So AJ Jacobs set out to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. This did not, as it turned out, make him a complete know-it-all, because, as his somewhat disappointing experience on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire demonstrated, he kept forgetting stuff. It did, however, increase what I suspect was already his propensity to interject random facts into conversations in an effort to show off his knowledge (Personally, I prefer the vocabulary strategy). He spent a lot of time worrying about whether all his newfound knowledge was making him a better person or at least helping him solve real-life problems, and related a few incidents where it was. But Jacobs' real genius lies in his ability to make his daily life as an encyclopedia reader, editor of Esquire, husband and aspiring father hilarious and relatable. Even though this book is structured as a miscellany, it was a page-turner. Recommended.
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