Choice
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.

Rumors are a familiar part of everyday life. DiFonzo (Rochester Institute of Technology) explores the importance and nature of rumors, their role and function for those who spread rumors as well as those who hear them, and the factors that determine the believability of rumors. He discusses how to determine the truth of rumors, why people often fail to take such steps, and how to deal with a rumor when one is the subject of it. DiFonzo has published many academic studies of rumors, and this readable title summarizes the research that he and others have done on the subject. He explains the results of research in a clear manner and presents as examples rumors that are current and familiar to readers. This makes the book accessible to less experienced readers. At the same time, the extensive endnotes provide the sources and underpinnings of this work, and this material extends the book's usefulness to specialists. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers. H. Karp University of Houston--Clear Lake