How They Croaked
The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous
Georgia Bragg
illustrated by Kevin O'Malley

Walker and Company
March 2011/ ISBN 978082798176
Nonfiction/ Biography
Amazon

Reviewed by Barbara Buhrer

Did you know…

that Cleopatra's death wasn't caused by an asp but by poison?
that Einstein's brain (what was left of it) is stored in Pwinceto Hospital?
that the first autopsy was performed on Julius Caesar?

These and many other facts are revealed in the discussion of the deaths of famous people.
The book is prefaced with the warning "If you don't have the guts for gore, don't read this book."

Truer words were never written. This is history with a gruesome twist -- a mixture of gory facts with history. We are informed of the chronic and fatal illnesses that afflicted these historic figures. No detail is spared. The descriptions are graphic and, I repeat, gory. In my opinion this is no book for the squeamish.

Ms. Bragg has a terrific sense of humor. She brings a touch of levity to an otherwise grim subject. She mixes the gore with the facts of history. She also included relevant facts of history.

This has been catalogued as "Young Adult," but I would recommend it to adults of any age. It is a quick read as well as an informative read.

The cartoon portraits and spot art add a touch of humor to a disgusting chronicle.