What do you think?
Rate this book
Any Last Words?: Deathbed Quotes and Famous Farewells
A lighthearted look at the stories behind legendary last words--from heartwarming tales of final moments to hilarious last laughs.
Last words are never easy--since, let's face it, they're mostly spoken by people in the worst health of their lives. But even if they aren't eloquent, they can offer a glimpse into the speaker's true self. Some are clever, others are loving, heartbreaking, or occasionally shocking. In Any Last Words?, Joseph Hayden explores the last words of more than two hundred actors, athletes, writers, musicians, politicians, intellectuals, criminals, and more.
What was the last thing Bogart said to Bacall? What did Marie Antoinette say to her executioner? What were the final thoughts of great thinkers like Charles Darwin and Marie Curie? Or baseball legends like Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle? Joseph Hayden reveals all these stories and much more in a book that you'll wish would never end.
Last words are never easy--since, let's face it, they're mostly spoken by people in the worst health of their lives. But even if they aren't eloquent, they can offer a glimpse into the speaker's true self. Some are clever, others are loving, heartbreaking, or occasionally shocking. In Any Last Words?, Joseph Hayden explores the last words of more than two hundred actors, athletes, writers, musicians, politicians, intellectuals, criminals, and more.
What was the last thing Bogart said to Bacall? What did Marie Antoinette say to her executioner? What were the final thoughts of great thinkers like Charles Darwin and Marie Curie? Or baseball legends like Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle? Joseph Hayden reveals all these stories and much more in a book that you'll wish would never end.
- GenresNonfiction
169 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 15, 2019
7 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 27, 2021
Meh. Not a long read, and honestly, not nearly as interesting as I was hoping. Sort of feels like a Cliff's Notes version of longer books of this type. I think Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving was a much better read in this genre. Also some better editing would help. I read this in pretty much one sitting, so I noticed that the photo of Oliver Hardy looks suspiciously like a photo of Stan Laurel (the person that precedes Hardy - and yes, I double-checked the way the entries are laid out, and yes, the Laurel photo IS the one with the Hardy entry). I also have to wonder why the author chose to refer to an actor merely as "that guy from the John Carter movie". Why not include his name, Taylor Kitsch? I mean, no, I wouldn't have recognized his name and I'm guessing a lot of others wouldn't, either, but why not phrase it as "Taylor Kitsch, best known from that John Carter movie"?
On the plus side, I was interested enough to look up Bright's Disease, listed as Emily Dickinson's cause of death. The reason I'd never heard of it is that it's an outdated term no longer used; it refers to acute or chronic nephritis (kidney disease). I also read a fascinating account of the shooting of Sam Cooke; I never realized he died after being shot, nor did I know the story behind the shooting. Still very mysterious with a lot of questions, all of which will most likely never be answered because everyone is dead and gone.
On the plus side, I was interested enough to look up Bright's Disease, listed as Emily Dickinson's cause of death. The reason I'd never heard of it is that it's an outdated term no longer used; it refers to acute or chronic nephritis (kidney disease). I also read a fascinating account of the shooting of Sam Cooke; I never realized he died after being shot, nor did I know the story behind the shooting. Still very mysterious with a lot of questions, all of which will most likely never be answered because everyone is dead and gone.
January 17, 2021
A good enough book to dip in and out of.
One of my favourite last words:
"James French (died 1966)
French, a multiple murderer, was put to death in the electric chair. While his last words are disputed, it is commonly accepted that they were: "Hey, fellas! How about this for a headline for tomorrow's paper? 'French Fries.'" "
Someone I discovered through this book:
Margaret Sanger (1879-1966)
A woman who fought the system advocating for sex education, opened the first birth control clinic in the US and paved the way for legalized contraception and Planned Parenthood. Her last words: "A party! Let's have a party!"
One of my favourite last words:
"James French (died 1966)
French, a multiple murderer, was put to death in the electric chair. While his last words are disputed, it is commonly accepted that they were: "Hey, fellas! How about this for a headline for tomorrow's paper? 'French Fries.'" "
Someone I discovered through this book:
Margaret Sanger (1879-1966)
A woman who fought the system advocating for sex education, opened the first birth control clinic in the US and paved the way for legalized contraception and Planned Parenthood. Her last words: "A party! Let's have a party!"
January 3, 2021
While i'm always interested in learning new interesting (or morbid in this case) facts I must say I did not like the layout of this book.
On one hand it delivers what it promises - quotes from famous people. But most of them are presented in a haphazard ways with a few sentences that don't really help.
pass.
On one hand it delivers what it promises - quotes from famous people. But most of them are presented in a haphazard ways with a few sentences that don't really help.
pass.
November 1, 2019
This book sucked.
April 27, 2021
2'5 en realidad.
Muy sin más. Además de que no conocía a la mitad de las personas mencionadas en el libro.
Muy sin más. Además de que no conocía a la mitad de las personas mencionadas en el libro.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews