Synopses & Reviews
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.)
Review
"Every mortal should read this book, before they find themselves in its pages." Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket)
Review
"Final Exits is gross and engrossing. Volcano deaths, horse-and-buggy fatalities, and terminal narcolepsy are surprisingly common....A well-researched historical perspective on death." Wendy Northcutt, author of The Darwin Awards
Review
"Convincing characters, brilliant dialogue....A profusion of detailed descriptions celebrate life while, thematically, Largo explores the mystery of death as transformation." Library Journal
Synopsis
Largo takes an eye-opening and irreverent look at the truth behind kicking the bucket the definitive A-to-Z illustrated sourcebook on the ways people die. 400+ medical and historical illustrations.
Synopsis
We're all going to die, it's in the contract, but how will it happen? Today, although we live longer, people are killed by everything: bad words, bloodletting, flying cows, frozen toilets, hiccups, laughing, and spontaneous combustion are some of the unexpected causes. According to death certificates, in 1700 there were less than one hundred causes of death. Now there are more than three thousand. In the eye-opening and addictive
Final Exits, causes of death, bizarre or common, are alphabetically arranged and include actual accounts of people, both famous and ordinary, who died in their own particular way.
Thoroughly researched, with uncanny historical detail covering burial customs, famous last words, and more than four hundred medical and historical illustrations from throughout the ages, Final Exits is more than just a trivia book. It is a portrait in words and numbers of human fate.
About the Author
Largo received a B.A. in English from Brooklyn College and an A.S. in Environmental Science from SICC.