Fascinating, brief, true stories by . . . famous people (Richard Price, Damian Echols, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, Joyce Maynard), people with interesting jobs (cop, prison guard, harem member), and people who have gone through harrowing experiences (such as being a hospital orderly trapped in a falling elevator and resuscitating a patient whose heart stopped as a result of the fall).

All great stories but the best way to enjoy is to listento The Moth podcasts where you can hear these great oralstorytellers.

Engaging and fast-paced. Effective at combating reader's block and inviting interesting discussions.

An unbelievably awesome collection of fifty true stories, The Moth is the first book that I've read that I can unabashedly, enthusiastically, recommend to absolutely anyone and everyone. Far surpassing a giant bag of Hershey's Miniatures, this genuinely has something for everyone.This book pulls 50 stories from the archives of the not-for-profit organization The Moth; which was founded in 1997 and dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. You may have heard one or more of the thousands of

This book of short stories does what I think a great book of short stories should: delivers stories that are truly short (a few pages at most) that offer variety in terms of subject matter, tone, and/or style, while maintaining a singular premise that links them all together. Of course, the singular premise for that serves to link these stories is simple: they were all originally part of the oral tradition that is The Moth. Of course, those oral stories were all told within a time regulated time...

The fifty stories in this volume are drawn from the thousands told at The Moth events around the country. They are presented as originally told, with no notes, before an audience, with only the barest minimum of editing. As a devotee of The Moth, I heard many of the stories when they were broadcast, and this collection -- the first of many, I hope -- has some of my favorites. In most cases, after reading one, I think: "Wow. That's the quintessential Moth story!" And so on, throughout the book. :...

My brother bought me this book for my birthday because he faithfully listens to the NPR podcast of The Moth. Me personally? I'd never heard of it, but I knew it was perfect for a road trip because each chapter is a few pages of a true, stand-alone story. This book did not disappoint. The stories were diverse and hit on so many relevant topics like love, divorce, suicide, transgenderism, family relationships, etc.. I actually read this aloud to my husband on a road trip, and because it is a podca...

I liked all fifty pieces here, many a whole lot. Brian Finkelstein’s “Perfect Moments” and “The House That Sherman Didn’t Burn” from George Dawes Green, founder of The Moth, are only two of many that are sticking with me (the latter feels like a novel told in seven pages). The lengths are perfect for when you need something to read while the oven’s pre-heating.

Staggeringly good collection of stories that deliver a punch of emotion. Highly recommend.

If I could give this book more than five stars I certainly would. It's that good. At times funny, poignant, thought provoking, heartbreaking and simply so damn great.

A strange book to rate, considering the moth is an aural experience, but the stories in themselves, are really impressive, inspiring even. Worth checking out.

Misleading title; no actual Moth.

Really eclectic and interesting mix of stories, just wish some were longer (which would defeat the point of short stories I know)

For those who are unaware, The Moth is an institution dedicated to the craft of storytelling. It's a live event which occurs in cities around the world, where anyone can get up and spin a yarn about an interesting time in their life. These thought-provoking tales are available on YouTube or in podcast format and now for the first time in book form, where fifty of the best have been carefully selected.There is something here for everyone, no matter where your interest may lie. These fascinating s...

I discovered The Moth phenomenon, not in its original format or the podcast, but as this book. It happened through complete serendipity in a Dublin bookshop a year ago - the type of real-life serendipity which algorithms make so hard to come by online. Somehow, it called out to me, and I'm glad I listened to my gut and bought the book, as it was honestly one of the few life-altering books in my life. Plus, it led me to discover the wonderful podcast. Maybe it's because these stories came into my...

Luckily no stories were about moths as I am afraid of them

I don't even like short stories - always find them too brief to be satisfying, and this was a book of 50 of them. I would never have read them if someone on Goodreads hadn't recommended them.These were by far the most enjoyable that I have ever read - I think the difference was that they were all true stories and some of them were so revealing and personal. They were typically only four or five pages each but I lost count of the times when I thought I'd just read one as I only had a few minutes

I'm a big fan of The Moth . Ever since a friend introduced me to the podcast in May 2012, I've listened to every show and attended every local event I could. Despite that, I was originally uninterested in the book — the spoken medium doesn't always translate well to transcription. But a promotion offered two $18 tickets to their next show when preordering the $10 book, so I picked it up as a money-saving move.The book contains 50 stories that they promise aren't necessarily the best, but are

An exquisite collection of stories told by a variety of individuals at The Moth. The collection is nearly perfection and certainly an art form at its very best. There was not one story which didn't captivate me. "Storytelling, story- sharing, tale- bearing in the good sense, yarn- spinning. A lot of its success has to do, as always in life, with much preparation and calculation beneath the seeming spontaneity. For all their seeming inconsequence and improvisational air, a good Moth story is as c...

Warning: this review contains a couple of minor spoilersI read this book in a day, lying on the couch recovering from some minor surgery. I liked almost every one of these stories. They all come, of course, from the famous Moth storytelling events, which started in NYC and now take place in many other cities. So all of the stories are true, and well-told. The best part about them is that so many of them are confessions of stupid or mean things that the storyteller did that they are sorry about n...