Will Power: The Most Baffling Bequests, Ludicrous Last Wishes, and Daft Declarations in Final Testaments

by Susan Goldenberg

The most astonishing and extraordinary bequests and last requests found in people's wills.

“This will is uncommon and capricious.” These words actually began a will, which shows that our final words needn’t be standard legalese but instead creatively individualistic. Will Power tells the riveting stories of big names and “ordinary people” who did just this.

There are eccentric wills, in which a mansion and its grounds are inherited by a parrot. Developers could do nothing until it died ― and parrots have long lives. There are cautionary tales of family conflict, including the one-page will fought over for two decades by three generations. Want to write a parting shot? Read about the will that mocked the beneficiaries, such as the bequest that said “for my sister because she is married to a minister who (God help him) she hen pecks.” Or the contested will that ordered the deceased’s horses to be killed by a police firing squad; the bigoted will that bequeathed everything to a neo-Nazi organization; and the will that left far more money to sons than daughters, sparking a landmark gender discrimination case.

These stories and many more will amuse, entertain, and inform ― for your consideration when you write or revise your will.

240 pages, Paperback

Published March 3, 2026

Reviews

[Derek Strelioff]

Lots of interesting stories, and the Canadian focus is appreciated. Though I found the author gets a bit too much into the weeds explaining the full backgrounds of all the personages involved. While certainly thorough, it ends up meandering a bit too far from the main topic, which is great in itself.

[Dianne Landry]

Not as interesting as the author made it sound in her talk but it was okay.

[Susan]

There were some very interesting stories in here. People are fascinating.