Have you been attacked by a great white shark? Gone over Niagara Falls in a barrel? Been exposed to anthrax? No, you haven't, or you'd be dead.... read full description
reviews
Aug 20, 2011
karen
rated it: 
REMEMBER WHEN I USED TO WIN BOOKS??
i win!! yay for goodreads contests! watching the mails...
some hand-picked excerpts:
michael: "tuberculosis is spread, like pneumonia, via infected water droplets that you inhale when an infected person breathes, talks, spits, or otherwise propels those water droplets your way."
alfonso: "coming in bright blues, greens, reads, oranges, and yellows, with splotches, stripes, and even polka dots in a little body More...
i win!! yay for goodreads contests! watching the mails...
some hand-picked excerpts:
michael: "tuberculosis is spread, like pneumonia, via infected water droplets that you inhale when an infected person breathes, talks, spits, or otherwise propels those water droplets your way."
alfonso: "coming in bright blues, greens, reads, oranges, and yellows, with splotches, stripes, and even polka dots in a little body More...
55 comments
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(42 people liked it)
Feb 17, 2010
Meaghan
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Although this book is about several dozen different ways a person can die, it's not morbid at all. It's written in a very light, irreverent way that keeps the text from getting depressing. But the humorous tone doesn't mean this book isn't very well-researched and informative: the authors studied hundreds of sources, including prestigious medical journals and health organizations, to gather information for their entries. I learned a lot.
Divided in alphabetical order, This Will Kill Y More...
Divided in alphabetical order, This Will Kill Y More...
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(4 people liked it)
Jan 20, 2012
Jennifer
rated it: 
The authors approached the heavy topic of death with a very light hand and lots of dark humor. This book is presented as a reference manual with sections laid out under topic headings like an encyclopedia. There are entries for Alligator Attack, Cancer, Gun Shot and so on. All the major means of death are covered.
In some ways the text does present new info - giving a brief clinician's view of exactly how the particular method causes death. However, that area is very quick and to the More...
In some ways the text does present new info - giving a brief clinician's view of exactly how the particular method causes death. However, that area is very quick and to the More...
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(2 people liked it)
Aug 21, 2009
Trevor
rated it:
Lena has me reading about as many books as anybody else on Good Reads with her wonderful reviews, and this was another of those - http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/558...
This was a strange sort of book. The humour wasn’t as bad as I thought it might have been, although it did became a little tiresome at times. However, the best of this book is that it tells you lots of ways in which you might die and the process that that particular death is likely to take in each of those pathwa More...
This was a strange sort of book. The humour wasn’t as bad as I thought it might have been, although it did became a little tiresome at times. However, the best of this book is that it tells you lots of ways in which you might die and the process that that particular death is likely to take in each of those pathwa More...
29 comments
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(15 people liked it)
Sep 17, 2011
Intplibrarian
rated it: 
If the title and description of this book intrigue you at all, you'll love this book.[return][return]Ever watch the tv show 1000 Ways to Die? This is like a book form of that show. Each "way to die" has a description of how that method would kill you, how long it takes to die that way, an example or two of famous related cases, and various other stats -- all presented in a ... entertaining... way. I was going to say "funny", and the book did make me laugh at times, but at
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(1 person liked it)
Jun 02, 2009
Michelle
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So it's not the book that you chat about over tea with your dearest chums. This one is more the book you laugh it up about over margaritas with your girlfriends or over brews with the guys. I can picture it now... "Hey girl! Would you rather bite the bullet by taking a nail gun to the head or by swallowing Drano?" This book is a charmer for all and, true to its word, a great reference book for the death affecianado or coffee table talk piece for the horror junky. Written in a highl
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Jun 12, 2009
Lena
rated it:
This is a very strange book. If you have ever found yourself wondering, for example, about the precise series of events that cause your body to cease functioning should you happen to find yourself lost in the Sahara Desert without your water bottle, this book can tell you. It can also tell you what happens to your body when you drop a hair dryer into your bathtub, find yourself ambushed by a Komodo Dragon, consume arsenic proffered by batty old ladies, or participate in an "unscheduled pl
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17 comments
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(11 people liked it)
Apr 08, 2009
Joseph
rated it:
The most valuable (and hilarious) reference book I will ever own.
Not that i sit around wondering how i'd want to go, but if i were to go, quick and painless seems far more appealing than say... getting clamped by an alligator's jaws, shaken mercilessly until every organ leaks, and finally dragged into a murky swamp for the sweet releif of drowning (if i'm still even alive at that point).
A staple for thriller and horror writers' bookshelves, as well as for the morbid and p More...
Not that i sit around wondering how i'd want to go, but if i were to go, quick and painless seems far more appealing than say... getting clamped by an alligator's jaws, shaken mercilessly until every organ leaks, and finally dragged into a murky swamp for the sweet releif of drowning (if i'm still even alive at that point).
A staple for thriller and horror writers' bookshelves, as well as for the morbid and p More...
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(2 people liked it)
Jun 16, 2009
Shellie (Layers of Thought)
rated it:
I enjoyed this book. The authors write about a fearful and sensitive subject, how we can die, all the while having a grin on their collective faces. They making death amusing, funny, and curiously shocking. I would recommend this collection of trivia for those with the tendency toward enjoyment of the morbid, those whom are a bit paranoid, those enjoying medical facts or statistical data. The authors and publisher tout it to be a good reference book for writers looking for more information on w
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(2 people liked it)
May 24, 2009
Rachel
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Despite the obvious morbidity factor in enjoying material of this type, I absolutely LOVE this book! My favorite chapters to date are the bits on hemlock and starvation. Crazy? Maybe a little. Great coffee table book and reference for anyone looking to add a little flavor to the latest death segment of a work in progress. Very entertaining.
