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Feb 03, 2009

Melissa rated it:

This books alludes to several surprising lessons on living longer like "Don't do cocaine," and "Wear a seatbelt."

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Mar 16, 2010

Sarai rated it:

This is interesting enough, and there is some good information, including websites and phone numbers, but it didn't reach out and grab me. It did give me enough information that I started worrying about diseases I might have that I never knew about before. :)

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Product Description
WHEN THIS DOCTOR TALKS, YOU SHOULD LISTEN.

Thousands of people make an early exit each year and arrive on medical examiner Jan Garavaglia’s table. What is particularly sad More...

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Feb 26, 2010

Kater rated it:

I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, it had gory but scientific explanations of the puzzles behind figuring out how people died. So, that was cool. I always like books about forensics.

On the other hand, no one is going to get any news about what kills you, not unless you've been living under a rock for the past twenty years. Smoking kills you? Really? Seat belts save lives? And in related news, water is wet!

Also, some of the advice came off as moralistic and lo More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jul 26, 2009

RNOCEAN rated it:

Thousands of people make an early exit each year and arrive on medical examiner Jan Garavaglia’s table. What is particularly sad about this is that many of these deaths could easily have been prevented. Although Dr. Garavaglia, or Dr. G, as she’s known to many, could not tell these individuals how to avoid their fates, we can benefit from her experience and profound insight into the choices we make each day.In How Not to Die, Dr. G acts as a medical detective to identify the often-unintentional More...

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Sep 17, 2011

Intplibrarian rated it:

Too simplified. I was also going to say that it was too preachy, but I think that was a direct result of it being too simplified. "Don't drink too much." "I don't know why anyone would try drugs." Really? I think addiction, for one example, is a bit more complicated than that, so her short paragraphs basically saying, just don't do it, seemed preachy.[return][return]I would have liked more detail about why certain actions could lead to death. She mentions a bunch of con More...

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Apr 15, 2009

David rated it:

surprisingly engaging, readable book by "America's favorite medical examiner" -- haven't previously heard of her nor seen her TV show, but she's a good, clear writer and gives reasonable advice about health practices based on her experience of having conducted thousands of autopsies.

Much of the advice is predictable if you haven't been living under a rock (don't smoke, don't drink to excess, wear your seatbelt, wear a helmet if you ride a motorcycle, put a smoke detector on More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 24, 2011

Christie rated it:

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Dr. G. I loved her show until my cable company decided to replace Discovery Health Channel with OWN (ugh). So when I saw that my library had this book I had to pick it up. Dr. G gives the most candid medical advice without being preachy. Her tips on making oneself healthy are simple and not outrageous like some health writers out there. She is a firm believer in moderation in all things. Her book is peppered with examples from her cases, showing how her patients could have a More...

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Oct 17, 2008

Theresa rated it:

Surprising lessons indeed. Apparently, smoking is bad for you. So is abuse of drugs, driving recklessly, morbid obesity and having an accident. So avoid all that and everything's jake.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 15, 2009

Julie rated it:

This book was really interesting. Not as gruesome as I had almost expected it to be, but very eye opening in all the odd and preventable ways that we can shorten our lives. There were about three chapters that were hard for me to get through because they were about drinking, smoking, and drug abuse. Since I don't drink, smoke, or abuse drugs they were basically irrelevant to me and the chapters had a lot of facts and statistics that sometimes seemed to read like a text book, which made them toug More...

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Mar 02, 2009

Shellie (Layers of Thought) rated it:

I love Dr. G. on tv, and I love to read, so this was iteresting for me. It is from the perspective of a Doctor who needs to find out the reasons why people die. She divides the reasons up into categories and gives you little stories about people whom have died within that category and then tells you how to avoid it. Shes very logical and matter of fact about her advice so if your a bit neurotic or on the paranoid side about death and how your going to die this could be a book you may or may not More...

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Jul 17, 2009

Jennifer rated it:

This book should actually be called: "Don't Be an Idiot and You'll Live Longer." But I'm sure Dr. G and her publishers thought HOW NOT TO DIE sounded just a little bit better!

If you watch the DR. G: MEDICAL EXAMINER show at all regularly, you'll recognize a number of the scenarios presented in the book. Even having seen them before, though, I was intrigued enough to read the whole thing.

Most of the information provided is commen sense: if you don't become obes More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jul 16, 2009

Chris rated it:

I have enjoyed watching and learning from Dr. Jan Garavaglia on her Discovery Health Channel series, "Dr. G: Medical Examiner" so I had to read her book.

