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Dead People Suck: A Guide for Survivors of the Newly Departed
An honest, irreverent, laugh-out-loud guide to coping with death and dying from Emmy-nominated writer and New York Times bestselling co-author of Sh*tty Mom Laurie Kilmartin. Death is not for the faint of heart, and sometimes the best way to cope is through humor. No one knows this better than comedian Laurie Kilmartin. She made headlines by live-tweeting her father’s time in hospice and her grieving process after he passed, and channeled her experience into a comedy special, 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad. Dead People Suck is her hilarious guide to surviving (sometimes) death, dying, and grief without losing your mind. If you are old and about to die, sick and about to die, or with a loved one who is about to pass away or who has passed away, there’s something for you. With chapters like “Are You An Old Man With Daughters? Please Shred Your Porn,” “If Cancer was an STD, It Would Be Cured By Now,” and “Unsubscribing Your Dead Parent from Tea Party Emails,” Laurie Kilmartin guides you through some of life’s most complicated moments with equal parts heart and sarcasm.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published February 13, 2018
151 people are currently reading
1505 people want to read
About the author
Laurie Kilmartin
5 books20 followersLaurie Kilmartin is an American comedienne and writer best known for being a finalist on Last Comic Standing season 7. She is currently a staff writer for the Conan O'Brien show Conan.
Source: Wikipedia
Source: Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 254 reviews
February 11, 2018
This book is total gallows humor, or at least black comedy, and probably only appropriate for people who have had a family member die recently enough for the experiences to resonate but far enough away that they are ready to laugh or groan or feel less than reverent. I originally thought it would be an actual guide for people when someone dies, and it isn't that. THIS IS NOT ACTUAL ADVICE. (And there is a huge black hole for books that are, so someone can still write them, okay?) But if you need someone who has been through it, this is probably for you. If you can handle a little crassness and irreverence. Suffice to say I would not give this to my mother, ever, but perhaps to my sisters if they seemed ready.
Examples:
"Hospice: A Medical Term That Means, 'Here, You Do It.'"
This is a chapter title and talks about putting her Dad into hospice, a less than perfect experience, and boy, one that was definitely a shared experience for me. Hospice so often is glorified, a family member surrounded by everyone they love, passing peacefully. If you know otherwise, this section will be a balm.
Her father also had a "tummy full of tumors," so even though her Dad's cancer and mine were different kinds, very similar stage. I should buy her a cup of coffee.
There are some more serious moments couched as jokes, like this one:
"We need a name for helping one's elderly parent die. The experience so perfectly mirrors childbirth that I can't believe 'parentdeath' hasn't been trademarked."
"Why does Mom think that sweeping the floor will keep Dad alive?"
(and other bizarre behaviors of family members processing or specifically NOT processing what is happening and TOTALLY my Mom)
"The first time you tell a telemarketer, 'she can't come to the phone right now because she is dead.'" Oh so true, and all those weird moments.
Her Dad being a Fox News Sarah Palin anti-Obama guy, and having all his cancer treatment covered by Obamacare? Same.
The idea of all these brilliant minds NOT working on cancer and how to get more people working on it.... she has a funny solution.
So I'm not sure I'd show up at a wake with this book, but maybe six, seven, eight months beyond... if someone might benefit from a shared experience... I think I can recommend this book.
Thanks to the publisher for providing access to this title through Edelweiss. It comes out 13 June 2018.
Examples:
"Hospice: A Medical Term That Means, 'Here, You Do It.'"
This is a chapter title and talks about putting her Dad into hospice, a less than perfect experience, and boy, one that was definitely a shared experience for me. Hospice so often is glorified, a family member surrounded by everyone they love, passing peacefully. If you know otherwise, this section will be a balm.
Her father also had a "tummy full of tumors," so even though her Dad's cancer and mine were different kinds, very similar stage. I should buy her a cup of coffee.
There are some more serious moments couched as jokes, like this one:
"We need a name for helping one's elderly parent die. The experience so perfectly mirrors childbirth that I can't believe 'parentdeath' hasn't been trademarked."
"Why does Mom think that sweeping the floor will keep Dad alive?"
(and other bizarre behaviors of family members processing or specifically NOT processing what is happening and TOTALLY my Mom)
"The first time you tell a telemarketer, 'she can't come to the phone right now because she is dead.'" Oh so true, and all those weird moments.
