Go to Hell: A Heated History of the Underworld [Hardcover]

Chuck Crisafulli (Author), Kyra Thompson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 20, 2005

Close your eyes and picture -- just for a moment -- hell. Fire? Demons? Eternal torment?

Well, yes -- that's the place, in one very hot nutshell. But that's not all there is to the forbidding world beneath us. For a few millennia now, we mortals have imagined and reimagined hell in countless ways: as a realm of damnation, as an inspiration for highest art, as a setting for the lowest of lowbrow comedy. One might conclude that for all our good intentions to enter para- dise, we can't seem to get enough vivid details of its counterpart, hell.

Provocative, colorful, and damned entertaining, Go to Hell takes readers on a tour of the underworld that is both darkly comical and seriously informative. From the frozen hell of the Vikings to the sun-drenched Cayman Islands' town of Hell (where tourists line up to have their postcards aptly postmarked), from Dante's circles of hell to Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Hellmouth, Go to Hell embraces our evolving relationship with the sinner's final destination, revealing how we truly think of ourselves in this world.

What's down below?

Meet HEL, the hideous, half-rotting goddess of the Viking underworld.

Beware the Egyptians' AM-MUT, an unsightly mix of lion, crocodile, and hippo parts, and insatiably hungry for wicked souls.

Visit JIGOKU, a Buddhist realm of eight fiery hells and eight icy hells: an all-you-can-suffer hot-and-cold buffet.

Step into the INFERNO for a tour of Dante's nine circles of the damned...

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The universality of the belief in hell is assumed, but its meaning and implications are not examined in this rather lighthearted historical tour of a place Dante, Jonathan Edwards and others have described in, well, hellish detail. While acknowledging that hell is a real and terrifying place for believers, journalist Crisafulli and documentary filmmaker Thompson seem more interested in hell as an "entertainment vehicle," a "not-so-real place" where our foibles and frailties are resignedly recognized, and even perversely celebrated. In short takes, the authors leap through cultural history, from the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Book of the Dead forward to Buffy the Vampire Slayerp 14, 19, 2 8 and then back to Buddhism and Shinto,30ff and the text is dappled with amusing asides, including various celebrities' idea of hell (Bob Newhart: "There would be a dentist-but no Novocaine.") and tidbits about a heavy-metal band called Hell on Earth and a Caribbean town called Hell. The authors' only sources on the vague Jewish concept of the afterlife seem to be a couple of encyclopedias and reference booksmarked in bibliography-which only underscores the light nature of this effort.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Hell has never been as much fun as in Crisafulli and Thompson's most unusual guidebook, which conducts a layperson's tour of hell. In short, it's hell for beginners--serious and frothy, scary and silly (sometimes too silly, though), informative and entertaining, though clearly not the book for students of comparative religion. All others will find that its compact size and informal, journalistic tone combine to make it irresistible. Crisafulli and Thompson examine hell's religious history and then, in a more playful mood, look at its significance in pop culture. Writing in short, punchy chapters, they also dot the book with enjoyable sidebars on various aspects and reflections of hell, such as New York's Hell's Kitchen, Dublin's hell-Fire Club, and Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht's cantata The Seven Deadly Sins. Too much of a good thing can become annoying after a while; for instance, famous celebrities describing their versions of hell: a bit much. The secret to really enjoying this trip is not to take it too seriously. Consider it a guilty pleasure. June Sawyers
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Simon Spotlight Entertainment (September 20, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416906029
• ISBN-13: 978-1416906025
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,641,688 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

CHUCK CRISAFULLI is a veteran entertainment journalist and author, most recently of Go to Hell: A Heated History of the Underworld, and Me and a Guy Named Elvis, with Jerry Schilling.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy Reading, Engaging, and Entertaining., May 26, 2007

By 

Isadardar "Isadardar" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Go to Hell: A Heated History of the Underworld (Hardcover)

There you are, sitting on the bus, the train, or on a park bench, quietly reading. When all of a sudden, someone, obviously a non-reader, interrupts your solitude and asks "What are you reading?" To which you reply, Go To Hell. And you'd be right!

Go to Hell, A Heated History of the Underworld, is an engaging book written by Chuck Crisafulli and Kyra Thompson. Hell, as you will read in the book, is quite an interesting subject, with a complex history covering many religions and mythologies throughout time.

You'll read about the view of Hell that comes from the Book of Revelations that will be familiar to Christians, with its "gnashing of teeth" and lake of fire; the Japanese Buddhist Hell that is called Jigoku and consists of eight fiery hells and eight icy hells, all ruled by the Great Judge of Hell, Emma-O who weighs your soul to measure your wickedness; and the Viking Hell, an inhospitable and cold place called Niflheim, and is run by the goddess of death and the underworld, Hel.

The book delves into all aspects of Hell: what it is, where it is, what goes on there, who's in charge, and what artists, writers and philosophers have had to say about Hell over the centuries. Each chapter is separated into many sections with creative headings such as I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up, Book-of-the-Dead Club, and It's a Small World After Hell.

An additional fun feature in the book is called My Hell and features quotes by various celebrities who describe what Hell means to them. These celebrities include Bob Newhart, William Shatner, and Matt Stone (of South Park fame). My personal favorite My Hell segment is described by John Kricfalusi (the creator of Ren and Stimpy) because I believe I have already been there (think movie theater).

Lastly, the book has a comprehensive bibliography, should you wish to continue your study of Hell.

The authors take what has to be one of the most serious subjects around and make it easy-reading, entertaining, and yes, educational. This makes it a book for all ages, from teens to seniors -- as long as they keep an open mind and don't take it all too seriously!

So pick up this book, and enjoy telling anyone who wants to know what you are reading to Go To Hell!

5.0 out of 5 stars to Hell with anything less than a 5 star review, September 6, 2011

By 

mikej (Virginia Beach) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Go to Hell: A Heated History of the Underworld (Hardcover)

I read this book several years ago and it has always stuck with me. It is a quick history lesson that is told in a very interesting way and with a lot of humor along the way. Unlike many other books on the subject, this is NOT preaching one religion or another; it is simply telling you about how different cultures/religions felt/thought about hell and the devil over different times. I consider myself an athiest (or agnostic depending on who you ask) and I think the fact that it wasn't preaching one way or another was why I enjoyed it so much. Highly recommend.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Robert Benchley redux?, October 30, 2005

By 

Robert Gibson (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Go to Hell: A Heated History of the Underworld (Hardcover)

Way back in the 20th Century, my favorite humorist by far was the redoubtable Bob Benchley. Along with much of America, I mourned the passing of his dry wit and hilarious offbeat observances. Now, with the publication of Chuck Crisafulli and Kyra Thompson's "Go To Hell", I feel a Benchley reincarnation may be afoot. They have gone where Benchley might have dared to tread, embracing with humorous strokes a topic about which everyone seems to have a view. In almost every sentence, I seemed to hear the old master's engaging, warm voice.