cover image Ask Marilyn: The Best of ""Ask Marilyn"" Letters Published in Parade Magazine from 1986 to 1992 and Many More Never Before Published

Ask Marilyn: The Best of ""Ask Marilyn"" Letters Published in Parade Magazine from 1986 to 1992 and Many More Never Before Published

Marilyn vos Savant. St. Martin's Press, $19.95 (316pp) ISBN 978-0-312-08136-2

Vos Savant (Brainbuilding), who is said to have the world's highest IQ (228) by the Guinness Book of World Records Hall of Fame, launched her Parade magazine column, Ask Marilyn, in 1986. Since then she has received tens of thousands of letters posing questions that range from profound issues to insignificant ones; she has compiled a selection of them here, along with her brief, often witty responses. Among the subjects they cover are relationships, religion, the human condition, polities, science, philosophy and the arts; readers have challenged vos Savant with brain teasers and math puzzles and such absurdities as Why do people sing in the shower? Although the Q & A format quickly palls, vos Savant's fans will enjoy the collection. (Oct.)