locate some of the sites mentioned in this book. It is an amusing, interesting collections of weird tales. Great and easy reading.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! The history of the US is fascinating and older than we all think. Fun book- a great gift for people who LOVE CO!

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a quirky and awesome book. This is one of those books you gift to people for birthdays or holidays and it'll be a sure bet that they'll like it, the stories are that entertaining.

They're edited in AP format so as to mimic a newspaper article, as if blood-letting is breaking news! The stories are short, sweet and to the point and you're sure to rocket right through this book with certain tales that just won't leave your head.

One of them for me is how the Democratic party got the mule/donkey as a mascot. And it has nothing to do with it being a "working" animal! Another one that made me laugh out loud was a Vermont story and Ethan Allen visiting some post-Revolutionary war British friends who had hung a picture of George Washington in the bathroom, presumably as an insult to him. Allen then retorted, "It is most appropriately hung. There is nothing that will make an Englishman shit so quick as the sight of General Washington." That's freakin' hilarious!

I can't help but wonder how deep Hafnor had to dig to find some of these stories. This is an excellent bit of eccentric history-telling, right here and it's told in short bursts and accompanied by wonderful illustrations from Dale Crawford. I mean, how often does anyone over the age of six get to guiltlessly enjoy books with pictures in it?

If you want to know something quirky about your state, or any state, definitely pick up this book. You know, I didn't know Connecticut, my home state and current residence, was home to the real first president of the Unites States! How awesome is that! And while Sleepy Hollow, New York might have the famous headless horseman, Texas has a true version. Dun dun dun!

Definitely an awesome read!

[Cindy Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did you know that sometime around 1914 a 4-year-old girl living in Idaho was mailed to her grandma’s house to save train fare? Or that camels once roamed the deserts of Arizona? What about the atom bomb that was accidentally dropped near Albuquerque in 1957? All of these “strange but true” facts can be found in a book that is part of the Strange But True series, Strange But True, America.

Written by John Hafnor and featuring illustrations by Dale Crawford, Strange But True, America features little known tales from all 50 states. The story from Louisiana, where I grew up, is about a giant logjam on the Red River that lasted for centuries. I already knew some details of that story, yet the details Hafnor weaves in made it even more interesting than I even realized. And the tale from Oregon, where I live now, is about Nike founders Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman. Again, I knew some of the details, but not the whole story presented in the book.

Other strange tales are highlighted in the back of the book, in sections about bombs and missiles accidentally going off in quite a few states and short tidbits from all around the country, such as the football game that inspired our first cheerleader and the eagle that was sent to encourage Civil War troops because his owner wasn’t able to fight.

Mother-daughter book club members can have fun identifying their favorite stories while learning something about the history of every state. Hafnor also provides a few more tales at his website, www.StrangeTrueUS.com. You can also get individual, collectible postcards for each state. Those may be fun to collect or send to friends and family who live in other parts of the country. I recommend it for girls aged 10 and up.

[Sari · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are two things that can get me as excited as a kid; trivia and history. Yesterday I received the book Strange but true, America weird tales from all 50 states yesterday and by this afternoon I was done reading it. Thanks Lone Pine Publications for putting out such a fun book and sending a copy to me.
This is a must have book for all American history lovers, not to mention those who love American trivia. The book is broken down by state. The reader can pick and chose which stories to read as each piece or article is written as if it came from a newspaper column. I found it fun to jump around reading about Native Americans, then our presidents and finally about some of our more colorful American citizens. My favorite piece is titled Skull ‘speaks’ of prehistoric kindness. In this article the reader is told of some 9,000 year old skulls found with their brains intact. The DNA evidence shows there is no connection to present day Native Americans. Why haven’t we heard about this in the news? I find it terribly fascinating.
Towards the back of the book there are very short trivia pieces that are as fascinating as the longer articles. Did you know several planes carrying nuclear missiles have crashed on American soil? Look under the heading When Doomsday came calling to your state to find out when and where this has happened.
This book will surely please those who love the Uncle John’s trivia books. I have several relatives on my holiday gift list who do. This is the book they will receive instead.

[Linda B · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an interesting book! If you like trivia, quirky facts, or history, you will absolutely love this book.

Every state has a tale to tell, and the author has certainly delivered up some fascinating history. Best of all, the book is fun to read. The general layout of the book is one page of story and one illustration page. The stories range from heartwarming, to horrible, to down-right strange, but all are entertaining.

My favorite was my home state story of Fast Eddie, but the story of the student who killed the oldest living thing came in a close second! An additional section of the book, When Doomsday Came Calling in Your State, is quite an eye opener. Finally, the section called Thumbing Through America’s Weird Past is a meandering tour of the different areas of the country with bits and pieces of historical trivia.

The illustrators love of history and the old west shows in his detailed contributions to the book. The combination of story and drawings create a complete picture of each of the stories. This is a wonderful book for ages 10 – 110. You can also check out the author's website, http://www.strangetrueus.com, for additional information and even some collectable state postcards with tales from the book.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but it was OK. The last chapter was more in line with what I was hoping for, truth be told, as those did seem like strange but true stuff and many of the rest of the chapters, often ostensibly about an individual state sometimes weren't. Take for example the one chapter about my state-of-birth, New Jersey, which starts off by saying New Jersey granted women the right to vote early in the nation's history (before taking it away) and then goes on about the history of women's suffrage, which isn't really about New Jersey.