Her Dad being a Fox News Sarah Palin anti-Obama guy, and having all his cancer treatment covered by Obamacare? Same.
The idea of all these brilliant minds NOT working on cancer and how to get more people working on it.... she has a funny solution.
So I'm not sure I'd show up at a wake with this book, but maybe six, seven, eight months beyond... if someone might benefit from a shared experience... I think I can recommend this book.
Thanks to the publisher for providing access to this title through Edelweiss. It comes out 13 June 2018.
March 4, 2018
I lost my Dad five months ago and it sucks it really really sucks. I don't know what made me pick this book up at the library but I'm so glad I did. She is hilarious and some of the issues she jokes about after a parent dies really hit the spot and made me laugh. You have no idea how much I needed to laugh these past few months.
April 8, 2018
Caution. This book is NOT for everyone. I imagine some readers will be offended or put off by Kilmartin's humor and irreverent treatment of death. I have a fairly ribald sense of humor and also appreciate dark humor. As traumatic as loss is, when death came to visit my family a few years ago I found that gallows humor was one of my coping mechanisms. Even though this is in my psychological profile, I would not have been ready for this book two or three years ago. Now that we are moving into the four year mark after the loss of my mom and dad, I have entered a new stage in my grief and I found relief and kinship in this snarky and unvarnished treatment of death in America.
We all experience a different end and the closing chapters in my family's life together were not as horrific as what some people experience. My parents focused on the fact that they did not die in battle thousands of miles from home...they were not murdered...death did not come to them prematurely in the prime of their vital lives. They lived the majority of their lives in peace and relative prosperity. They were able to receive medical treatment from top doctors for the diseases that killed them. My sister and I were able to walk with them to the end. As their generation oft reminded us, the young and spoiled generation, 'it could be worse'. And, really, this is the epitaph that my parents might have chosen for their graves...'it could be worse'.
Having gotten that preamble out of the way, I am here to tell you that death in America is an absolute farce. We have made zero contingencies for it in our society. We spend our entire lives plugging our ears and chanting 'I can't hear you! I can't hear you!' when the topic is (infrequently) broached. So when it comes (and it WILL come) you and your loved ones are thoroughly unprepared. There is almost no help for you. And the help that is out there is prohibitively expensive. You will have to continue working...but also be on call 24/7 to rush back and forth between various hospitals, doctor offices, chemo clinics and nursing homes. You will also have to do all of the cooking, cleaning, errands, and financial/administrative tasks for your terminally ill loved one. This will be on top of whatever responsibilities you may have to your spouse and kids, if you have them. Almost nobody will help you. You will not be able to process what is happening at the time because you will be too exhausted/frantic/overscheduled/ill to do so. It will consequently take years to work through after the fact. If you come from a small family or if you are trying to do this long distance or if you have to work full time or if you already have financial stress or if you have little kids? Well, you are completely screwed. So you might as well embrace the farce and try to eventually laugh in the face of the freight train that is bearing down and about to smash you into pulp.
My dad found out the lung cancer was progressing and that it was going to kill him so he called me and asked me to come over because he needed my advice. The moment my dad asked me to come over to advise him, I realized that he was dying. My dad always took care of everything and had all his decisions made and his life under control. I knew that it had to be as serious as death for him to start asking for help. I drove over sick to my stomach and received the news I had anticipated. "You have always been like a rock." he complimented me. (He was blinded by love.) "I need you to help me with a few things." (his generation's master of the understatement) So I became my dad's Death Personal Assistant. And we spent the roughly nine months he had left trying to project manage death. In the meantime, my mom's diagnosis declined from serious to terminal. And at that point our project expanded in scope in anticipation of both of my parents making their final exit.
To stay sane and to stave off panic and horror, my dad and I did what we always did. We made awful and sometimes tasteless jokes. We became a two person act who appeared in medical offices, chemo appointments, funeral homes and hospitals like a ghoulish Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon. Somehow the reflex urge to entertain and put people at ease in ghastly situations took over and drove us through this so we stuck with it. I thought we were probably in the distinct minority because our culture tends to enshroud death in reverence, solemnity and euphemism.