I was not disappointed, she covered what she said she would and made reading a "how to" book enjoyable as well as educational with her wit.

In her own words, "The advice I give in this book is simple, but it can have a profound effect on your longevity. How not to die really boils down to a set of More...

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Oct 27, 2009

Danae rated it:

I tend naturally toward hypochondria, so starting the first chapter about how you really should go see your doctor was probably bad for me-- otherwise, a lot of it wasn't really surprising; smoking, drugs, obesity, and accidents are avoidable ways to die. Still, good to be reminded. My favorite part was at the end when she talks about how cultivating a positive attitude can help you live longer: "A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology foun that telling other More...

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Dec 17, 2011

Eva rated it:

This book is amazing not for the writing but the content. Dr. G. does a fantastic job of explaining the biggest risk factors leading up to premature death, and she does it in an interesting, easily understood sort of way. There are also stories of autopsies, but nothing too gruesome and nothing criminal, because she focuses on avoiding common causes of death. I would recommend this book to anyone.

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Apr 17, 2011

Eva rated it:

Dr. G's book on how not to end up as a visitor in her morgue. She uses case studies and actual incidents to stress how to avoid death by accident, abuse, bad decisions or plain stupidity. I found the book a little hard to warm up to because Garavaglia's voice is a litte condescending, but eventually I was interested by the case in points and by the statistics she used to explain her points.

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Jan 01, 2010

Tersa rated it:

I really enjoyed this book. Dr. G goes through several categories of ways people die and how many of them could have been prevented. What I learned wasn't the manner, but more how important (with graphic examples) being smart about my health is.

I enjoyed her stories and examples. I give one warning: since she is a medical examiner, she gives some gory details.

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May 21, 2011

Joseph rated it:

ok, who doesn't like dr. g, milf coroner?

the book pretty much talked about the basic things we'd all agree on would make for a longer life:
don't smoke, eat healthy, exercise. blahbluhblah. but still, dr. g, milf coroner, is awesome. and i wish i saw more of her (ehem, i mean her hot assistants) on her show.

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Feb 09, 2009

Meagan rated it:

Not so much entertaining as it was educational, but if you don't like to learn/talk about the human body, it's probably not the book for you. It's fascinating to read about her life in the morgue and what she does for a living. Easy read, probably a lot of stuff you have heard before, but still interesting.

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Dec 16, 2010

Eriana added it

This was a good read for those who do not care very much about their health. Unfortunately, most of those people will never pick this book up. The majority of the info is common knowledge for "healthy" people. I give it four stars for having interesting stories from her work as a Medical Examiner.

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Feb 23, 2009

Jessica rated it:

A lot of the information contained in the book isn't exactly shocking, but something about the way it is presented is making me sit up and take a closer look at my own habits. I am not finished with the book yet but I expect I'll have a few more watershed moments before I am finished.

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Apr 20, 2009

Tisha rated it:

If you've ever wondered what an autopsy is like this is the book for you. Truthfully, I usually get kind of quesy hearing about gory medical stuff, but this was very tastefully done. She uses what she has learned as a medical examiner to teach what you can do to improve your own chances of avoiding premature death.

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Dec 23, 2008

Lori rated it:

I would have liked more case studies and less of the generic kind of advice that could be in any "how to live healthier" book. That said, some of medical examiner Garavaglia's information and stories are sobering.

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Feb 12, 2009

Kristine rated it:

Interesting, no-nonsense book by a pathologist describing how not to die. She's often funny without really trying and it has some good advice.

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Dec 30, 2010

Tracie rated it:

This book was ok, after a while it became mundane, but still an interesting read for those who like forensic/medical examiner themes.

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Feb 12, 2009

Heather rated it:

The stories were just interesting. Though none of the information contained within really suprised me, it was a good read.

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Jan 19, 2010

Stacy rated it:

I liked the stories of particular cases she has had, but the medical advice she gave was very basic and a belittling.

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Feb 02, 2010

Beth rated it:

This book was an interesting journey through the many things that can kill! Dr. G., uses real-life examples of actual cases to explain the tragedy that some families go through. This book was kind boring in some places, but overall it was a good read.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Dec 18, 2008

Alison rated it:

love this book, I don't know if its because of my career choice, but i think everyone should read this book.

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May 23, 2011

Miriam rated it:

Fun quick little read full of interesting stories. Would have liked more stories from her caseload.

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Apr 19, 2009

Diane rated it:

Contains stories from her TV show and explanations of the easiest ways to avoid dying needlessly.

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