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A Look at Books for the
Discriminating Obituarist
by Carolyn Gilbert
The world of books is being infiltrated by some intriguing obituary-related works of fiction and non-fiction. Do yourself a favor and add the following to your library.
The comments and opinions are my own; however, I can assure you that these are "must reads" for any respectable obit enthusiast!
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THE DEAD BEAT : Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs,
and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries
By Marilyn Johnson
Publisher: HarperCollins
www.harpercollins.com
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Marilyn Johnson's intriguing book of the things we love about obituaries has brought readers to life (as it were) on the subject.
David Halberstam--who knows a good one when he reads it--says this about The Dead Beat:
"What a wonderful surprise--a charming , lyrical book about the men and wormen who write obituaries. The Dead Beat is sly, droll, and completely winning."
Johnson is one of us as a member of the International Association of Obituarists and a conferee at our annual Great Obituary Writers' Conferences. Her book is a jewel!
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WHAT A WAY TO GO
By Adele Q. Brown
Publisher: High Tide Press, Inc
www.chroniclebooks.com
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Adele Q. Brown has managed to walk a tightrope anchored on one end by tales of death, fabulous funerals and burial and on the other end an intriguing collection of historical information and little known facts. By definition, the book is not strictly related to the art of the obituary. However, in identifying the two dozen twentieth-century icons who are the subjects of the book, Brown researched hundreds of obituaries as the starting point for the selection process.
Subtitled “Fabulous Funerals of the Famous and Infamous,” this book is far more than a description of funky funerals. It includes final resting places, odd coincidences, final words, and news headlines form the day of passing. In addition, there is an amazing array of black and white photographs accompanying lively, respectful and fascinating text.
If you are interested in obituaries, think of this book as being able to backtrack into the past life of the subjects and also being able to follow the obituary through to its logical conclusion, the funeral . This book is fun to read, to look at and to have on your coffee table. Just think of the conversation “What A Way To Go” will inspire!
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52 Mc G's
Edited By Chris Calhoun
Foreword By Thomas Mallon
Publisher: Scribner
www.simonsays.com
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This collection of obituaries by Robert McG. Thomas is truly a jewel for obituary enthusiasts.
Gathered from the pages of The New York Times, these 52 obituaries will win new fans for the masterful writer who turned the obituary into an art form.
Chris Calhoun, editor, has compiled this "loaded deck" of 52 obits which can be read randomly as one would pull a card from the deck..." a loaded deck because these are all aces."
Robert McG. Thomas's obituary of January 8, 2000 is included.Editor Calhoun has honored the writer's family by designating all proceeds to go to his wife, Joan Thomas and their twin sons, David and Andrew.
"Thomas had an uncanny sense of the passion and personality that make each life unique, and the ability to look beyond the facts and the rigid formula of the obit to touch on a deeper truth," writes Joseph Epstein.
This is a great gift book that keeps on giving to the writer's family. Get thee to the nearest bookstore!
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A FEW CORRECTIONS
By Brad Leithauser
Publisher: Adloph Knopf, N.Y.
www.aaknopf.com
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Any novel that opens with a newspaper obituary and the sentence: "There are at least a dozen errors here" has already captured my attention.
The obituary reader and writer will immediately identify with the correction-upon-correction to the obit which effectively demolishes the original.
Words like "clever, engaging, inventive, moving, resourceful and humorous" have been used to describe this psychological dectective story set in midcentury small-town
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COOL DEAD PEOPLE
By Jane O'Boyle
Publisher: Penguin Putnam
www.penguinputnam.com
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This modest paperback is filled with obituaries of "real folks we wish we'd met a little sooner."
Not movie stars or statesmen, these are quirky originals who were remarkable in their own right and who made a difference in unusual ways.
Some of the obits include Edward Craven Walker who is best remembered as the creator of the lava lamp--but who also was a nudist who made several movies promoting life in the buff.
Gerda Christian is included. She was the personal secretary to Hitler who attended his bunker wedding to Eva Braun. Two days later both Hitler and bride committed suicide. Gerda was one of those to whom Hitler bid his last farewells.
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FAME AT LAST
By John C.Ball & Jill Jonnes
Publisher: Andrews McMeel
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Heads up to all New York Times obit readers/collectors: this book is a gold mine!
Based on 9,225 obituaries over a nine year period during the 90's, FAME AT LAST is a portrayal of fame and success in America according to the New York Times.
Filled to the brim with statistical data and categorical analyses on millionaires,
women, blacks,physicians, academics, publishers, authors, judges, lawyers, criminals, movie stars, inventors--anyone who has been
worthy of fame in the NYT obit pages--this book is a researcher's dream. When you finish the book, you will know who got the most
obituary ink and achieved fame at last (at least as far as the NYT is concerned.)
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OBITUARIES IN AMERICAN CULTURE
By Janice Hume
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
www.upress.state.ms.us
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With the precision of the university professor, Janice Hume has compiled a gold mine of a different era: over 8,000 obituaries from
1818 to 1930. This very readable book gives a reflection of the uniquely American obituary in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
If you ever had a doubt about what the obituary reveals about life, culture, history, humor or identity, read this book.
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THE LAST WORD
Edited by Marvin Siegel
Publisher: William Morrow
www.williammorrow.com
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The definitive anthology of remarkable obituaries from the New York Times itself! This book is subtitled " The New York Times
Book of Obituaries and Farewells: A Celebration of Unusual Lives." Edited by Marvin Siegel with a foreword by Russell Baker, you are
in for a spellbinding journey through lives of some of the most brilliant, colorful, entertaining and touching people of our time.
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THE OBITUARY WRITER
By Porter Shreve
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com
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A personal favorite, this novel walks that fine line between truth and fiction in such a way that is completely mesmerizing.
Gordie Hatch, the young obit writer, encounters all the typical ups and downs of the obit desk assignment.
However, he hits the jackpot when he gets a call from a young widow about an obituary.
His journalistic curiosity turns into an obsession for finding the truth.
You will thank me for sending this compelling novel by Porter Shreve your way.
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