The Dead Beat - Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries

Every morning, countless readers of the morning papers bypass the front page, neglect the sports section, and go directly to the obituary page. It''s not morbid curiosity (or not just that) that motivates them. Legions of obsessive fans turn to the obit page first because it very often contains the most gripping and best-told stories of the day. In The Dead Beat, former Life magazine writer and Esquire editor Marilyn Johnson makes a smart and light-hearted survey of obituary writing, unraveling the cult and culture of obituaries to consider what our feelings about death-and the way we write about it-tell us about how we live.

About the author

Marilyn Johnson is a former editor and writer for Life, Esquire, and Outside magazines, and lives with her husband, Rob Fleder, in New York's Hudson Valley.

Product details

• Authors: Marilyn Johnson
• Publisher: Harper Perennial USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.01.2007
• EAN: 9780060758769
• ISBN: 978-0-06-075876-9
• No. of pages: 272
• Dimensions: 133 mm x 203 mm x 25 mm
• Series: P.S.
• Subjects: Guides > Self-help, everyday life > Lifestyle, personal development; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Sociological theories; SOCIAL SCIENCE: Sociology / General, HISTORY: Social History, COMPOSITION & WRITING: JOURNALISM, SOCIAL SCIENCE: Death & Dying, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES: Writing / Authorship, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES: Writing / Fiction Writing, SOCIAL SCIENCE: Media Studies, SOCIAL SCIENCE: Customs & Traditions, SOCIAL SCIENCE: Technology Studies