Over the course of history men and women have lived and died. In fact, getting sick and dying can be a big, ugly mess-especially before the modern ...
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Jan 12, 2012
Owen
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How They Croaked Book Review Owen Hatzinger
By: Georgia Bragg 1/12/12
Over the course of history, men and women have lived and died. Whether someone had a lung explode, was stabbed to death or dies of poison, dying is one big ugly mess, especially before modern medical care. This book was a very interesting book, especially how some of the most famous people in history died.
The theme is l More...
By: Georgia Bragg 1/12/12
Over the course of history, men and women have lived and died. Whether someone had a lung explode, was stabbed to death or dies of poison, dying is one big ugly mess, especially before modern medical care. This book was a very interesting book, especially how some of the most famous people in history died.
The theme is l More...
Nov 14, 2011
Barky
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If you’ve ever wondered (or even if you never have) how King Tut, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I, Galileo, Mozart, Beethoven, Napoleon, Marie Curie (and many more) died, then this book is for you. In some cases there is still some speculation and mystery surrounding the deaths of these famous people, but Georgia Bragg has done her best to unearth the truth (without having to get her hands dirty performing any autopsies herself – good decision). But this book isn’t just
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Oct 24, 2011
Barbara
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In short chapters, the author describes the lives--very briefly--and then with more detail, the demise of nineteen famous men and women. She uses clever word play and exquisitely described passages to tell in a chronological fashion about the last moments of King Tut, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Christopher Columbus, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Pocahontas, Galileo Galilei, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Marie Antoinette, George Washington, Napoleon Bonaparte, Ludwig Van Beethove, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles D
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Sep 13, 2011
Hilary
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From Julius Caesar to Albert Einstein people throughout history have DIED and they have died terrible, painful deaths that no one would wish on their worst enemies. The subject matter is kept lighthearted with humorous prose and illustrations (by Kevin O'Malley). This is like tricky learning. One just might absorb facts like what island Napoleon was exiled to, or that the president didn't have the secret service as bodyguards until 1907.
I picked this up intending to give it a quick glance More...
I picked this up intending to give it a quick glance More...
Jul 31, 2011
Pamela
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The subtitle says it all: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous. Some the awfully famous whose ends Georgia Bragg tells her readers about are King Tut, Albert Einstein, Galileo, Charles Dickens, Marie Curie, and James Garfield, among others.
Bragg spares no detail in telling us how the people she chose to be included in her book died.
In addition to the details of their deaths, Bragg also includes other interesting tidbits of history. For instance, after telling us about Georg More...
Bragg spares no detail in telling us how the people she chose to be included in her book died.
In addition to the details of their deaths, Bragg also includes other interesting tidbits of history. For instance, after telling us about Georg More...
Jul 11, 2011
Heidi
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I debated for quite some time about whether to read this book. There is after all a warning at the beginning that the book contains "the blood, sweat, and guts of real people." And I've never been one for grossness. But in the end I decided that in order to share it with my students, many of whom I knew would be fascinated by this book, I needed to read it.
This book specifically looks at the lives (briefly) and unpleasant 'ends' of some of the worlds most famous people. I More...
This book specifically looks at the lives (briefly) and unpleasant 'ends' of some of the worlds most famous people. I More...
Apr 27, 2011
Sarai
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I think the title of the book is a bit misleading, because the book isn't always about how they croaked, but what happened after. It also gives a brief rundown of their lives before they croaked.
This is the kind of book I love because it has short little chapters with tidbits of interesting information. The description of the person's life/death is also followed by more information on other random things, like gout, the sign language alphabet, and phobias. Easy, fun read!
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This is the kind of book I love because it has short little chapters with tidbits of interesting information. The description of the person's life/death is also followed by more information on other random things, like gout, the sign language alphabet, and phobias. Easy, fun read!
