Death My Own Way

by Michael S.A. Graziano

Praise for Michael S. A. "Darkly inventive. . . . Graziano's grim allegory interrogates human existence with its visceral, sensuous description."— Publishers Weekly "Not a word is wasted in this masterpiece . . . the finest in American literature."—Geekscribe "A uniquely human story that proves humorous as well as thoughtful. Solid and very highly recommended."— Midwest Book Review "A relatively short book, but its heart is huge."—Largehearted Boy A man dying of cancer wanders naked into Central Park and embarks on a twisted, fetishistic, hilarious journey toward a deeper understanding of life. A story of vulnerability, brashness, and the universal need to find some comfort and philosophy before the journey ends.

Genres: Philosophy, Fiction

130 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Beachesnbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very short, philosophical novel about life, death, and art. The premise is that a man with terminal cancer sheds his clothes and former life for an anonymous escape through Central Park; he proceeds to have various encounters that shape his thoughts in different ways. As a reader, you become immersed in the book very quickly, and it's a good book to read in one sitting. It's well-written and thought-provoking without being pedantic; in addition to its thoughtfulness, the book is very self-aware and there is a lot of humor.

[Petter Wolff]

Not ready to rate yet. I simply did not "get" the contents in a first reading. I notice that Graziano brings quite a few of his own research elements to the story and I expect there to be much interesting philosophical stuff to dig out from here. Need a better setting for next readthrough.

[Dyl · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I’ve heard people claim that they would like to die peacefully during a deep sleep. I wonder if this claim comes from too casual an inspection of the problem. If I must have a last experience, I would like it to be a potent one that escapes anesthesia—whether a literal anesthesia trickling into the vein at the crook of my elbow, or the mental anesthesia of an intellectual snow-job, a clever analysis, a rationalization, academic deconstructing, academic reconstructing. I want my awareness to be as vivid as I can make it. If it is to be horror, let it be horror. If it is to be pain, let it be pain. Let the rats pull my guts out. The experience itself should be an amazed, hysterical, fearful joy. I would like to take off the protective layers and feel the world, see it, smell it, hear it, taste it. I want to seize whatever little bit more I can get.”

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Death My Own Way is about life, art, and dying. Why art? The significance here is to reclaim a sense of agency over the process of dying. Some of the characters in Central Park (the Gazebo Committee), where the protagonist has gone to die of cancer, lay out the various viewpoints of art. Is it defined by the intent of the artist? Or is it defined by the audience reaction? If the former, then the protagonist’s final hours or days in Central Park are a performance piece, and he is therefore changing the game from that of cancerous decay to artistic composition. If the latter, then his mostly silent "performance" during his evaluation and analysis by The Committee (as well as his interactions with other park-goers) is absurd theater, shared with all.

Dying your own way requires the dying "artist" to take the reins of the descent in order to make a final, definitive statement.

[Adam Rodenberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came to this book after having read Graziano's 2009 book "The Divine Farce," which I absolutely loved for its raw approach to a topic many have approached over the centuries.

And while this book certainly still holds onto much of the philosophical parts that made Farce great, there was a large section of the middle of the book that felt more like a lecture and less like a work of fiction, which is something he'd successfully avoided doing in Farce. For me personally, it weighed the story down something considerably.

A good absurdist look at life and the prospect of death, though I think Farce does so in more, and much better, ways.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death My Own Way is a wonderfully clever story take on life and death. Its writing is almost poetic in nature and reels the readers in. A truly enjoyable and thought-provoking read. I also loved the comical relief that comes in the form of several homeless persons. This book is written in a way that if I were to read it again, I may come to a new realization, and that is what makes it so beautiful.

[Keira Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

At this point I'm convinced Graziano has just lived a thousand lives and is giving us the rundown of some of his more memorable ones through very specific yet relatable scenarios and I love that for him.

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some parts were enjoyable, although I feel I didn't really get it as a whole.

[James Callan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the parts before and after the long discourse in the middle, the shared philosophical rants about what art is, among other things. That middle part was the majority of the book, and while still enjoyable, certainly intelligent and consistently humorous, it felt a little superfluous to me. All in all, a worthwhile read. Very short and fun to read. And the ending segment is truly beautiful.

[Michael Estey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death My Own Way
written by
Michael S.A. Graziano

A book review.

A man decides to take his clothes off and enter Central Park!

Sound strange?

If not strange, how about, at night?

No, still not strange enough?
He has a lump in his stomach.
The size of his fist. He has cancer.

Damn good. Right? I had to read on.

He is searching for the meaning of life. Through the events, that unfold during the night, meeting an array of different characters and situations, he finds it.

I'd call this story a psychological thriller,
in a philosophical way.
Articulately crafted.
Perfect prose.
One big metaphor.

After reading it,
I decided it was full of flaws.
Not very realistic.
A man naked in the park.
(not that it doesn't happen)
A friendly cop, who leaves him alone. Naked in the park?
This is in New York City.
(I don't think so!)

He gets beat up, there's an incident with a woman, he meets a group of derelicts and they befriend him.
Does that sound realistic?

Searching for the meaning of life? Naked in the park?

Because of that, as I turned every page I was looking for flaws.

I have to admit I did enjoy it,
besides the flaws.
I wonder how Michael researched this. I'm sure it wasn't from personal experience.
A little unbelievable. Humorous.

I'd give it 4 stars. A good quick read.

Like most of the books I read, this one was on the "Books We Liked" shelf at the Surrey Public Library.

Other books by the same author:
The Divine Farce
The Love Song of Monkey

Michael Estey

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a very strange book from Dr Graziano who I have seen lecture and whose non-fiction books I've read. We start off in NY's Central Park on a cold, rainy night with our subject removing all his clothes and giving a description of his cancer ridden, failing body. We follow him as he meets a Good Samaritan who tries to rescue him, an odd park denizen who makes marvelous bird sculptures by chewing on plastic bottle caps and a group of intellectual cast offs that try to make sense of what or who he is. We share the death experience of this nameless person who could be any one of us and we gain an insight into what is awaiting all of us. I read it from cover to cover in one afternoon and was unable to put it down until I had finished it. I will need to re-read some portions to tease more meaning out but it is an important part of my views of death and the short period of life leading up to the end.

[Christina Borgoyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

an interesting little gem that I had the pleasure of picking up.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

unique in its own particular singularity