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Driving with Dead People
Driving with Dead People
Author: Monica Holloway
Small wonder that, at nine years old, Monica Holloway develops a fascination with the local funeral home. With a father who drives his Ford pickup with a Kodak movie camera sitting shotgun just in case he sees an accident, and whose home movies feature more footage of disasters than of his children, Monica is primed to become a morbid child. — Ye...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9781416955122
ISBN-10: 1416955127
Publication Date: 3/4/2008
Pages: 336
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 85

3.9 stars, based on 85 ratings
Publisher: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed Driving with Dead People on
Helpful Score: 7
I LOVED this book. It is a true story of young girl who grow up in a very dysfunctional family. Her only happiness is hanging out at the funeral home.
tigger5677 avatar reviewed Driving with Dead People on + 42 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
I will first say that I am not a fan of memoirs. That being said, this book was fascinating. While it is portrays abysmal parenting, sexual abuse, violence and dysfunction at it's absolute worst, the author manages to do so without whining or making excuses for poor choices. The tone is humorous and forthright and I enjoyed the book immensely.
reviewed Driving with Dead People on + 25 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
What a wonderful and heart felt book. So well written that I could visualize the main character's home and family. I felt so sorry for the main character as well as her siblings. This book was impossible to put down! Hooray for the courage of this author in talking about her abusive upbringing and the power of the human spirit to overcome.
Isabel-Batteria avatar reviewed Driving with Dead People on + 70 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
This book's description mislead me. I found it really interesting to read about a girl who practically grows up in a funeral home. The title was extremely alluring. But only about 20% of the story happens in the funeral home. Furthermore, her spending time with her best friend whose family owns a mortuary and her stint as a hearse driver seems more like a subplot. The novel is more about the exploits of a neglected teenageranother one of these types of memoir. And it doesn't even make the cut as an extraordinary one. The author tells more than she shows. I think "The Glass Castle" is the quintessential neglected-child memoir. If you want to read that kind of story, read "The Glass Castle" and spare yourself the rest.
jazzysmom avatar reviewed Driving with Dead People on + 907 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
True story of the author as a young girl with her family. Abusive father, family strange, sepecially father, he loves taking pictures of accidents and gore. Her real only happiness is being in the funeral home. She talks her grandmother into taking her to a funeral of a young girl that she lied and said she knew, and after that found peace in funeral homes with the dead. This was a very well written book and i did enjoy it alot. It is just --well "strange" what some people find comforting, and that she turned out normal. It is strange that I found this a comforting read!! But i really did like it.
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mommy2girlz avatar reviewed Driving with Dead People on + 13 more book reviews
This book is a definite page turner. Although the book deals with unpleasant subject matter it is written with truth and humor. I highly recommend this book.
anjil avatar reviewed Driving with Dead People on + 45 more book reviews
Monica Holloway made me laugh out loud with this memoir. Even someone who doesn't read this type of book will be entertained. Her family is pure chaos, so she spends a lot of time with her friend, whose family runs a mortuary. The adventures these two little girls have are priceless. And then she gets to return home. Although her life is full of despair, violence & sadness - she doesn't feel sorry for herself. She just tells her funny story!
MaGee avatar reviewed Driving with Dead People on + 43 more book reviews
Monica Holloway's writing is honest and straight forward with a touch of humor. She takes the reader on a journey that ultimately names the reason why she always felt her family "were the weird ones."

I expected this memoir to be morbid. It was uplifting. I expected an overall unhappy and 'woe is me' outlook on life. Instead, the author takes the reader through thirty-four years of her life with candidness. The difficult times are not glossed over. The good times are not maudlin. It is overall a sincere and positive story.

Monica's story will remain with me for a long time. I rate it 4.5/5.
reviewed Driving with Dead People on
I have mixed feelings on Driving with Dead People. It is very depressing all that Monica had to go through in her life but yet that she rose above all the adversity was a great encouragement. I would recommend this book but just be aware there is some explicit details that can be disturbing.


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