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Mar 26, 2011
Angie
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This book was awesome. It was irreverent and informative at the same time. I learned all kinds of things about the famous people discussed in the book. Like the fact that Charles Dickens was manic depressive and that James Garfield would have survived his gunshot wound if his doctors would have left him alone. There are fascinating facts about each of the people and they are in short little chapter so you are not overwhelmed with details. Bragg also adds little bits of information after each cha
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Jun 29, 2011
Deb
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"WARNING:
If You Don't Have the Guts for Gore, Do Not Read This Book"
King Tut...Julius Caesar...Cleopatra...Christopher Columbus...Henry VII...Elizabeth I...Pocahontas...Galileo Galilei...Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...Marie Antoinette...George Washington...Napoleon Bonaparte...Ludwig Van Beethoven...Edgar Allen Poe...Charles Dickens...James A. Garfield...Charles Darwin...Marie Curie...Albert Einstein...
You're familiar with the lives of these peopl More...
If You Don't Have the Guts for Gore, Do Not Read This Book"
King Tut...Julius Caesar...Cleopatra...Christopher Columbus...Henry VII...Elizabeth I...Pocahontas...Galileo Galilei...Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...Marie Antoinette...George Washington...Napoleon Bonaparte...Ludwig Van Beethoven...Edgar Allen Poe...Charles Dickens...James A. Garfield...Charles Darwin...Marie Curie...Albert Einstein...
You're familiar with the lives of these peopl More...
Aug 04, 2011
Adriane
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How They Croaked dissects the awful ends of the awfully famous, but don’t let the title get you down: It’s a hilarious, action-packed, satisfying read for those who stay up at night wondering where Mozart was buried, or whether Albert Einstein’s autopsied brain really was bigger. In its pages you will discover massively macabre miscellany about your favorite historical characters, such as Marie Antoinette; George Washington, aka, Little Mouth of Horrors; King Tut; Pocahontas; Napoleon, aka, I
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Jul 23, 2011
Melissa
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5th grade boys will love the gory details of how famous people died. Some include: Cleopatra, Julius Casear, George Washinton, Marie Curie, Napoleon, and other famous people from history.
"Over the course of history men and women have lived and died. In fact, getting sick and dying can be a big, ugly mess-especially before the modern medical care that we all enjoy today. How They Croaked relays all the gory details of how nineteen world figures gave up the ghost. For example: More...
"Over the course of history men and women have lived and died. In fact, getting sick and dying can be a big, ugly mess-especially before the modern medical care that we all enjoy today. How They Croaked relays all the gory details of how nineteen world figures gave up the ghost. For example: More...
Jun 16, 2011
Treasa
rated it:
What an original and very fun way to discuss history and important historical figures! Yes, it's slightly morbid, and there were times when I definitely said, "Ew, that's gross!" But it was also VERY interesting and educational - and humorous! Seriously, I can see kids being much more likely to be willing to read about these famous people in the context of their deaths (which are all fairly gruesome in one way or another) than in a "normal" biography. Plus each person's chapt
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Jan 28, 2012
Alicia
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A skeleton dressed in a doctor's lab coat with cool font and a blood red background-- how can it first not get your attention and not make you want to pick it up?! What a neat book, a collective biography of historical figures and how they died. Each chapter is about four to five pages in length, set off with cryptic black and white sketches (including a full-page introductory sketch relevant to the story being told) filled with humor and factoids that are fun to collect and that ends with a two
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Oct 27, 2011
Gregg
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This unique kid's book comes with a warning: “If you don’t have the guts for gore, do not read this book!” It chronicles the gruesome deaths of nineteen famous historical figures and is not for the squeamish. But if you know a child who likes gross and disgusting, this is the book for him. You'll read about such things as King Henry VIII's body exploding in his coffin; Albert Einstein's brain being stolen from his corpse and his eyeballs being kept in a safe deposit box somewhere in New Jer
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Mar 31, 2011
Lauren
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An appropriate warning introduces this book: "WARNING: If you don't have the guts for gore, do not read this book." Georgia Bragg follows 19 of history's most infamous people and how they died, from Cleopatra (pricked herself with a poison hairpin) to Einstein (a burst artery). The stories are wonderfully enhanced by Kevin O'Malley's Gothic style illustrations. Each chapter has bonus materials, such as info about the era or obsolete medical practices. As forewarned, this book is very g