Oh, one chapter on the KKK's influence in Indiana states Harry Truman was a Klansman. As I'd read David McCullogh's Truman biography, this seemed weird for the president who recognized Israel and was the first to address the NAACP. A quick Wikipedia check tells me (and its Wikipedia, so take it as you see fit) that Truman gave a friend $10 to join before going into public life, never attended a meeting, changed his mind, and asked for a refund. This doesn't seem like much of an enthusiastic member.

[Wendy Hines · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange but True, America takes us on a very unique and interesting journey through history. For each of the fifty states, there is a strange, but true, tale. Of course being from Indiana, I immediately flipped straight to my home state with my curiosity peaked. It tells of Grand Dragon's fall and how that was the beginning of the end for the KKK and their political force.

Another interesting, yet ironic, story is from the state of New Hampshire. There license plate slogan is "Live Free or Die". They are manufactured by prisoners at the state prison in Concord.

And who can forget the strange circumstances surrounding the death of President Washington. Virginia is depicted with the strange, but true story about how the doctor's "fashionable bloodletting" killed one of our founding fathers.

STRANGE BUT TRUE, AMERICA is a wonderful coffee table book or to share with your friends for a lively discussion. The illustrations are whimsically drawn and lend a certain charm to the book. Hafnor has definitely done his homework; not surprising considering he is a history teacher. If you are looking for strange and unique bits of history or simply want to be entertained, Strange but True, America is a must have!

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know this book is out of my normal areas of reading but when I saw the book blurb I couldn't resist. There were quite a few little tidbits that cracked me up. The first half of the book goes state by state and talks about some sort of interesting story that not everyone might know about. The second half covers a mix of shorter tidbits from various states (I notice the East and South have a lot of these, maybe since they are the oldest states?). Some of my favorites were did you know at one time there were wild camels in America? That made me laugh and I couldn't believe it. I also find things like the "bog people", extremely well preserved bodies from ages ago found in peat bogs in Europe, interesting and I was amazed to find we had our own discoveries in Florida. I don't want to spoil the book so just my last favorite was about a young girl who was sent via the mail to visit her grandmother. Can you imagine that? If you find things like this interesting this is a great book to check out.

[Heather Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hafnor and Crawford knew they’d struck a vein (in the mining sense) when they published their first book in 2005, Strange But True, Colorado. Their latest covers all sorts of fact-based weirdness in all 50 states, beginning with Porky Bickar’s volcanic shenanigans in Alaska, to the last time Wyoming saw more than 1,000 people in one place. In between, there’s a bomb over Albuquerque, Vikings in New Hampshire, and the U.S. Post Office delivering four-year-old May Pierstoff to her grandmother for 55 cents. Old-timey (think Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew) illustrations lighten up the text by appearing on at least every other page. A book for older children and adults; highly recommended for both classrooms and office waiting rooms.

Review originally appeared in ForeWord magazine

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is such a fun collection of stories from Colorado's history! It includes stories about people and places, as well as fun facts about Colorado. Some of these tales do include details that would make this an awkward read if inquisitive kids were involved, but not in an offensive manner. This book captures the imagination and expands one's love for (and sense of amusement toward) Colorado. It is a quick and easy read - partly due to the abundance of illustrations (and did I ever enjoy reading a book with so many illustrations!), partly due to the one-page size of the chapters, but mostly due to the fun of this book, which can make you forget you were going to stop reading 20 pages ago.

[Kat Bryan]

This book contains some wacky, little-known, history trivia. It's a good sized paperback, 10.5" x 7.5", and two pages are devoted to each state with one page of text and another with illustrations. There are more pages in the back with shorter trivia tales about each state and an excellent index. The stories are interesting and the drawings are well done. This is not a younger child’s book but one that older kids and adults will find fun to read. Mr. Hafnor has also developed individual state postcards with the same information as the book. These cards will be sold at truck stops and gift shops. You can also visit http://www.strangetrueus.com/ for more unpublished tales.

[Shannon McGee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know how strange some of the facts/trivia in this books are. Interesting, yes, but not that strange. There are facts and quirky trivia about each state in the U.S.A. Each gets it own page, sometimes more then one, and one page of drawings. The drawings fit well with each each tale. There are even postcards you can collect for each state that feature the drawings and some of the interesting trivia. I enjoyed it, laughed out loud at times and shared some of the factoids with my husband.

[Ratforce]

For a fun yet informative read, try Strange but True Colorado by local author John Hafnor. With simple illustrations, John’s short stories are a quick and interesting read. He also has a new book, Strange but True America.

[Deb · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'll just say: Proofreading for errors before publication is NOT OPTIONAL, it is a prerequisite.

[Utena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun and interesting read. There were some things I already knew but there were other things I had never really read about in history books. I highly recommend this.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some curious tales that this history buff wasn't aware of; a pleasant surprise. Well put together and illustrated.

[Emily Olson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned some interesting facts but most of the states are pretty boring