"WARNING:
If You Don't Have the Guts for Gore, Do Not Read This Book"
King Tut...Julius Caesar...Cleopatra...Christopher Columbus...Henry VII...Elizabeth I...Pocahontas...Galileo Galilei...Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...Marie Antoinette...George Washington...Napoleon Bonaparte...Ludwig Van Beethoven...Edgar Allen Poe...Charles Dickens...James A. Garfield...Charles Darwin...Marie Curie...Albert Einstein...
You're familiar with the lives of these people, right? But do you know anything about their deaths? Did you know it is believed that Henry VII's remains exploded within his coffin while lying in state? Did you know doctors "treated" George Washington by draining almost eighty ounces of blood before he finally kicked the bucket? Did you know right before Beethoven wrote his final notes, doctors drilled a hole in his stomach without any pain medication?
"Even though everybody in this book has been dead a long time, reading about their last dying days will make your toes curl. But these stories will also fascinate you and make you realize how lucky you are to live in a world with painkillers and X-rays and soap and 911."
"There are nice things to say about everybody, but this book is full of bad news. There are funny crying parts and disgusting stupid parts and hideous cool parts, but it's pretty much one train wreck after another. And who can tear their eyes away from a train wreck?"
Readers will not be able to tear their eyes away from How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous. It is a fascinating look at the lives and deaths of some very famous figures in history. But this history lesson will have readers glued to the page with the awful descriptions of the unfortunate circumstances of their deaths.
A nonfiction read with mega-pop, I know this will be a book popular with my middle grade students. Written with a kid-friendly voice, How They Croaked will be a book that will fly off my shelves in the upcoming school year.
Click HERE to visit NPR's website and a review of the book with an excerpt about Beethoven.
Happy (and Gross) Reading!
Mrs. T :)
P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!
WHAT AN EXCELLENT BOOK. I COULD NOT PUT DOWN THIS BOOK AND I READ IT 3 TIMES. I READ THE WHOLE THING TO MY FATHER AS WELL. HE LOVED IT SO MUCH. WE HAD DISCUSSIONS ABOUT IT AND WE BOTH FELT THE SAME AS WHAT THE AUTHOR HAS SAID WHICH IS WE ARE LUCKY TO BE LIVING IN THIS ERA WITH MEDICINE, CAUTIOUSNESS OF GERMS, AND OUR TECHNOLOGY. PEOPLE WERE STUPID BACK THEN. THE THINGS THEY USED FOR MEDICINE MAKES YOU CRINGE. SO INFORMATIVE, SO EDUCATIONAL, AND WHAT A FUN BOOK, AND I HAD FUN READING IT.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING,
STACEY
YOU ARE NEVER TOO OLD TO READ SOMETHING LIKE THIS.