Review: Bragg, G., & OMalley, K. (2012). How they croaked: The awful ends of the awfully famous.

Bragg, G., & OMalley, K. (2012). How they croaked: The awful ends of the awfully famous. New York: Walker Publishing Company, Inc.

Celebrity deaths, guts and gore!  This biographical novel, illustrated in eerie black ink sketches, trims and borders, relates the true demises of nineteen well-known historical figures, from ancient times through the twentieth century.  The writing style is conversational, with witty, overly-informative statements that will appeal to young readers, like “the resulting poop gave new meaning to the phrase ‘surprise attack from behind’,” (93) in reference to Napoleon's final illness.

For students who don’t particularly enjoy nonfiction, this may be a humorous reprieve.  One thing is for certain; after this book, the reader will feel very “lucky” indeed to “live in a world with painkillers and X-rays and soap and 911.”  In fact, one may just wonder what practices we consider fine these days that may one day be considered a “train wreck”? Sprinkled with facts and quotes throughout, this entertaining novel ends with a reminder that while all of our stories end eventually, we must make the most of our time and do what we are “meant to do” (161).

If you thought this Bragg book was intriguing, you may also enjoy:

(Spoiler alert: “Choked” isn’t literal here.)

Bragg, G., & OMalley, K. (2016). How they choked: Failures, flops, and flaws of the awfully famous. New York: Bloomsbury.

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