The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries

The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries

3.37 of 5 stars 3.37  ·  rating details  ·  712 ratings  ·  168 reviews
Marilyn Johnson was enthralled by the remarkable lives that were marching out of this world—so she sought out the best obits in the English language and the people who spent their lives writing about the dead. She surveyed the darkest corners of Internet chat rooms, and made a pilgrimage to London to savor the most caustic and literate obits of all. Now she leads us on a c...more
Paperback, 272 pages
Published January 30th 2007 by Harper Perennial (first published 2006)
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Jeff
Apr 27, 2008 Jeff rated it 2 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: People who have time or blood on their hands.
I picked this book up because I liked the cover. Look at it. It’s so catchy, it almost looks like a McSweeny’s book. But it’s not. It’s almost that clever- but not quite. I wasn’t quite sure how Marilyn Johnson was going to sustain a book about obituaries for 223 pages, and the answer is she doesn’t- not really.

Johnson tries her hardest to show how great obits are- she speaks incessantly to how they bring people closure, or together, or whatever. It was when she was in the middle of these diatr...more
Rachael
This book came to me by way of providence. I decided one day that I would like to read a book about obituaries. Shortly after, (voila) I came upon this book at the Boston Fine Arts Museum bookstore.

More specifically, Johnson writes about the blossoming cult following obituaries have been attracting for some time now. She gives an overview of the favored obituary writers, the best websites to find international favorite obituaries, the life of an obituary writer and the changing styles and fashi...more
Jennifer
The world of obituary writing is slightly larger than I suppose I would have imagined it, had I imagined it at all. Johnson brings to light the differences in newspapers, the styles of various writers (and their conferences!), and even talks about some of the obituary "fans." I thought the sections on writers writing obituaries for ordinary people - finding their stories through talking with family and friends - quite interesting, and wished that happened more in my hometown. (Most of our obitua...more
Mitch
This book sounded interesting, but wasn't as much as it should have been.

It's about obituaries of all sorts, so the topic had possibilities. Sometimes obits are poignant, or shocking, or snippy, or sentimental... they can be a lot of interesting things.

The ones that were sprinkled throughout the text made for sporatic interesting reading.

Unfortunately, the book also spent a lot of time covering brief bios of obit writers- who are more of a specialized taste, I'd say.

Additionally there were bri...more
Alyce Wilson
As someone who enjoys meandering through old cemeteries, gazing at tombstones and wondering about the people who lie below, I was excited at the prospect of an entire book about obituaries. Author Marilyn Johnson focuses not so much on interesting obituaries themselves but on the craft of the creative obituary writer. A self-proclaimed obituary fan, Johnson shares fascinating insights into the writing process: from research to publication.

When I worked for a local newspaper, about a decade ago,...more
noelle
I bought The Dead Beat primarily because it was recommended to me when I asked for books of or relating to death. I'm not exactly a "regular" reader of obituaries, at least in the way people who attend the Great Obituary Writers' International Conference seem to be; however, when I do pick up a newspaper, the only thing I'll really take notice of is the obits.

Marilyn Johnson has crafted a relatively enjoyable book about obituaries, the people who write them, and guffaw! the people who live for t...more
Linda
I LOVED this book. Since I am an OLD FASHIONED newspaper reader and a dedicated obituary aficiando from way back, this book gave me ample permission to really relish the art of the obituary. The cover of the book, incorporating the title is: "This PUBLICATION, proudly sent forth under the title of THE DEAD BEAT will gratify THE READER with a survey both humorous and poignant of the wonders enfolded in the pages of an ordinary newspaper, and including many marvelous tales relating to LOST SOULS,...more
David
Not terrifically well-organized or well-written, but the author comes across as an agreeable, friendly person who's even more preoccupied with obituaries than I am, and I've read them every day for a long time. She searches for them on the web, participates on message boards about them, and goes to an annual conference of obit writers/fans.

Some interesting material on trends in the genre, e.g., increasing prominence of extended takes on ordinary, non-celebrity deaths ("A local life" in the Wx Po...more
Jaci
Very nice overview of obituaries, obituary construction, development of obituaries in major news sources, and obituarists we've known and loved. Ties right into my job...
p.222: "I still think that the point of the obituary and the beauty of it, aside from its elegant structure and the wonderful writing it can inspire, lies in that heroic act. There goes one, the only one, the last of his kind, the end of a particular strand of DNA. ... The better the obit, the closer it approaches re-creation. I...more
Alexia Bullard
I saw this book at a local thrift store, and the inside cover let on that it had been a Mother's Day present. I found that interesting, and a little quirky.