Another Laurie...Laurie Kilmartin...has recently reassured me that my dad and I were not insane and that my family was not as unglued as I thought we were. Kilmartin is a comedy writer and it shows in her approach to negotiating and coping with the death of her father. This is a person who directly addresses the kind of previously unthinkable problems that arise when you are care giving for a dying loved one. Dead People Suck is broken down into very short two or three page chapters dealing with subjects like 'if you find out you are dying and you have daughters, please shred your porn' (thank god this was not an issue for us...my Silent Generation dad wasn't the type); 'how to care for your loved one without seeing a penis' (Again, my Silent Gen dad literally died dragging himself out of bed one morning to get himself down the hall to the bathroom because he adamantly refused assistance on this level. I was allowed to follow him down the hallway, wringing my hands and imploring him to 'be careful' but he drew the line at the bathroom door. As my therapist later told me, 'he'd rather die'.) ; 'hospice: a medical term for 'here, you do it' (Kilmartin is the only other person I have ever read who admits that hospice had its limits in the helpfulness department. Basically they drop off morphine.); 'screaming' (Kilmartin admitted to the same type of animalistic wails I emitted. My personal tip is to drive somewhere at night where there are few people around and scream in your car.) 'Sex' (Yes, you can still have it during this awful time. But you won't be awake.) "Stuff" (Few people want your parent's stuff. The day my mom died I walked across the street to a consignment store and offered the guy whatever he wanted for nothing. No dice. He literally wouldn't cross the street for it. I had to take the few things that made it to the assisted living suite to the dumpster in back. Talk about a kick to the soul if you are a product of our hyper consumerist society.
People tried to tell me a lot of things when my parents died. Things about being in a better place, things about religion and the meaning of life, appropriately somber and uplifting things. None of that helped me much. Laurie Kilmartin's book, four years later, resonated with me more. I guess we are kindred spirits in the death game.
In an odd set of parallels, Laurie Kilmartin not only shares my first name, but also my age. She was 48 in 2014 when her dad died of lung cancer. I was 48 in 2014 when my dad died of lung cancer. Laurie Kilmartin has one sibling, a sister, as do I. Kilmartin has one child, a son who is close to the age of my daughter. She was apparently going through this at the exact same time as my family. The only difference is that her mother is living and my mom died 3 weeks after my dad. Finding this book on a casual browse through the new book room at my local library was just another one of the many weird coincidences that have entered my life since my parents passed away.
I recommend this to readers who have a non traditional approach to life and death...for grievers who admit that things did not always go very well...and for people who sometimes get more solace from laughter than they do from tears.
We all experience a different end and the closing chapters in my family's life together were not as horrific as what some people experience. My parents focused on the fact that they did not die in battle thousands of miles from home...they were not murdered...death did not come to them prematurely in the prime of their vital lives. They lived the majority of their lives in peace and relative prosperity. They were able to receive medical treatment from top doctors for the diseases that killed them. My sister and I were able to walk with them to the end. As their generation oft reminded us, the young and spoiled generation, 'it could be worse'. And, really, this is the epitaph that my parents might have chosen for their graves...'it could be worse'.
Having gotten that preamble out of the way, I am here to tell you that death in America is an absolute farce. We have made zero contingencies for it in our society. We spend our entire lives plugging our ears and chanting 'I can't hear you! I can't hear you!' when the topic is (infrequently) broached. So when it comes (and it WILL come) you and your loved ones are thoroughly unprepared. There is almost no help for you. And the help that is out there is prohibitively expensive. You will have to continue working...but also be on call 24/7 to rush back and forth between various hospitals, doctor offices, chemo clinics and nursing homes. You will also have to do all of the cooking, cleaning, errands, and financial/administrative tasks for your terminally ill loved one. This will be on top of whatever responsibilities you may have to your spouse and kids, if you have them. Almost nobody will help you. You will not be able to process what is happening at the time because you will be too exhausted/frantic/overscheduled/ill to do so. It will consequently take years to work through after the fact. If you come from a small family or if you are trying to do this long distance or if you have to work full time or if you already have financial stress or if you have little kids? Well, you are completely screwed. So you might as well embrace the farce and try to eventually laugh in the face of the freight train that is bearing down and about to smash you into pulp.
