Explain That: 31 intriguing reasons why from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald

by Felicity Lewis (Editor)

From the nation's most trusted news outlets comes an entertaining and authoritative look at the world around us.

Have you ever wondered if time travel is actually possible? Or where the Australian accent came from? Or what it feels like to have dementia? If you’re an inquisitive person who likes to understand how things came to be the way they are, this collection of thought-provoking explainers from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald has got you covered.

Explain That answers some of the year’s – and life’s – most baffling questions. Thoroughly researched and eloquently set out by some of Australia’s finest journalists, it provides nourishment for curious minds and fun facts to share with friends and family. What do sharks want (and why do they bite)? How do you win an Oscar? Who thought up table manners? Funny, weird and insightful topics are inventively illustrated and embellished with diagrams, pictures and factoids.

If you like to learn new things, if you enjoy trivia or you want to reflect on some of the big questions, this is the book for you. Absorbing, illuminating and always engaging, Explain That is for anyone who has ever asked how and why?

Genres: Nonfiction

464 pages, Paperback

Published November 2, 2021

Reviews

[Audrey Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why is the sky blue? Please explain.

[Michelle Larkin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing. I was so excited to read this but the journalism is once again so unreliable that I can’t take the book seriously. For example, I was interested in the Sistergirls as I was hoping to read about how First Nations people embrace the LGBQTIA community but actually they just face the same problems as everywhere else. I’m not a member of that community myself so I don’t take it personally but I felt that article was misleading. The Australian language came from a melting pot of dialects - amazing. Don’t buy original artwork from from anyone who lives in western Sydney- thanks for the advice. This book made me lose my faith in journalism.

[Nat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to enjoy this. The concept is excellent. A collection of long form articles, or essays by journos on a variety of topics.

I think my struggle is actually the sheer variety. From the origins of the Australian accent, to dementia, to how to win an Oscar, to exhibition sports at the Olympics, to Australian political factions and many more topics. It was all just too different and so for me, disjointed as a collection.

[Xanthi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on audiobook format.
Overall very interesting though there were some topics that I didn’t have as much interest in. There was plenty of content that was new to me, which was welcomed. Some of the topics veered into quite grim themes. Less of those would have made this collection more enjoyable.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed some articles in the book such as the one about sharks and sun damage, though found some articles needing more depth in research and data to add credibility to the topic at hand - otherwise felt like i was reading a TedTalk in book format - you left feeling more curious though without much substance to start a meaningful conversation about the topic.