You Know What They Say...: The Truth About Popular Beliefs by Alfie Kohn
	HarperCollins Publishers 1990 256pp. 0-06-016040-3 Bibliography; Index

If anyone thinks that carrots are good for the eyes, that familiarity breeds contempt, that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, that elephants afraid of mice, and that great minds think alike, this book will clear up those misconceptions. Kohn has here assembled 80 or so popularly held beliefs and proceeded (with a few exceptions, for instance actions do speak louder than words and nearsighted people are smarter--"sort of") to make mincemeat out of them. He is assisted in this endeavor by all manner of studies, findings, investigations, and opinions that are intended to bolster his contention that few familiar shibboleths are secure enough to withstand liquidation. There are two sides to every question, but most readers should have fun with the book.

--Reviewed by A.J. Anderson in Library Journal,115 (August 1990), p. 104.