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Sep 13, 2011
Lindsay
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I thought that this book was great! It details how a handful of famous people died in a way that is informative and catchy. There was a little of something for everyone in this book, the medical stuff interested my husband, the statistics interested my brother, and the random obscure facts kept me reading. Everything in this book is well done, from the writing which is comical and light, to the pictures which bring another medium into the text. I think that in putting something like this toget
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Jun 15, 2011
Vicky
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I find trivia interesting, I like learning about historical figures, and I guess learning about how people died is pretty interesting too. So basically, I enjoyed this book. However, possibly because it's written for a young audience, it seemed to me to be dumbed-down quite a bit. And while there is a list of references in the back, the book is written with such a tone of sarcasm that I often found it hard to believe some of the things the author wrote because they came off more as extreme ex
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Feb 20, 2012
Jamie
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This was an interesting, breezy read that was recommended by the Urbana Free Library staff. The most intriguing thing was the appalling nature of medicine clear up until the early 1900s. The horrible things doctors did to their patients! Blood letting/cupping, beatle sting treatments, etc., was rather horrifying. What this book really did was make me grateful to live in a time of antibiotics and MRI. I was a little surprised that most of the famous people--Mozart, Washington, and several others-
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Jan 04, 2012
Tyler
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This book is great. None of my kids seem to be the "reluctant reader" type, but if you have one this book might be the answer. The illustrations and tone of the book are fun and lighthearted, but the subject is death. So yes, there are guillotines and tuberculosis and poisons and gout. But the writing is surprisingly witty with a wry, sardonic view of the state of medicine at various times that makes you very happy to be alive today.
The author even ends with a little advice f More...
The author even ends with a little advice f More...
Apr 26, 2011
Joyce
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I think kids will really enjoy these gruesome and factual descriptions of what caused the deaths and what their lives were like. I did! Summary: A look at the deaths of several famous people throughout history and the circumstances surrounding those deaths. Includes bibliographical references (p. 164-171) and index. King Tut -- Julius Caesar -- Cleopatra -- Christopher Columbus -- Henry VIII -- Elizabeth I -- Pocahontas -- Galileo Galilei -- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart -- Marie Antoinette -- Geor
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May 22, 2011
Mark
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Just a fun, entertaining read, with a lot of research behind it. Bragg explains how a number of famous people (from King Tut to Einstein) met their ends, and in some cases, what happened to their bodies after death. Bragg includes related facts and statistics related to each individual, and the bibliography alone is worth a read, for the links to some odd and macabre sights (death masks, Einstein's brain, etc.). This would be a great book to bring into a middle school classroom, especially wit
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Jun 13, 2011
June
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Have you ever wondered how some famous people died. (I read a few stories to some children today in academic camp, but they asked me what "croaked" meant.) They were fascinated that someone would actually write a book like this. I didn't count how many deaths are accounted for, but they were all famous people like Christopher Columbus, Albert Einstein, Pocahontas,King Tut, King Henry VIII, and more.
I bought the book because I thought it would appeal especially to boys, but I More...
I bought the book because I thought it would appeal especially to boys, but I More...
Oct 11, 2011
Kris
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What is better than learning that heads can blink and bite for a few seconds after they are severed with the guillotine? Also how poop lead to the downfall of Christopher Columbus. How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg, is full of horrible facts about how some of the most famous people in history died. Besides the gag worthy facts, the writing is snarky and hilarious! Children will have an easy time reading this. Boys who say they don’t like to read will de
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Jun 27, 2011
April
rated it:
How They Croaked is an amazingly fascinating book that will appeal to readers of all ages. Geared toward older children/young adults, this book is written in a way that will captivate even the pickiest reader's attention. As an adult, I had so much fun reading this book. I learned so many facts that I had never even known before - nor are probably made too apparent in history books.
