How Best to Avoid Dying [Paperback]

Owen Egerton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2007

In this devilishly clever collection of short fiction, renowned humorist Owen Egerton leads us on a wildly surprising, darkly comic, and often heart-wrenching ride into the terrible beauty of life's end. With razor wit and compassionate insight, Egerton has a crafted a work that brilliantly explores the pain and wonders of life knowing that with the turn of any corner death could be panhandling for your soul.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Egerton is a writer with a deft touch, who's unafraid to spend a few nights in the wetter caves of human transgression and return with tales to make you laugh, cry, or wonder what drugs he may be on. --Wayne Allen Brenner, The Austin Chronicle

If Franz Kafka had lived in central Texas and seen too many midnight movies, he would have been Owen Egerton. This is a divinely weird collection. --Neal Pollack, Alternadad, The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature

Owen Egerton excels at the wildly difficult task of creating sad, silly, and strange characters without ever condescending to them or using them as simple tools of comedy. The stories in How Best to Avoid Dying made me laugh while simultaneously breaking my heart. --Stacey Swann, Chief Editor of American Short Fiction

About the Author

Owen has lived in Austin since 1991. For the most part, Owen has made his living making people laugh. For years he was the artistic director of Austin's National Comedy Theater and Comedysportz troupe. In 2000 he co-founded the Sinus Show at the Alamo Drafthouse, the most popular comedy show in Austin history. Most recently he directed and performed in Plays Well with Others at Zach Scott Theatre. His first novel, Marshall Hollenzer is Driving, had the film rights optioned by Austin director/producer Jeffery Travis and Burning Myth Productions. Owen has also penned scripts for film, television and stage. He is also a commentator for NPR affiliated stations. Owen is also an accomplished comedy recording artist. His first album Big Thick Wooden Board, a collection of comic tunes, received airplay on the Doctor Demento Show and VH1. He is also a member of Austin s hottest boy band sensation, Cedar Fever. Their debut album, Gratuitous Dudity, is considered by the members of the band to be the best album of the last ten years. Owen is also a vocal activist. He founded Austin s The Right to Marry group which works for equal marriage rights for all citizens.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Dalton Publishing (June 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974070378
• ISBN-13: 978-0974070377
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #376,769 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Owen Egerton is the author of the the novels The Book of Harold, the Illegitimate Son of God and Marshall Hollenzer is Driving, as well as the short story collection How Best to Avoid Dying. Egerton also co-wrote the irreverent Dadlabs Guide to Fatherhood based on the award winning web videos found at Dadlabs.com. He has also written several screenplays including Bobbie Sue (Warner Brothers) and Henchmen (MRC). Egerton was the co-creator of the award winning comedy hit The Sinus Show at the Alamo Drafthouse Theater, and for several years Egerton was the artistic director of Austin's National Comedy Theatre. Egerton was voted Austin's favorite author in 2007 and 2008 by the readers of the Austin Chronicle. Egerton earned a MFA in Creative Writing from Texas State University in 2005. His next novel, The Book of Harold, is to be released in the Spring of 2010 from Dalton Publishing. He currently lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and two children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars great set of shorts, February 17, 2010

By 

John R. Porter (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: How Best to Avoid Dying (Paperback)

a really well done book. like all short story collections, it has some marshy spots. but overall, it's a great read. some funny, some serious, but all very engaging. definately worth the time and money.

5.0 out of 5 stars For Mortals, August 28, 2007

By 

Lewis E. Weil (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How Best to Avoid Dying (Paperback)

I picked this book up because I wanted a break from non-fiction. I am a scientist and always felt I was wasting time if I wasn't reading about science. But I was drawn to this book for some reason. This book made me think and made me feel closer to the human condition. That might sound lame but it is true. Older works of fiction sometimes give you a connection to by-gone times. This book gives you a connection to our times and to one of the sure things in life (... not taxes).

I love this book because I see myself in it. Every single story touched me in some way, in some personal way. If you have dealt with death, or thoughts of mortality then you will also see yourself in this book. Sometimes it is disturbing but it is always funny and often encouraging in a way. Every mortal person should read at least a couple of the stories out of this book. It is dark at times but never depressing. While reading it I got a sense of the courage and a feel for how much thought Egerton put into this. I hope the Reaper has Owen Egerton's sense of humor.

4.0 out of 5 stars in-depth conversation, July 12, 2007

By 

Reader Views "Reviews, by readers, for readers" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Best to Avoid Dying (Paperback)

Reviewed by Cherie Fisher of Reader Views (7/07)


Owen Egerton has compiled a book of small stories in "How Best to Avoid Dying." I have to say that I had mixed feelings as I read through some of the stories. It is very difficult to describe my feelings about them as they had the strangest affect on me. I was very disturbed by many of them, but something about them compelled me to read on. I don't think a book has ever had quite that affect on me before. The author is an excellent writer and definitely knows how to draw a reader in.

I often wondered as I was reading "How Best to Avoid Dying" what motivates an author to come up with this brand of writing. Egerton often employed dark humor to get his point across in the stories. He seemed to be poking fun at mankind in an insightful way by writing about human eccentricities. What compels a person to write a book like this? I guess the even bigger question is, what compelled me to not to put it down until I was done?

"How Best to Avoid Dying" primarily explores the painful side of life, and facing up to the realization that we all will die. The book starts with a seemingly innocent spelling bee where the children are eliminated for spelling errors by being dropped through a trap door to meet an awful fate. The strange stories include the author's biblical interpretation of the story of Lazarus to the bizarre summer camp counselor story of the Martyrs of Mountain Peak. Then there was "The Fecalist" -- I will leave the description of this story to your imagination.

Overall, "How Best to Avoid Dying" was very well written and I would recommend it to people who enjoy bizarre stories like the Stephen King and Dean Koontz crowd. I think you will feel like I did at the end of the book - I am still trying to figure out what makes this author tick and think it would be great fun to sit and have an in-depth conversation with him on the meaning of life.

Received book free of charge.