The Emergency Sasquatch Ordinance: And Other Real Laws that Human Beings Actually Dreamed Up

by Kevin Underhill

The Emergency Sasquatch Ordinance collects hundreds of written laws that have been inflicted on humanity by various culprits over the past 5000 years. The laws in this book may be unusual, bizarre, absurd, stupid, or all of the above, but every one of them is real. Unlike some other books of this kind which the author could mention but won't, every law in this one has been verified. So if you've always wondered, for example, whether you are legally required to join a posse or what to do if your bees fly into somebody else's hive, you probably need to get out more but you will find the answers to those and many other ridiculous questions in this book.Here's a collection of written laws where, strange as it will seem at times, each one was actually thought up by one or more real human beings who then, in most cases, decided after writing it down and upon further reflection that yes, this would be a good rule that everybody should follow from now on. In some cases, the rule is just stupid. In others, the rule itself may make sense but only because human beings are what they are. You'll find more than 200 unusual, bizarre, and absurd laws that seem too weird to be true, but are indeed true. The book begins with the laws of ancient Sumeria and Babylon, then moves on to the laws of the ancient Greeks and Romans, and also features some examples from medieval times. All the ancient laws discussed here are translations from languages other than English. As this book is for entertainment purposes, if you're looking for linguistic precision, you might want to adjust your monocle and head over to a more serious section of the bookstore, Señor Braniac. Most of the book is comprised of laws inflicted on the population of the United States. The book then concludes with a selection of modern(ish) laws from other countries, some of which have a legal system similar to that of the United States (the UK, Australia, New Zealand, etc.), some of which have a completely different tradition (Germany, China, Papua New Guinea), and some of which can barely be said to observe the rule of law" at all. Above all, all of the laws mentioned in this book are (or were) real. The author did research and everything, and has even provided citations in case you want to check his work.

Genres: Nonfiction, Law, Humor, Legal, Trivia, Comedy, History

362 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2013

Reviews

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book leads to important questions, like "would zombie George Washington automatically outrank everyone in the US army?"

This is a run through some very odd laws that have been passed throughout history. Better structured than most books of its type, it's arranged by date for older laws, then alphabetically by US state for modern American laws and then alphabetically by country for international laws. The book has also been checked, these laws aren't factoids the author has read in a source or heard through word-of-mouth, he's gone and checked that they were all actual laws at some point. The translation of the German is decent too.

I think the ancient laws are the most interesting, because, as the author hints at, if we could understand what was behind some of them, we understand those cultures better, but the whole book is interesting.

It's bitty, the way compilation books are, but it's good fun to dip in and out of, and gives backgrounds for most of the laws which mean, well they don't make sense, but at least make more sense. Definitely recommended.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice, easy-reading book about silly laws. I thought some of the inclusions were a bit of a stretch (it seems sensible that Arkansas has a resolution that explains how to pronounce it, for instance), but there were enough amusing or outlandish entries to make it worth it to read all the way through.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was an incident

A fun look at some seemingly random laws on the books around the world, helping us realize that all laws stem from the notion that there was an incident.

[HoneyBakedAmbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Literally just a book of weird laws from around the country/world. If you know that going in (and that’s what you’re seeking), then you will probably enjoy it.

[Mkittysamom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from Goodreads First Reads and all opinions are my own

Kevin is a real lawyer in San Francisco in the office of Shook, Hardy & Bacon. He has been with them for 20 years, and he is a defense of products-liability and consumer-protection lawyer. He also writes his Legal-Humor blog:
Check out Kevin Underhill's website Lowering The Bar
This is his first book but he has written along with an essay, and his blog. He would also like to have a giant Burmese Python in the year 2020.

The Emergency Sasquatch Ordinance:... is a hilarious romp through history's silly laws/bills that have been made official, or almost passed. There is a lot of research behind the scenes *(check out the bibliography at the back).

Some of my Favorites:

-In Florida, it's illegal to molest a manatee. pg 136

-It's a felony to possess more than 37 lizards for commercial purposes

-No Children on the fenders


Happy Reading! I promise this book will make you laugh!!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kevin Underhill, author of the blog Loweringthebar.net, continues to delight readers with a full length book of laws that are often still on the book but make no sense.

I was familiar with the small volumes of "wacky laws" which had sometimes questionable accounts of strange rules that were either currently or used to be actual laws somewhere in the United States. They would often consist of things like "It is illegal in the state of Louisianna to tie up your alligator on the sidewalk" (I just made this one up as an example). Kevin's book is different. While the laws are no less strange, the book is carefully researched and actual evidence is presented about how the law came to be and what it means.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always been fascinated by weird laws and I've read quite a few books about them. What sets this one a part, and in fact makes this the best such book I've ever read, is that Kevin Underhill is a lawyer. So not only does he explain the law, he digs up the actual statute or at least a translation and attempts to explain how such a seemingly insane law came into being, what the rationale for it was or some equally insane potential consequence that could, at least in theory, occur as an unforeseen consequence.

It's absurdism taken to its ultimate conclusion because it is true.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I know the author. However Mr. Underhill's credentials as a humorist have been long confirmed on his blog "Lowering the Bar."

But you know I wouldn't be writing a review if I didn't think this is a very funny book, thoroughly researched, and and written with a great ironic sensibility. He has chosen laws made by societies through the centuries and combines fact with humor. All broken into small sections that make it easy to pick up. You'll like it.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book. I do wish that more time had been spent on the earlier periods of time and explaining more of the why and how this law still resonates through time beyond the silliness.

I would also have liked some additional commentary on how some of these laws in modern times have actually fared in the courts. He does often point out several of them that have never actually been challenged.

The links are very well done with all the full references that anyone could ask for.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a fun, quick read about some ridiculous laws that either are/were in place or were attempted to be put in place, from ancient to modern times. You don't have to have a law degree to understand what he is talking about; he explains the laws in layman's terms. All in all it was a nice little break from what I normally read.

[Mike Klein · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read that is fairly fun. It sometimes just goes for the easy laugh, when a little work in why some dumb law was passed might have been even funnier or at least added some depth. Probably get just as much enjoyment occasionally just reading the blog that this is based on.

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sure this book is funny if you are a lawyer. But not being a lawyer I thought it was tedious and uninteresting (save for the law that requires expert witnesses to dress up as Wizards and the one that saluted the Boston Strangler).

[Sarah Sands · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was hilarious. The writer not only finds obscure and seemingly ridiculous laws, but also, the commentary he makes is a riot. It's not the kind of book that keeps you reading constantly, but it is something fun to pick up and put down when you're constantly being interrupted.

[Ian Sirota · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is funny, informative and very well-written. You will enjoy it even if you are not a lawyer, and I highly recommend it!

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was rather funny.

[Carlos Duarte do Nascimento · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not nearly as fun as the author's blog, but still a fun read.

[Bookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of silly laws, old and new.

[Josh Kaplowitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but a lot of the laws are pretty ho-hum and not as wild and out there as it tries to make it seem.

[Abraham Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book of weird laws!

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful casual read.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended. Easy to dip into. Surprisingly revealing glimpses into random bits of society and our legal systems. Writing is dry and hilarious. I had a number of laugh out loud moments.

[Asher · Rating 5 out of 5]

While there are other collections of ridiculous laws, this one actually cites the statute and gives some explanation behind these laws.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, quick read.

[Paula Martin]

This was super fun, and I like his writing style a lot (his blog, Lowering the Bar, is always entertaining). With that said, I think this might be most interesting for people who are already interested in law/laws or who just want a book they can read a few chapters at a time when they have a little free time.