My dad found out the lung cancer was progressing and that it was going to kill him so he called me and asked me to come over because he needed my advice. The moment my dad asked me to come over to advise him, I realized that he was dying. My dad always took care of everything and had all his decisions made and his life under control. I knew that it had to be as serious as death for him to start asking for help. I drove over sick to my stomach and received the news I had anticipated. "You have always been like a rock." he complimented me. (He was blinded by love.) "I need you to help me with a few things." (his generation's master of the understatement) So I became my dad's Death Personal Assistant. And we spent the roughly nine months he had left trying to project manage death. In the meantime, my mom's diagnosis declined from serious to terminal. And at that point our project expanded in scope in anticipation of both of my parents making their final exit.
To stay sane and to stave off panic and horror, my dad and I did what we always did. We made awful and sometimes tasteless jokes. We became a two person act who appeared in medical offices, chemo appointments, funeral homes and hospitals like a ghoulish Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon. Somehow the reflex urge to entertain and put people at ease in ghastly situations took over and drove us through this so we stuck with it. I thought we were probably in the distinct minority because our culture tends to enshroud death in reverence, solemnity and euphemism.
Another Laurie...Laurie Kilmartin...has recently reassured me that my dad and I were not insane and that my family was not as unglued as I thought we were. Kilmartin is a comedy writer and it shows in her approach to negotiating and coping with the death of her father. This is a person who directly addresses the kind of previously unthinkable problems that arise when you are care giving for a dying loved one. Dead People Suck is broken down into very short two or three page chapters dealing with subjects like 'if you find out you are dying and you have daughters, please shred your porn' (thank god this was not an issue for us...my Silent Generation dad wasn't the type); 'how to care for your loved one without seeing a penis' (Again, my Silent Gen dad literally died dragging himself out of bed one morning to get himself down the hall to the bathroom because he adamantly refused assistance on this level. I was allowed to follow him down the hallway, wringing my hands and imploring him to 'be careful' but he drew the line at the bathroom door. As my therapist later told me, 'he'd rather die'.) ; 'hospice: a medical term for 'here, you do it' (Kilmartin is the only other person I have ever read who admits that hospice had its limits in the helpfulness department. Basically they drop off morphine.); 'screaming' (Kilmartin admitted to the same type of animalistic wails I emitted. My personal tip is to drive somewhere at night where there are few people around and scream in your car.) 'Sex' (Yes, you can still have it during this awful time. But you won't be awake.) "Stuff" (Few people want your parent's stuff. The day my mom died I walked across the street to a consignment store and offered the guy whatever he wanted for nothing. No dice. He literally wouldn't cross the street for it. I had to take the few things that made it to the assisted living suite to the dumpster in back. Talk about a kick to the soul if you are a product of our hyper consumerist society.
People tried to tell me a lot of things when my parents died. Things about being in a better place, things about religion and the meaning of life, appropriately somber and uplifting things. None of that helped me much. Laurie Kilmartin's book, four years later, resonated with me more. I guess we are kindred spirits in the death game.
In an odd set of parallels, Laurie Kilmartin not only shares my first name, but also my age. She was 48 in 2014 when her dad died of lung cancer. I was 48 in 2014 when my dad died of lung cancer. Laurie Kilmartin has one sibling, a sister, as do I. Kilmartin has one child, a son who is close to the age of my daughter. She was apparently going through this at the exact same time as my family. The only difference is that her mother is living and my mom died 3 weeks after my dad. Finding this book on a casual browse through the new book room at my local library was just another one of the many weird coincidences that have entered my life since my parents passed away.
I recommend this to readers who have a non traditional approach to life and death...for grievers who admit that things did not always go very well...and for people who sometimes get more solace from laughter than they do from tears.
January 12, 2023
Absolutely loved this book. Hilarious and therapeutic. Highly recommend.
April 8, 2019
i chuckled, i teared up, and overall i enjoyed this book. some legit worthwhile advice with a lot of dark humor. not for everyone, but perfect for some grievers, i think! the bit titled "dear silicon valley, could one of you f*cking nerds develop a cure for cancer instead of another stupid app?" had some morbidly hilarious ideas on motivation! 3.5⭐
July 10, 2019
Hilarious and healing. I've had this for a while and was finally able to attempt to listen. It's been a year since I lost my Nana and it was nice to hear someone else's story, realize I'm not alone, and look at things through humor.
Warning. It's crass and brutal, but that's right up my alley. I wouldn't recommend it until you can talk about your loved one without weeping.
