jjares reviewed on 1/23/2020 + 3413 more book reviews

This is one of those hip, offbeat books that is such a joy to read. In case you didn't know, we are in the midst of the 'golden age of obits.' I happen to be listening to the author read her own work and it is a trip. It is droll entertainment at its best. I cannot recommend it more highly. It has been so much fun that I turned it back and listened a second time.

Johnson isn't really talking about the obits that family members or funeral homes write for the local paper. She is telling us that seasoned members of the fourth estate write savvy and sometimes funny, stories about the famous, infamous and sometimes everyday people who have died.

Johnson takes the reader to the 6th Annual Great Obituary Writers' International Conference, where obit writers and obit groupies gather to enjoy the written work of wordsmiths sowing obits in their local, national (and international) gardens. Folks pay their own way to hear from the greatest purveyors of obit wit and research. Obit reading has become wildly popular. Who knew?

Frankly, the reason I listened a second time to this talking book is to feel Marilyn Johnson's beautiful use of the English language wash over me and fill in the spaces in my heart that loves a lovely turn of phrase. The 'new obit' arrived in the 1980s but they moved to an art form during 9/11. That's when the newspapers were trying to help Americans process the loss of over 2900 innocent people on one shattering day. I won't forget this book anytime soon. In fact, I've started reading the British and American obits online. Fascinating stuff.

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