Final Exits: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of How We Die (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: wasfound dead, ofa heart attack, kinky hair disease, New York, United States, New Jersey (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Every mortal should read this book, before they find themselves in its pages." (Daniel Handler )

Product Description

To die, kick the bucket, to meet your Maker, dead as a doornail, get whacked, smoked, bite the dust, sleep with the fishes, go six feet under—whatever death is called, it's going to happen. In 1789 Ben Franklin wrote, "In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes." Death remains a certainty. But how do we die? It's the enormous variety of how that enlivens final exits.

According to death certificates, in 1700 there were less than 100 causes of death. Today there are 3,000. With each advance of technology, people find new ways to become deceased, often causing trends that peak in the first year. People are now killed by everything, from cell phones, washing machines, lawn mowers and toothpicks, to the boundless catalog of man—made medicines. In Final Exits the causes of death—bizarre or common—are alphabetically arranged and include actual accounts of people, both famous and ordinary, who unfortunately died that way. (Ants, bad words, Bingo, bean bag chairs, flying cows, frozen toilets, hiccups, lipstick, moray eels, road kill, starfish, and toupees are only some of the more unusual causes.)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (October 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060817410
• ISBN-13: 978-0060817411
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #231,422 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #70 in

  Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Reference

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Learn what not to do and live longer!, April 9, 2008

By	Darsh - See all my reviews

From suffocating on bean bag beads to sticking chicken bones up your hole this book has it all, every possible way for a human to die. Did you know in December 2004 a woman ate tapeworm larvae in order to lose weight or that in April 2002 gang members shot a deaf woman in the face because they thought she was flashing gang signs? Well, it happened and it's in here along with thousands of other interesting stories. It's hard to pick my favorites, but I did especially love the one about the moron who climbed on top of a cage full of tigers and started using the bathroom.

Despite the grim subject matter Largo keeps it mostly upbeat. Example: the story about "Mr. Hands" (from the infamous horse/man love video) is entitled "The Beast Within".

For more great death stories check out "Answer Me!" #3's run down of the Top 100 Suicides.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Full of Errors, May 5, 2009

By	Jennifer (Highlands Ranch, Colorado United States) - See all my reviews

I really wanted to like this book!

There are just too many errors in the book to take it seriously. Most of them are minor (he states a pair of aces is known as the "Dead Mans' Hand, which is really 2 pair, aces and eights), but some are pretty big. He somehow consolidates the Order of the Solar Temple with the UFO cult "Heaven's Gate." They're both cults famous for mass suicides, but they're definitely different groups.

I quickly realized that I couldn't trust his information, and it took a lot of the fun out of reading this book.

Also, it's kind of scattershot and random. The blurb about children under 3 choking on chewing gum wasn't under children, or choking or even chewing gum, it was under "Rice Cakes." The bit about deaths during bridge construction wasn't under construction or bridges, it was all somehow under "Hoover Dam." This was repeated over and over, throughout the book.

What a disappointment. With better editing and fact-checking, this would be a fascinating book. As it is, it's a waste of time and money

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating catalog of death and how to become dead, August 19, 2008

By	B. Feinstein (Glen Allen, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Absolutely fascinating stuff. If you are into factoids and trivia, are fascinated by death and how people die, have a morbid streak, or like Mary Roach's STIFF, this book is for you. I found it very readable, very entertaining and with a sardonic streak that fits the subject matter like a glove. Recommended.