How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous
Georgia Bragg, illus. Kevin O’Malley
Walker and Company, 2011
O death where is thy sting . . .and whence comes our
fascination with thee? Who knows. We are often drawn to the unknowable;
mysteries frustrate us.
As someone who has made a hobby of blogging obituaries of
the obscure but worthy, I can testify that studying death, dying, memory, and
reputation is a way of controlling and channeling the fearful impulses that range
around the prospect of demise.
Georgia Bragg’s first non-fiction title for children tackles
that very topic – introducing us to the deaths and postmortem fates of the
corpses of 19 historical figures. Bragg’s sardonic, informal prose keeps the
tone light, as do Kevin O’Malley’s gleefully grim illustrations. They allow
young readers to absorb the gruesome details with fascination without boring
them with technical talk.
“How They Croaked” is not just a book (extremely late)
celebrity gossip. Bragg succeeds in contextualizing each person in his or her
historical context; relates information about medicine and health in different
historic ages; includes useful sidebars on everything from “What to do with Old
Mummies,” “Cupping,” “Gout,” and “Cremation 101.”
Is this book too morbid for kids? Actually, it’s pitched
perfectly at them (I found it first at a school book fair), giving insights and
offering a friendly yet scientifically sound approach toward thanatology.
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