Each historical figure is given their own section within How They Croaked. The section begins wit More...
Each historical figure is given their own section within How They Croaked. The section begins wit More...
Feb 19, 2012
Kathy
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What a great book! I'd recommend this one to anyone (& I have).
I think any age would enjoy it, but teens would esp. Each chapter is 5-7 pages, so non-readers could pick it up & put it down easily. High interest facts that probably aren't well-known (at least I learned some things) are presented in a style of writing that I think would esp. appeal to teens. And, as you read these facts, you also learn some history. It can be graphic in its descriptions of death & body functions, but what te More...
I think any age would enjoy it, but teens would esp. Each chapter is 5-7 pages, so non-readers could pick it up & put it down easily. High interest facts that probably aren't well-known (at least I learned some things) are presented in a style of writing that I think would esp. appeal to teens. And, as you read these facts, you also learn some history. It can be graphic in its descriptions of death & body functions, but what te More...
Oct 20, 2011
Joanne
rated it:
I first heard about this book in a Children's Lit course that I am taking when we were discussing non-fiction. The subject intriqued me and I also hoped it would be something that my sons would enjoy. This book is great! Not as gory as it sounds; it just gives interesting facts about famous people and then ties in the way they died (usually having to do with the lack of modern day medical knowledge). The author's sense of humor is brilliant and makes the book that much more pleasurable espec
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Jan 12, 2012
Karen
rated it:
In great and gruesome detail, we learn Why We Love Antibiotics. King Tut died of malaria and an infected leg, Queen Elizabeth I had bursting pustules in her throat, and Henry the 8th's corpse apparently burst inside the coffin and leaked out. Ewwwww. While the gross-out moments on this are plentiful, the historical information is really quite good.
Strengths: The bibliography shows how much research went into this. What a great book for history teachers to have to read aloud to the class! T More...
Strengths: The bibliography shows how much research went into this. What a great book for history teachers to have to read aloud to the class! T More...
Jun 12, 2011
Carrie
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As a history lover, but someone who gets bored with most non fiction books, I found this one to be fun and incredibly informative! Bragg provides many facts about each famous person in a humorous yet serious way. Not only does the reader find out how the person died, but the reader also finds out about their life leading up to death. There is just the right amount of gross factor (and that's saying something since I'm fairly squeamish). I could see middle grade students really getting a kick
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Jan 23, 2012
Heather
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My favorite line of the book comes from the entry on Henry VIII:
“Eventually he was placed in a not-so-completely-sealed lead coffin. While lying in state, it is believed that his toxic remains exploded, and some of his royal splendidness dripped out the sides of the coffin overnight.”
Royal splendidness! Ha!
This book is completely irreverent and funny while staying fairly true to the facts. Middle graders - especially boys - will love both the humor and the major gro More...
“Eventually he was placed in a not-so-completely-sealed lead coffin. While lying in state, it is believed that his toxic remains exploded, and some of his royal splendidness dripped out the sides of the coffin overnight.”
Royal splendidness! Ha!
This book is completely irreverent and funny while staying fairly true to the facts. Middle graders - especially boys - will love both the humor and the major gro More...
Nov 15, 2011
Katrina
rated it:
The language in the book is geared toward middle grade kids, but that doesn't detract from its enjoyability. A book about death could be written in a very dry manner, but this author injected a lot of humor into his writing. His descriptions of the physical problems and ills of various people, like Charles Dickens, would be gross and inappropriate for little children, but I found to be quite funny at times.
This book is a quick read, filled with additional facts at the end of each cha More...
This book is a quick read, filled with additional facts at the end of each cha More...