The book itself seemed really interesting, especially seeing as how much I enjoy things relating to death and the macabre. I love reading obituaries, so I thought I would love reading this book. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Johnson comes across as a tad too elitist for my tastes. The book is quite lacking in structure, though some of the snip...more
Nicole
Apparently there are folks out there simply fascinated with reading the obituaries and there are equally unique individuals who enjoy the opportunity to describe the recently departed. This book details how one author's hobby with reading the obits morphs into meeting their authors and attending their small annual conference. The writers describe what drew them into the field and the novel is peppered with samples of various obits. If your only exposure to reading obituraries was noting casually...more
Alison
This was a wonderful read. I actually have a signed copy of this, purchased last year at the Maryland Library Association conference, at which Johnson spoke about her newer book, "This book is overdue!" What was really interesting was reading The Dead Beat knowing that it inspired her next book, as she stated she had a lot of help from libraries and librarians in compiling her work.

In any case, Johnson takes us into the weird and hyper-literate world of obituaries. We meet some of the obituarist...more
Cynthia
Only a geek would read this -- or maybe a journalism student as assigned reading for a class. However, this isn't the only (and I hope not the definitive) book on obit writing so surely instructors would choose a better text.

There are some gems and you really have to stick with the book to find them. Then, like their subjects, they are too soon passed. The snippets of real obits are interesting for their style of writing or for the historical info you learn. But my favorite part, because I'm a j...more
Abby Lyn
I'd rate this about 2.5 stars. This is a clever book about those obsessed with reading and crafting obituaries, so it is certainly not something most of us have read about before - or probably even considered, really. Although such a theme might seem a tad morbid, this is less a discussion of death and its meaning in our society, and more a celebration of the art form of obituary writing and an examination of its various structural forms. I have a new appreciation for the written form of the obi...more
Carrie
Not exactly what I was expecting but still highly entertaining. Johnson mostly concerns herself with the rise of the "ordinary Joe" obituary as a regular feature in newspapers. The characters (both writers and the deceased) she covers are interesting, but I was hoping she'd be more reflective about why we read strangers' obituaries and how obits are connected to other ways we commemorate our dead.
Bookmarks Magazine

Johnson, a writer and editor for Life, Esquire, and Outside, knows whereof she speaks; she has written obituaries for such luminaries as Johnny Cash, Katherine Hepburn, and Marlon Brando. Though critics hint at the gloomy nature of her subject, they are won over by her humorous, "uplifting, joyous, life-affirming read for people who ordinarily steer clear of uplifting, joyous, life-affirming reads" (Los Angeles Times). Though spotty in places, Dead Beat never fails to entertain. Shunning the ant

...more
Andie
A quirky, heartfelt book dedicated to the bizarre characters populating the world of obituaries- those who write them, those featured in them, and those who obsessively read and collect them. Turns out Johnson belongs in the third category, and her enthusiasm for obituaries has driven her to seek out the big obituary writers both domestically and in London with whom she discusses the art of writing such important accounts. She attends and writes about not one but two Obituarists' Conventions. Sh...more
John  Bellamy
Reading obituaries for entertainment, like a taste for true crime narratives, is not for everyone. But for devotees of this niche literary form there can never be enough material. Journalist Marilyn Johnson’s celebration of a presumably grim genre is a loving, fascinating and very funny romp through the freemasonry of the world’s best obituary writers, their scintillating productions and their besotted fans--like me. Who knew—besides Johnson—that death could be so hilarious, and that its public...more
Margie Haack
I didn't know much about writing obits. Or reading them, but I have friends who read them every day. Author is a bit obsessed. Which is okay. I just didn't enjoy as much as I'd hoped.
Kelly Walker
You know, this was a gift to me for my 40th birthday (ha-ha!). I looked forward to reading it however I was surprised by how fascinating the subject turned out to be. I found Marilyn Johnson's enthusiasm for the art form of the proper obituary is very contagious. There is a heartfelt appreciation of the folks who make a career of writing a part of the newspaper readers either go to first, scan quickly or avoid altogether. This was a departure from my usual subject matter and I recommend it for a...more
Socraticgadfly
For anybody with a twisted sense of humor

The "dead zone" is one of those things, like April Fool's Day stories, that British newspapers generally do better than American ones, at least when it comes to the rich and famous dead.

