From the curse of the lottery winners to the good feng shui of a local restaurant, this quirky, wacky, weird, and wonderful collection of superstitions uncovers the truth about some of our most familiar beliefs, as well as others that are much stranger. It turns out that everywhere in the world, people still put their trust in luck, magic, and mystery. By the end of this look at the bizarre world of illogic it’s clear: superstition is alive and well...and really spellbinding!
Ever wonder why we say, "break a leg" instead of "good luck"? Or, why we use noise-makers at midnight at New Year's? Do you know your lucky number or what the day of your birth or the month of your marriage have to say about your fate? Joanne O'Sullivan fills readers in on these tidbits and more in her Book of Superstitious Stuff.
Subtitled Weird Happenings, Wacky Rites, Frightening Fears, Mysterious Myths and Other Bizarre Beliefs, the small volume really lives up to its big name with chapters covering luck, blessings and curses, the animal kingdom, as well as birth and death and spanning the globe, covering the many variations on these subjects in countries, cultures, and religions. O'Sullivan's book is fascinating and will undoubtedly inspire even more curiosity in its readers. Use the book at the outset of a multicultural unit of study or to inspire research; let the bite-sized miscellany become the basis of a short-story or poetry writing unit; or practice interview skills and chart responses to find out how many classmates and family-members share these superstitious beliefs.
A word of warning to teachers of very young students, O'Sullivan does not mask some of the more overtly sexual superstitions and male genitalia is specifically mentioned at least twice in the book.
It's been almost 4 years since I started this book and past 3 years since I actually finished it. It was a book I renewed from my library countless times and kind of just skimmed through and went back and back.
I did eventually read it cover to cover, and at the time, I was much interested in urban legends and the unknown. Call it a phase. I still find the subject exciting and mysterious, I haven't had the time to invest in such books since.