Alien Hand Syndrome: And Other Too-Weird-Not-To-Be-True Stories

Alan Bellows

Workman Publishing Company, Jul 10, 2009 - Reference - 294 pages

Welcome to the five stages of reading Alien Hand Syndrome: Astonishment: This is amazing! Insecurity: I'm a smart person- how could I never have heard of this before? Panic: Please, don't let it end. Gratitude: Great!-and look, there are over 90 more essays where that one came from. And Zeal: You won't believe what I just read. Collected and curated by Alan Bellows and his team at DamnInteresting.com, with over 400,000 unique visitors a month, this is the stuff nightmares are made of, and no one will be able to stop reading: Giant Carnivorous Centipedes; Mike, the Headless Chicken; The Exploding Lakes of Cameroon; The Swirling Vortex of Doom; Secret Agent Cyborg Cats; Fiery Balls of Naga; The Deepest Hole; The Terrifying Toothpick Fish; and, of course, Alien Hand Syndrome-a disorder wherein a person's hand develops a "will of its own," unbuttoning shirts, grabbing at the steering wheel, tossing away cigarettes, and in some cases actually attacking its host. Most entries are full-blown narratives, complete with illustrations-for example, pointing out step-by-step how "The Halifax Disaster" unfolded. Other entries examine short-take anomalies-such as unusual drug side effects, including the antidepressant Clomipramine (spontaneous orgasm upon yawning), the hormone Oxytocin (increases one's generosity), the medicine for Parkinson's disease, Ropinirole (compulsive gambling), and Viagra (priapus syndrome, with a remote chance of gangrene curable only through penectomy-say no more).

What people are saying

Review: Alien Hand Syndrome and Other Too-Weird-Not-To-Be-True Stories

User Review  - Dave Armstrong - Goodreads

This book and the blog is full of great stories. Each story is well researched, has humor and the flow keeps you engaged and entertained. I often keep it near by for a quick story read for myself or with my kids.

Review: Alien Hand Syndrome and Other Too-Weird-Not-To-Be-True Stories

User Review - Goodreads

Hilarious collection of strange anecdotes. Highly reccomended for a good laugh.

About the author

Alan Bellows, aka "The Professor," is the writer, designer, managing editor, and marketing mastermind behind DamnInteresting.com. A software designer, he developed his fascination for the odd and unexpected while doing programming for the library industry. He lives with his wife in Orem, Utah.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Alien Hand Syndrome: And Other Too-Weird-Not-To-Be-True Stories
• Author: Alan Bellows
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company, 2009
• ISBN: 0761152253, 9780761152255
• Length: 294 pages
• Subjects: Reference / Curiosities & Wonders; Reference / Trivia