Oddball Indiana: A guide to Some Really Strange Places by Jerome Pohlen

Oddball Indiana: A guide to Some Really Strange Places does a great job of showing some of the odd things that make the Hoosier state unique, including Santa Claus, IN and the world's largest steer (he's stuffed). It also turns out that Indiana is the birthplace of Wonder Bread, Alka Seltzer, Corn Flakes, Pork and Beans and the unique shape of the Coca-Cola bottle. He includes driving directions that look to be accurate (I am familiar with some of these places) although a good map of Indiana would also be required to even find some of the towns that he mentions. He includes several pictures, which generally are helpful.

Indiana - birthplace of this and
many more wonders.

This really could have been a charming little book - one that I would have been 100% enthused about except for the author's fascination with Dan Quayle (not in a positive way, either) and Jim Jones (the cult leader who led his 900+ followers in a mass suicide in Guyana in the 1978). Do we really need to see Dan Quayle's frat house? Do we really need to see a picture of the bridge that Jim Jones' uncle jumped off of in order to commit suicide?

But, on the whole, the guide is useful and entertaining. It includes addresses, phone numbers, web addresses, visiting hours, costs (if any) and directions to every location he describes. I do recommend it for anyone who likes to travel off of the beaten path.

I rate this book 4 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Oddball Indiana: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places (Oddball series)

Reviwed on August 30, 2004.