Alligators in the Sewer and 222 Other Urban Legends: Absolutely True Stories that Happened to a Friend...of a Friend...of a Friend

by Thomas J. Craughwell

Urban Legend (ur/ben lej/end) n. a fictional story, circulated by word-of-mouth, that is perpetuated by the continual assertion of truth.

All the rumors that have passed through office e-mail networks, the fantastic stories that have "happened to a friend" and the horrifying tales told around campfires are gathered here for the first time in one fascinating, unbelievable collection.

Organized by subject, chapters Naked at His Own Surprise Party and Other Sexual Escapades, The Stolen Kidney and Other Medical Disasters, The Gulf War Computer Virus and Other High Tech Scares, Roswells's Area 51 and Other Extraterrestrial Encounters, Elvis's Motorcycle and Other Celebrity Rumors, and many more. Each story runs one-to-two-pages long.

Many of the stories have been told with a different twist--variations are included at the end of each tale.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Urban Legends, Reference

288 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1999

Reviews

[tony dillard jr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been interested in Urban Legends ever since I read this 3-volume set my mom had back in the 90s. It was written by some noted folklorist and while I read them in high school, I think the books had been published years, if not decades prior.

I'm not 100% certain when or where I got this book either. It was at a used bookstore somewhere in North Carolina. I've got 2 prime suspects. Both on either side of Durham County. Regardless, I don't think I paid more than a dollar for this book.

You don't get to the title alligators in the sewer or many of the most well known urban legends until the last chapter of this book. For someone who was hoping to come across some new myths, that's a very good thing. But if all you wanted were those all-time classics, like the Mexican Chihuahua or the vanishing hitchhiker, you'll either want to stick to just the final chapter or find another book of urban legends to peruse.

Personally, I was hoping for more inside stuff. I was wanting to know some potential root causes for why these urban legends came about. There are a couple of times that author Thomas J. Craughwell digs a tad under the surface. But out of 223 urban legends, he probably only goes in depth on about 2 dozen of them.

I watch a lot of Travel Channel's Mysteries of the Museum. Oddly enough, several of the urban legends in this book, I've seen presented as fact on the Don Wildman hosted series. So am I to believe that all these museums across the world are presenting urban legends as historical fact or is there a little bit of truth to these urban legends?

I also felt that Craughwell's definition of an urban legend didn't fit with one chapter of this book. The 7th chapter deals with UFOs and aliens. Now, I'm not saying that they are real. However, I've read my fair share of accounts of unexplained phenomenon and books on conspiracy theory to know that many if not all of the accounts in the UFO chapter are documented facts. With urban legend being about stories that happened to 'a friend of a friend of a friend', if it's been documented by the US Air Force, you can't consider it an urban legend, no matter how outlandish.

There were quite a few personal favs that were not included in this book. For instance, there's a tale of a naked lady who all she could find to wear was a football helmet. When some repair man approaches her he exclaims 'I'm not sure which team you're playing for, but I sure hope they win.' Maybe that is something that started out as a joke and became an urban legend. I just don't know. But that's the kind of information I was hoping this book would have about these types of stories. Maybe the next book on urban legends I get my hands on will provide such knowledge.

[Gary Van Horn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Many of these stories were taken from jokes that have been handed around. The only time it got interesting was when it told the urban legends about Roswell and aliens.

[Janeen Miklos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is funny! Loved the wild stories.

[Ashley]

#
NC
Own in hardback.

FS: "There may be some Americans who could not tell you the name of the vice president of the United States, but virtually every American knows that the sewers of New York City are full of alligators, that the cute little Chihuahua a tourist picked up in Mexico was really a rat and that a foolish woman tried to dry her poodle in a microwave."

LS: "An aluminum manufacturer will donate an hour of dialysis to a sick child for every 1,000 aluminum can flip tops it receives."

[C. J. Scurria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this years ago. The stories are "adapted" to the writer's ideas and are slightly changed but I only learned of these stories through this book. This book is gory, naughty, crazy, but it was entertaining.

It has a sequel too if anyone was interested in these stories that "really happened" to a friend of a friend...

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't sure how to categorize this book. Is it horror or humor? I finally just settled for fiction. This was a bizarre little book, but I was surprised at how many movie plots I recognized and how many stories I had heard before. And, I must admit, how many I had believed!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another interesting look at urban legends. Some of them are ghost stories and some of them are jokes and some are just weird tidbits we are all familiar with and half-believe (like Mr. Rogers having been a sniper in the military).

[Arjuna G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish each legend (or at least some of the more interesting ones) were further explained/explored, (psychology behind their persistence as stories, how they were proved false, etc.) rather than just told.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny to read urban legends that I actually thought were true at one time. There are some I still wonder if there is some truth to them or not. ;)

[Coral · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read with many of the stories you know and some you've never heard.

[Fishface · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, light read. Many of the urban legends you'll recall from reading Jan harold Brunvand, but many are from other sources.

[Montana-IFC · Rating 1 out of 5]

school--removed from collection per school policy at superintendent's direction "books did not meet curricular expectations" (2005)

[Ally · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to thank my Mom for this one, she knows I love the superstitious nonsense.

[Heather Centeno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky, fun little read