Warning. It's crass and brutal, but that's right up my alley. I wouldn't recommend it until you can talk about your loved one without weeping.
May 13, 2018
With that great title, how could you not be drawn into this irreverent "self-help" book (although the easily offended may wish to pass). Some practical advice mixed with some laugh-out-loud humor. Enjoy!
May 8, 2020
This book gets a solid 4.5 stars. It's funny, and that can be a tall order considering it's about death. But Kilmartin succeeds. Great book!
May 25, 2018
I’m not one for self-help books but I do like memoirs. This is a memoir of the author’s journey through her close, dear father’s death and surviving the months after presented in a comedic way. This book will be most interesting for those that have lost a parent or close friend/relative. Although I could not relate to all of her experiences I could appreciate them or at least see how they worked with my story. And I really liked a few parts - the “Other people are awful” [unintentionally] chapter was especially good.
Overall, I recommend this book as a comedic read for those that have lost an amazing parent. It’s not true advice, she��s not a therapist, but it’s real and raw with a reality check that death does happen to the best of us. The T.O.C. and Author’s Note brought some tears but otherwise I was limited to mostly sad “I understand” smirks (obviously everyone will react differently and I’m 5 months out). The crassness may be too much for some but I think I’ll take some coffee to the cemetery. My dad’s birthday is approaching and he’d have loved this book, especially the crassness. Coffee and crassness were our thing.
Overall, I recommend this book as a comedic read for those that have lost an amazing parent. It’s not true advice, she��s not a therapist, but it’s real and raw with a reality check that death does happen to the best of us. The T.O.C. and Author’s Note brought some tears but otherwise I was limited to mostly sad “I understand” smirks (obviously everyone will react differently and I’m 5 months out). The crassness may be too much for some but I think I’ll take some coffee to the cemetery. My dad’s birthday is approaching and he’d have loved this book, especially the crassness. Coffee and crassness were our thing.
February 18, 2018
Incredibly funny and poignant, 'Dead People Suck' hit incredibly close to home for me. It was as if my mother reached out from the beyond to direct me to this book: this would have been 100% her humor.
This book hit on all of the feelings that you experience when a parent dies, and puts into words everything I've been feeling for the past year. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone who has had someone close to them die, is dying, or is dying themselves. It accurately highlights the process of death and grieving.
This book hit on all of the feelings that you experience when a parent dies, and puts into words everything I've been feeling for the past year. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone who has had someone close to them die, is dying, or is dying themselves. It accurately highlights the process of death and grieving.
October 7, 2018
Funny and difficult
Much like the author, I recently lost my father to Cancer. It remains one of the most difficult events of my life. It was nice to read the words of someone who deals with it the same way I do- through a morbid sense of humour. Though this book made me laugh, I think I cried equally as much. I may not have been ready for it just yet, though I don't know that I ever will be.
Much like the author, I recently lost my father to Cancer. It remains one of the most difficult events of my life. It was nice to read the words of someone who deals with it the same way I do- through a morbid sense of humour. Though this book made me laugh, I think I cried equally as much. I may not have been ready for it just yet, though I don't know that I ever will be.
November 19, 2019
3.5 because I wanted to laugh out loud about death but I only giggled. I do think it is a god book if you love extremely dark humor and frequently joke about all the death that you’ve been through in your life bc that’s all you can do to keep from crying loudly at least once a day.
Anyway, I’ve known a lot of death, and so this book hit on some great points and had some good jokes.
Anyway, I’ve known a lot of death, and so this book hit on some great points and had some good jokes.
June 9, 2018
HILARIOUS. So, so funny. As a hospice chaplain, I work a lot with grieving families.... so while only a few families would appreciate this book (its crude in the most hilarious sense) at their point in the grief, I keep a few copies on hand.
October 18, 2019
This was darkly hilarious, which is what I was looking for following the death of a loved one. It helped make me laugh when I felt like I was still deep within the chasm of fresh grief, which was good for me. But that's my grief process--it might not land with everyone.
May 11, 2018
this got me through my dads passing so much.
March 12, 2018
A good bet for anyone looking for something to help them through the illness and death of a loved one but be forewarned that it is highly irreverent and also totally hilarious (the author is a stand-up comedian and writer for "Conan"). I believe a chapter near the end may explain it best: "All Those Sex Acts You Would Never Try While Your Parents Were Still Alive? Time To Party."
