Customer Reviews

Pocket Guide to the Afterlife: Heaven, Hell, and Other Ultimate Destinations (Pocket Guides (Jossey-Bass))

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Back in college I took an elective course called Death and the Concept of the Afterlife because it sounded interesting. Between the droning lectures and the dry readings, I quickly learned that just because a class sounded interesting was no reason to assume it actually was interesting. (By midterm there were plenty of us in the class who were convinced that we were trapped in the class as a form of eternal punishment ... but that's another story.)

Oh but if this Pocket Guide to the Afterlife had only been around then I'm sure the class would have been infinitely more lively! Can a book this light-hearted and fun to read be considered a reference book? Definitely! Even with Boyett's sometimes over-the-top asides and the wit that he puts into the various entries, readers of all faiths (or even none) will actually learn things along the way. If learning was always this fun!

Thank you, Mr. Boyett, for the laughs, the thoughts and the insights this book has provided me.

Boyett has done it again! He has managed to take a controversial topic like religion and the afterlife, and present it in a humorous/sarcastic/fair manner. Jason takes the reader on a roller coaster ride through the various afterlife of every major (and minor) religion. You go through heaven, hell, limbo, nirvana, and many more. And before you know it, the ride is over, and you need to change your pants.

Boyett is one of the few authors who can literally make me laugh out loud. This book will tickle your brain and steal your funny bone. Other than being humorous, this book gives you goals. For instance, my new goal in life is to rest for an eternity under the Tree of Breasts. (Oh my god, I can just see it now!)

Great Job Jason! You have truly outdone yourself. This book is a must read.

I used to think that with all my studies on comparative religion, my knowledge of scripture, and all the money spent on books by Biblical scholars, that I'm a veritable religious know-it-all. Well, Jason Boyett's "Pocket Guide to the Afterlife" cured me of that delusion.

This is the second Boyett "pocket guide" I've read and I expected great things from it -- it delivered. Everything you'd ever want to know about the plethora of religions' perspectives, descriptions, and consequences of life after death is crammed into this absolutely delightful volume. The style is classic Boyett -- disarmingly witty, as irreverent as a believer could possibly be, laid out in a style that makes it a joy to read; it's fact based rock solid book learning but peppered with so many amusing observations and commentaries that it goes down easy and stays with you.

Whether you're a believer or a god-less heathen like me, if you are only going to read one book about the concept of afterlife from a variety of cultures and belief systems then this is the one to read. Nothing beats laughing while learning.

the end of the book seemed more like a Christian tract presenting mainly Christian understanding of heaven & hell & that is OK if the intent is to proselytize but I wanted a more balanced view of the afterlife. But hey, that's just me.