F*cking History: 111 Lessons You Should Have Learned in School

History class only covers so much, and sadly, the curriculum excludes a lot of the most interesting historical tidbits. Unlikely outcomes, incredible coincidences, badasses of every race, gender, and sexuality who deserve to have their stories told…

Thankfully, there are armchair historians out there collecting these untold and lesser-known tales for your enjoyment and enlightenment. The Captain, author of F*cking History, is one of those well-read and informative individuals.

I was torn about how to rate this book, because the information in it is top-notch. I love history, and plenty of these stories were new to me or had greater detail than other sources. And that’s terrific. But the writing, which is so Spike TV/The Man Show-esque in its bro-ness can be really off-putting. It suffers from a bit of “these damn kids today” old-man-yells-at-clouds voice, as well as too many “your girlfriend plots to win arguments” jokes about crappy relationships.

It’s honestly a terrific read hampered by comedy and “edge” that will fall flat with plenty of readers, although that doesn’t mean the stories should be skipped. Even if you have to wade through some bad early-2000s humor to read these stories, it’s definitely worth it.