Book review: ‘The Watkins Book of Urban Legends’ by Gail de Vos

The Watkins Book of Urban Legends by Gail de Vos is an in-depth analysis and guide on urban legends, ranging from their creation to their presence in contemporary society. With the breakdown of each legend, de Vos connects with the reader’s inner conspiracy theorist, and then debunks each story.

De Vos is an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta focusing on children’s literature. She retells familiar urban legends such as tainted halloween candy, bloody mary, and swallowing bubble gum. De Vos also touches on the cult following of urban legends seen in ghost tourism, legend tripping, and the association of legends with architectural sites.

The legends are arranged by category making it easy for the reader to refer back to during reading. The categories logically transition into each other to provide a cohesive reading experience. As well, de Los mixes serious topics with comical stories.

De Vos provides insight into the origins of urban legends by providing research-based evidence explaining the origin, whether it originated from a true story or was fully fabricated. She also explains the stories as cautionary tales, fear-based, or having roots in historical events. For example, a commonly shared children’s tale is that if you swallow bubble gum, it will stay in your stomach for seven years. However, scientific knowledge proves that it will not lodge itself in the intestines. De Vos understands that it is not a lack of critical thinking — it is simply entertainment or some level of confirmation bias that makes us believe urban legends.

Apart from being educational, The Watkins Book of Urban Legends provides an entertaining perspective on the urban legends we all consciously or subconsciously understand as make-believe. This book is clever, funny, and captivating. It makes research interesting and gives a much covered topic a fresh take. It’s interesting for readers that don’t typically reach for a non-fiction book, and equally so for those familiar with folklore. It provides an interesting and eye-opening perspective. 

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for some light reading and an introduction into non-fiction. It is an entertaining and balanced conversation between fact and myth. However, it will also make you question things you hear on a day-to-day basis. That is, without prompting too much philosophical discourse.