How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous [Hardcover]

Georgia Bragg (Author), Kevin O'Malley (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 15, 2011 | Age Range: 10 and up | Lexile Measure: 950L (What's this?)

Over the course of history men and women have lived and died. In fact, getting sick and dying can be a big, ugly mess-especially before the modern medical care that we all enjoy today. How They Croaked relays all the gory details of how nineteen world figures gave up the ghost. For example:


It is believed that Henry VIII's remains exploded within his coffin while lying in state.
Doctors "treated" George Washington by draining almost 80 ounces of blood before he finally kicked the bucket.
Right before Beethoven wrote his last notes, doctors drilled a hole in his stomach without any pain medication.
Readers will be interested well past the final curtain, and feel lucky to live in a world with painkillers, X-rays, soap, and 911.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* From George �Little Mouth of Horrors� Washington to Marie �You Glow, Girl� Curie, Bragg chronicles with ghoulish glee the chronic or fatal maladies that afflicted 19 historical figures. Nonsqueamish readers will be entranced by her riveting descriptions of King Tut�s mummification (and the brutal treatment that mummy has received in modern times); the thoroughly septic �doctoring� that hastened or at least contributed to the deaths of Mozart, Napoleon, James A. Garfield, and others; the literal dissolution of Henry VIII�s body (�While lying in state, it is believed that his toxic remains exploded, and some of his royal splendidness dripped out the sides of the coffin overnight�); and the outrageous fates of Einstein�s brain, Galileo�s fingers, and other coroners� souvenirs. The author tucks quick notes on at least marginally relevant topics, such as leeching, scurvy, presidential assassins, and mummy eyes (�If mummy eyeballs are rehydrated, they return to almost normal size�), between the chapters and closes with generous lists of nontechnical print resources on each of her subjects. O�Malley�s cartoon portraits and spot art add just the right notes of humor to keep the contents from becoming too gross. Usually. Despite occasional farfetched claims�it�s hard to believe that Charles Darwin puked four million times, even though he was fanatical about keeping personal health records�this all-too-informative study deserves the wild popularity it will without doubt acquire. Grades 5-8. --John Peters

Review

"O’Malley’s cartoon portraits and spot art add just the right notes of humor to keep the contents from becoming too gross. This all-too-informative study deserves the wild popularity it will without doubt acquire." – Booklist, starred review

"The most reluctant of readers will find it difficult to resist this consistently disgusting chronicle of the gruesome deaths of 19 will famous people. Bragg's informal, conversational style and O'Malley's cartoon illustrations complement the flippant approach to the subject; the energetically icky design includes little skulls and crossbones to contain page numbers. Engaging, informative and downright disgusting." - Kirkus

 

"Bragg holds forth on nineteen Big Names whose demises have raised eyebrows, questions, and probably a few lunches... Carried away on a swift-flowing stream of body fluids, medical ineptitude, and O’Malley’s deliciously snarky artwork, kids will agree they got exactly what they came for." – BCCB

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Walker Childrens (March 15, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802798179
• ISBN-13: 978-0802798176
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #223,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Ewww! Gross! July 11, 2011

By Heidi Grange

Format:Hardcover

I debated for quite some time about whether to read this book. There is after all a warning at the beginning that the book contains "the blood, sweat, and guts of real people." And I've never been one for grossness. But in the end I decided that in order to share it with my students, many of whom I knew would be fascinated by this book, I needed to read it.

This book specifically looks at the lives (briefly) and unpleasant 'ends' of some of the worlds most famous people. Included are King Tut, Cleopatra, Henry VIII, Pocahontas, George Washington, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Darwin, etc. I confess that I didn't really expect to learn anything new. I love history and most of the people Bragg talks about are well-known. But I did learn things that surprised me. For example, I had no idea that Charles Dickens struggled with mental illness or that Albert Einstein's brain was stolen from his body before it was cremated. And I seriously had to wince reading the details of Christopher Columbus's numerous physical maladies.

This books is definitely not for the squeamish, but Bragg's light-hearted take on the subject keeps things moving while convincing the modern reader to be very grateful for modern medicine. For example, George Washington came down with what modern doctor's think was a throat infection that today could be cured by antibiotics. But his doctors used the following 'remedies,' bloodletting (numerous times, they took over a third of his blood), blister-beetle treatment (you don't want to know!), a dose of calomel (contains mercury, which is highly poisonous, tartar emetic (to make him vomit), and a variety of different poultices. No wonder he died!

Kevin O'Malley's illustrations provide a nice compliment to Bragg's style of writing and the sidebars provide extra tidbits of information. For example, did you know that July, Julian Calendar, Roman leaders, Czar, Kaiser, and C-section were all named after Julius Caesar. Also the first known autopsy was performed on Caesar. One would doubt the need for that because with 23 stab wound, the cause of death should be obvious, but it turns out that only ONE of the wounds was actually fatal. Apparently the assassins need to work on their aim.

I'm going to stop here because I wouldn't want to deprive you of the 'delights' of reading this book for yourself. Even if it doesn't work for you, I guarantee that someone in your life will be delighted to read it and share all the cool facts they learn with you! :)

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars gift for 10 year old grandson April 14, 2011

By J. Burns

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I ordered this for my 10 year old grandson - he is very interested in history, and reads well above his greade level.

He loved it, and I did, also. Some of the double entendres were lost on him, but I caught them. Regardless, he has thoroughly enjoyed this book, and has taken some of the information contained therein back to his classroom.

This is a wonderful book for a child with a keen sense of humor and an understanding of "then" and "now".

This is also a wonderful book for parents and grandparents who want a little education and a lot of laughs.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read for ages ranging from 8 to 80 plus June 5, 2011

By margrose

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

My almost 9-year-old twin granddaughters fought over this book and my eight-year-old grandson would not put it down even while dining out. I showed it to friends in my bridge group and one ordered it for her 28-year-old grandson. Never have I read a more fun book chock full of good information that shows the writer's thorough research. Every adult should read this book. The children enjoyed the illustrations, particularly the one of Henry VIII.