Cause of Death: A Perfect Little Guide to What Kills Us

by Erin Barrett, Jack Mingo, Lucy Autrey Wilson

FACE IT. WE CAN GO ANYTIME. BUT IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS! Death becomes you, and it's just another fact of life explored in Cause of Death, a revealing abundance of startling data, false perceptions,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416554793
• ISBN13: 9781416554790
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: Pocket Books
• Length: 463 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

should be called the hypercondriacs guide to things that kill you

I liked this book, but I am having trouble reading it through. It's not in a story form so it's just a ton of random facts and hard to just sit there and read it. It was very interesting though and it might sound silly, but I like the way the book looks and the way it's illustrated. Has alot of good conversation starters... of course they would all be pretty morbid since they are all about ways you die. If you haven't seen the book before you buy it, the book is just a bunch of percentages of what your chances are of dying from random things. Kinda neat.

Absolutely fascinating

Call me morbid if you like [I loved Mary Roach's book 'Stiff' as well] but it's not only me. I have this book sitting on my coffee table and not one person who has picked it up has been able to put it down. It's hard to say what it is, really, but I would suggest anyone who has an interest in science, forensics, medicine, nursing, or living in general should order it and just flip through it. There is something on literally every page that will cause you to say, 'Wow! I had no idea.' Some of the data is going to date, so I hope the publishers set up some sort of website so new statistics can be added as they become available. That's a small quibble for a totally unique book.

Good for discussion about LIFE!

This book is facinating enough, in deriving it's facts from the top sources that track data on death world wide, like the World Health Organization, (WHO) or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC). Other US National organizations are referenced as well, for accuracy - and the years in discussion are 2001 and 2002, unless otherwise stated. That being said, there are many topics being dissected in detail about what can kill a human being in the planet today. What lies between the lines, however - is how to survive these risks. What one can do to prevent oneself from becoming just another statistic is what this little book is really all about. The authors renamed the systems of the body that cause death through pathology for example; The circulatory system is renamed, "Broken Heart." The respiratory system is renamed, "Bad Breath," and so on and so forth - in clever fashion that helps us all rethink our body systems which are essentially, our systems of health and vigor. What I feel is the core value behind purchasing this book is how it may add to lectures if you are in the business of teaching nursing or medicine. The authors have a nice way of taking scientific and technical subject matter and turning it into easily understadable statements that help to explain body systems in a basic way. I think it's an excellent little volume that should be included to all nursing and medical libraries.

Death Becomes Us

This fascinating and indispensable volume is an absorbing look at how we die, why we die, and the odd ways we can - and do - die. While it sounds an appropriately morbid tome, Cause of Death is actually a very accessible and pragmatic look at a subject most of us like to avoid whenever we can. Impressively and exhaustively researched, Cause of Death is utterly engrossing and almost impossible to put down. I defy you not to regale your friends and co-workers with details of the various phobias and obscure types of demise out there, as well as learn more than a few preventative tips yourself. This handy little reference should occupy a place of lethal honor among your volumes of Proust, Poe, and Sartre. Just don't keep it in a precarious spot, or you may find yourself among the new death statistics in the sure-to-follow revised edition...