The Brits, in both cases, have a sense of snark that is considered "not proper" for about any American seven-day or six-day daily, basically.

That said, American papers have done quite well with the "storytelling" format of "everyman" obits.

Marilyn Johnson covers both types...more
Joyce
OK, OK, stillbirths, dystopian fantasies, obits... allow me one more morbid read and then I promise I will switch to something more cheerful. Maybe Crime and Punishment.

The pleasurable bits of this book are obit excerpts from US and British newspapers. It seems a little disjointed, though, and not so well edited. ('Nexus' news database. Really.) I also thought the author was a bit obsequious towards the alt.obituary listserv contributors who are her heros.

Glad to have been turned onto the thriv...more
Joe
What a find! In need of a literary diversion, I picked this up at a bookstore in Atlanta simply because it seemed quirky enough. It's fantastic. It may be a book about obituaries and obituary writers, but it's more a book about celebrating life and great writing. The obituary section is now often the first section of the paper I turn to, and I read them with a new appreciation. Highly recommended, especially these days when the longevity of newspapers is in jeopardy, and the economy has us looki...more
Ruth
Published in 2006, this is a really great little book. Full of interesting facts and the feeling that the author is really sharing her passion with the reader. It has certainly given me an insight into the fantastic writing skills that an obit writer needs. A real economy of words. Samples of various genres of obits are given (who even knew that?), and my first choice for the best example is "She was not in the least bit snobbish. Mr Ray from the nearby gypsy encampment was a regular lunch guest...more
Tori
It's obvious that Marilyn Johnson is a fan of the obituary. Equally obvious is the fact that she's accustomed to writing in the short form. Structurally, this book feels cobbled together from her notes; chapters are mostly loosely related vignettes with no clear overarching architecture. I don't think this should have been a book. There's material for a really good feature essay, but far too much filler. I understand Johnson's desire to pay homage to her fellow obituarists, but it's the obituari...more
trav
I have to say that this is a neat book. It even sports a neat trim size and design. It's written by a prolific obituary writer and a real fan of obits. And I mean a REAL fan.



The book chronicles obit conventions, websites (celebrity death beeper at deathbeeper.com and

findagrave.com), bios of obit writers and offers up critical analysis of obit styles. She contrasts the styles of various newspapers. Mainly those of London papers with ours here in the States. I found this organizational structure a...more
Maureen E
Opening: "People have been slipping out of this world in occupational clusters, I've noticed, for years. Four journalists passed their deadline one day, and their obits filled a whole corner of the paper."

So, I actually read--shock! amazement!--a non-fiction book. It had been languishing on my TBR list for ages, when a friend of mine who read it kept talking about how much she enjoyed it. I put a hold on it and today it arrived.

Johnson is one of the people who, when reading a newspaper, turns f...more
Danielle
I read another book by this same author called This Book is Overdue, which is all about her love of libraries. She actually decided to write that book based on the great experience she had with libraries while researching this book. I enjoyed This Book is Overdue so I did want to read The Dead Beat as well, but pushed it to the top of my list once I found out she was going to the keynote speaker at the Maryland Library Association Conference banquet. I rarely read obits unless they are for someo...more
Lia
I couldn't wait for this book to be done.
There's definitely something to the effect one's life and circumstances can have when reading a book, but a really good book or at least one that might not be stellar but grabs the attention and keeps it (I'm looking at you Twilight) can be an escape from the everyday. I'm not sure if my attention has been so absorbed in the rest of my life, but I question whether I'd like this book even if I wasn't wrapped up in other things.
There are highlights: it star...more
Jenn
This was an interesting book on an interesting subject. I've generally looked at obits to see if there is anyone I know. This started when I worked with the elderly. Sometimes the obit or death notice was how we learned that our patrons died. Now living in a small community I will see a relative of someone I know or maybe the owner of a local store, etc.

This book got me looking at the obits in a different way. There are various forms and styles. The Brits do it one way, we do it another. Some a...more
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