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(1 person liked it)
Jun 14, 2010
Alicia
rated it:
Amusingly morbid & interesting. Especially the 'on a scale of 1-10' how much does this way to go suck. Everything from TB to the bubonic plague to the alligator death roll, plus a comparison of which death by snake is more awful, venomous or constricting. A: Constricting. Uplifting bathroom reading.
Jul 28, 2009
Laura
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This is not a book that I would typically have picked up. However, I wasn't going to turn down a free Goodreads promotional copy either. It actually turned out to be pretty good book. It was easy to read, entertaining, and best of all, informative. Well worth flipping through if you have the time.
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(1 person liked it)
May 25, 2009
Victoria
rated it:
I really enjoyed this book. It was respectfully hilarious, considering the topic. In fact, I got the feeling the authors were restraining themselves.
Each chapter is the perfect length for going outside to smoke a cigarette. An activity that I'm seriously rethinking after reading the book.
A topic that I was looking forward to, but was absent, was Stinging Ocean Creatures. Where's the box jellyfish and blue ring octopus? The horror factor on those should be pretty high.
Each chapter is the perfect length for going outside to smoke a cigarette. An activity that I'm seriously rethinking after reading the book.
A topic that I was looking forward to, but was absent, was Stinging Ocean Creatures. Where's the box jellyfish and blue ring octopus? The horror factor on those should be pretty high.
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(1 person liked it)
May 24, 2011
Lorra
rated it:
Man there is some disturbing shit out there - guinea worm?? UGH! I'm glad I know some things to avoid and watch out for, though a lot of these things, thankfully, are really unlikely. Phew. VERY interesting reading, I highly recommend. I just wish there was MORE - maybe a sequel?
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(1 person liked it)
Jul 20, 2011
Kelly Lynn
rated it:
Pretty funny, but also kind of terrifying. Sometimes I wonder what they were thinking in assigning the "horror factor" of each death, but overall it's all pretty horrifying.
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(1 person liked it)
Sep 02, 2009
Jeff
rated it:
While being A morbid Read. It is fascinating
but may end up leaving you depressed as you read it and definately paranoid. It's good to read with FINAL EXITS
but may end up leaving you depressed as you read it and definately paranoid. It's good to read with FINAL EXITS
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(1 person liked it)
Jun 29, 2009
Jeannie
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this was an enjoyable read, I learned some things I didn't know. some of it horrified me but mainly this book just enlightened me to the many dangers that are lurking out there just waiting to take us out. a fun read.
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(1 person liked it)
Nov 26, 2009
Brian
rated it:
Finally finished This Will Kill You. It might sound a little strange, but I found this to be good bedtime reading. I could read a chapter or two about what it's like to be killed by Alligator, or Hemlock, or Rabies and then turn out the light and get a good night's sleep. I think this is partly due to the humorous tone the authors have taken even while they relate the most gruesome details about dying. And they do relate just about every method of dying you can think of.
This probabl More...
This probabl More...
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(1 person liked it)
Jan 13, 2010
Scarlett
rated it:
Anything this book can do, Final Exits can do better.
That said, I still enjoyed reading this book. It's a little humorous and has an interesting format.
That said, I still enjoyed reading this book. It's a little humorous and has an interesting format.
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(1 person liked it)
Jan 31, 2012
Ealopez826
rated it:
This book literally tells you how certain things will kill you and yet it's not morbid at all. It's told in a whimsical way. Definitely reccommend
Jun 01, 2009
Kristen
rated it:
Not for the faint of heart or hypochondriacs. A fun reference for the ways we go-and a handy guide to those that are the most gruesome.
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(1 person liked it)
Jul 13, 2009
Tiffany
rated it:
Don't ask. I don't know why I bought this book. I put it on the bottom of my book pile because I wasn't sure it was smart to read about all the ways people can die -- and all the gory details -- while I'm having so many nightmares. But, last week I decided to give it a try. This Will Kill You is not a book about gore at all. The authors do a great job at keeping the writing light and humorous to balance the heavy topics within the book. Still, I'm not sure I'd recommend this book to anyon
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(1 person liked it)
Mar 05, 2011
Kathleen
rated it:
Chipper presentation, fun facts, larded with punning.
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(1 person liked it)
Sep 01, 2009
My son is blasting through this book. I sure could use recommendations for similar books a 14 year old boy might like.
4 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Oct 06, 2009
Robert
rated it:
Very entertaining read! Fun to pick up and read a few entries at a time. I would recommend reading this book out loud to a spouse or friend; and is even better if you get into a "documentary style narrative" voice while reading it out loud.
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(1 person liked it)
Aug 16, 2010
Myriah
rated it:
Holy crow, this book is informative, fascinating and humorous. I gave it three stars because it was a bit of a downer...it was about death, after all. If I read too many entries I would start to get a bit depressed, and would have to take a break.
I liked the length of each entry, and the overall format of the information.
I liked this book, despite the whole death thing.
As a bonus, it is a great conversation starter.
I liked the length of each entry, and the overall format of the information.
I liked this book, despite the whole death thing.
As a bonus, it is a great conversation starter.
3 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Apr 08, 2010
Sheila
rated it:
This is a great little book about the ways in which a person can die, by their own hand or the hand of fate. It covers everything from alligator attack, to death by komodo dragon, to a nail gun in the head and so on down the alphabet. It is written in a lighthearted manner and can be comical at times. The facts are more interesting than horrific. Thank you Goodreads for your contest.
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(1 person liked it)
Oct 11, 2011
Becki
rated it:
Very interesting book on various things that can kill you and how they affect your body. A very good, fast read.
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(1 person liked it)