And if you aren't interested in reading the book and want to know the best thing to say to someone who has lost someone, simply say "I'm sorry for your loss." That is all that needs to be said. You're welcome.
And if you aren't interested in reading the book and want to know the best thing to say to someone who has lost someone, simply say "I'm sorry for your loss." That is all that needs to be said. You're welcome.
April 9, 2024
2.5
picked this up from the library on a whim hoping for a little bit of comfort, and the book somewhat provided. not a huge fan of the internet millennial-style humour, and the book was definitely aimed at an older audience, but i appreciated its frank depiction of the more uncomfortable details of death and hospice care. and there were a few moments that captured aspects of my grief experience so well that it felt like they were taken from my brain. anyways, there need to be more death books i think.
picked this up from the library on a whim hoping for a little bit of comfort, and the book somewhat provided. not a huge fan of the internet millennial-style humour, and the book was definitely aimed at an older audience, but i appreciated its frank depiction of the more uncomfortable details of death and hospice care. and there were a few moments that captured aspects of my grief experience so well that it felt like they were taken from my brain. anyways, there need to be more death books i think.
January 29, 2024
Quite funny but was more for deaths of parents that you know are coming (old age, cancer, etc). Still a fun laugh especially in such difficult seasons of life. Good variety of topics.
November 12, 2022
I tried to listen to this shortly after my dad died, but it was too soon. Six months later, though, I was able to laugh about it. This book is funny and touches on a lot of things I could relate to. The audio book is read by the author and some of the essays are live recordings of her performing/reading the work in front of an audience, which was interesting.
January 4, 2020
This book is quite helpful. There are some hilarious moments as well as some very tender moments.
Will your last words be, "That asshole didn't even wish me a safe journey."? Very probably.
Her dad sounds like a pretty great guy. And she's right, meeting anyone after your parents has passed will probably never understand why you are the way you are (even with sibling proof!)
If you are a bit weird and have a strange sense of humor about death, then this book is definitely for you.
Love Ode to Nappies = Fluffy Panties
Will your last words be, "That asshole didn't even wish me a safe journey."? Very probably.
Her dad sounds like a pretty great guy. And she's right, meeting anyone after your parents has passed will probably never understand why you are the way you are (even with sibling proof!)
If you are a bit weird and have a strange sense of humor about death, then this book is definitely for you.
Love Ode to Nappies = Fluffy Panties
October 17, 2019
Read in a few hours, some tears, lots of snickers.
My grandfather died 10 months ago and this was the perfect time to read such a book after Grampa’s slow death and end of life care drama - the author covered the hospice care, cancer results, selling the house, passwords and regrets, but also the laughter and fumbles, the rage and the assholes who say the wrong thing. I would recommend it to anyone +/- 5 years of dying. 😉
My grandfather died 10 months ago and this was the perfect time to read such a book after Grampa’s slow death and end of life care drama - the author covered the hospice care, cancer results, selling the house, passwords and regrets, but also the laughter and fumbles, the rage and the assholes who say the wrong thing. I would recommend it to anyone +/- 5 years of dying. 😉
March 17, 2021
Absolutely delightful. I listened to the audiobook version via the Libby service and as a stand up Kilmartin is a great narrator. If you’ve lost a family member you will find this a cathartic read. Even not, you’ll find it useful. I wish I’d read it a decade ago.
March 6, 2018
This book is exactly what I needed to read. There is a lot of truth to this book. And a way to find a way to laugh during a really hard time in life.
May 20, 2024
This is a short book with pointers for love ones dying. Some funny and some not.
When I was glancing through hundreds of books at a once-a-year used big-book sale, I saw this one on the table that looked pretty new. It was in perfect condition and I figured it might be just the thing for a relative who lost her husband recently. Humor always helps, right?
And then I read it. Well, it made me smile a couple of times. It brought back a memory when a Telemarketer called and I said, “My mother just passed.” The person quickly hung up. The book has some better responses.
There was some interesting information about how to respond to someone that is dying like the author’s father. The humor was, in the most part, like listening to a stage comedian and finding many jokes not so funny and somewhat on the embarrassing side. And then she mentioned politics which is always a risk as it can alienate some readers.
Yet. there was some useful tips about remembering to get passwords before someone dies, trying to keep visitors at a minimum if possible and helping young children understand what’s going on. It’s one of the most challenging experiences in life to say goodbye to someone you love. Whatever works and this may be it for some people.
When I was glancing through hundreds of books at a once-a-year used big-book sale, I saw this one on the table that looked pretty new. It was in perfect condition and I figured it might be just the thing for a relative who lost her husband recently. Humor always helps, right?
And then I read it. Well, it made me smile a couple of times. It brought back a memory when a Telemarketer called and I said, “My mother just passed.” The person quickly hung up. The book has some better responses.
There was some interesting information about how to respond to someone that is dying like the author’s father. The humor was, in the most part, like listening to a stage comedian and finding many jokes not so funny and somewhat on the embarrassing side. And then she mentioned politics which is always a risk as it can alienate some readers.
Yet. there was some useful tips about remembering to get passwords before someone dies, trying to keep visitors at a minimum if possible and helping young children understand what’s going on. It’s one of the most challenging experiences in life to say goodbye to someone you love. Whatever works and this may be it for some people.
March 5, 2018
I wasn't sure quite what to expect, but it came up as a recommended so I figured I'd give it a try. She opts to write about the death of an elderly parent as opposed to accidental deaths or the death of a young person. While most of the book focuses on the recent death of her father, there are general topics she broaches upon as well: advice to adult men to destroy their porn before their deaths, making sure their adult children have their passwords to their accounts, etc. It's VERY gallows humor oriented so for those who are easily offended, this might not be the best choice of reading material.
Despite some of the crudeness of the commentary, the book in essence is the authors way of coping with her father's death while sharing some personal insight, advice, and some laughter in the process.
The audiobook is narrated by the writer and there are snippets of some recorded material in front of a live audience.
I'd give it a 3.5.
Despite some of the crudeness of the commentary, the book in essence is the authors way of coping with her father's death while sharing some personal insight, advice, and some laughter in the process.
The audiobook is narrated by the writer and there are snippets of some recorded material in front of a live audience.
I'd give it a 3.5.
December 1, 2023
Don't read if you are easily offended. This is gallows humor at its best.
how to tell a boomer that they are terminal, "Don't renew your Costco card".
Answering telemarketer calls, I'm sorry he can't come to the phone because he's dead. This doesn't work with Mormons as this just eggs them on.
Should the family be allowed to DIY A loved one's cremation. I'm sure there is a cousin whose hobby is arson.
You get the picture.
how to tell a boomer that they are terminal, "Don't renew your Costco card".
Answering telemarketer calls, I'm sorry he can't come to the phone because he's dead. This doesn't work with Mormons as this just eggs them on.
Should the family be allowed to DIY A loved one's cremation. I'm sure there is a cousin whose hobby is arson.
You get the picture.
March 2, 2018
3.5. This book isn't for everyone. If you appreciate gallows humor and have recently gone through losing an elderly person in your life, then you might enjoy it. That's me, and while I found it mixed and sometimes the humor was strained, there were other parts where I laughed out loud. OK, several parts. But: If you're not a fan of that kind of humor, you might find this book offensive.
August 23, 2022
This had moments I laughed....
The #1 reason old people ride motorized scooters is they're trying to get away from us.
REMEMBER: If you make it to age 100, people will ask, "What's your secret to living a long life?" ALWAYS say "ANAL"
Much needed truth in how I am feeling after losing both parents just 18 days apart.
The #1 reason old people ride motorized scooters is they're trying to get away from us.
REMEMBER: If you make it to age 100, people will ask, "What's your secret to living a long life?" ALWAYS say "ANAL"
Much needed truth in how I am feeling after losing both parents just 18 days apart.
May 18, 2024
meh 🤷♀️ it’s good for a chuckle. I knew it would be comedic, which is why I picked it up, but thought it would have more vulnerability or more of her own personal story with coping with her dad’s death. 3.5 stars I guess.
September 24, 2024
I have lost both my parents and a sister, so I know well how much Dead People Suck. I found this book mildly funny. No real laugh out loud moments, but plenty I could relate to. It is a quick read. Kind of irreverent, sarcastic, so choose your audience wisely. For some, it may be too soon; for others, it may hit them entirely wrong;!for the right person, it could be just the smile they need.
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