Pocket Guide to the Afterlife: 91 Places Death Might Take You

by Augusta Moore, Elizabeth Ripley

A cleverly illustrated handbook to forty of the world's most fascinating religions, complete with tips on how to make it to the Eternal Plane of your choosing.

Are you a virtuous person with no religion to call your own? Have you finished planning your life but can't decide what to do when it ends? Do you sometimes just get curious about Wiccan religious beliefs? I f you answered yes to any of these questions, then you're in luck.

In this essential guide to the afterlife, authors Augusta Moore and Elizabeth Ripley take us through religions from Ásatrú to Zoroastrianism, outlining their views of damnation, apocalypse, reincarnation, and more. Do you long to live out eternity on your very own planet? Check out the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Would you rather just lay out on the beach until the end of time? Druidism may be for you. Are you more of a stoic, no-frills type? Nirvana may be just what you need.

Filled with handy diagrams, illustrations, and fun facts about each religion, The Pocket Guide to the Afterlife is the only book you'll need for the rest of eternity.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Death, Humor, Philosophy

160 pages, Paperback

First published December 23, 2008

Reviews

[MKF · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel as if the hours reading this was wasted. The childish illustrations was the first thing I noticed and disliked. Flipping through it I was surprised to see to The Church of Satan included and read it first. I noticed then and throughout the book the authors really stuck to resorting to stereotypes. They also tried so hard to be humorous I kept asking myself was that suppose to be funny? The information on the religions and afterlives are very basic and dumbed down which makes it easier to understand. But by doing that leave out a lot of information or they just add information that is not correct. The best thing you could use this book for a probably a jumping off point. If one sounds interesting then go and find books on that religion in order to learn about it.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

With clearly illustrated flow charts representing the progress (or not) of the soul in 91 world religions, this book brings home a certain point to me. My life would be a lot more interesting and full of possibility if I believed in things I can't see. (Though, atheism is included, along with satanism.)
The trouble is, all the really cool religions don't go recruiting door to door. Dear Voudou, Shinto, Santeria and Sufism, please send missionaries to Edgewood (near Target).

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be enlightening. Don't focus on the idea it's humorous; just read it as an enjoyable, informative book!

[Theresahpir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this little full-color, illustrated gem at a local Goodwill and while I was thrilled at my luck, didn't realize at first just how cool this book really is. The Pocket Guide to the Afterlife features 91 different religions from all corners of the globe and gives a brief overview of that religion, breaking down in somewhat greater detail what each religion says about that age-old question: "Where do we go after we die?"

Being a paranormal investigator, I assumed this was going to be a handy reference guide for when we deal with clients of varying beliefs and backgrounds. I am a firm believer that you cannot offer your client the best and most effective course of action unless you really understand what is going on through THEIR perspective...and while arguably religion has little to no place in scientific investigation, religious beliefs undoubtedly help shape a client's perspective on what is happening to them.

What I didn't realize was how profound of an impact this book would have on me personally. For a cute little book filled with somewhat goofy pictures and very brief synopses on some truly unique religions, I got a lot out of it! Granted, I don't foresee too many Zoroastrians coming to us for help with their paranormal problems, but it was really cool to compare how religions that are light years apart can have such similar belief structures when it comes to the afterlife. There were several cases where different religious interpretations of the afterlife even seemed to accurately explain some of those universally held paranormal ideas that so many people just accept as fact without ever questioning where that information originally came from!

Of an even more personal nature, this book really sparked a lot of internal dialogue and thinking within myself. Reading through the different belief systems, I kept finding examples that closely fit in with my own belief systems...which up until this point I sort of gave a very non-committal 'agnostic' title to. It really got me thinking about my own beliefs, my own religion, and most importantly, the idea that so many people falling into the middle (or just having beliefs that reflect some, but not all, of the tenets of various religions) must mean that NO ONE has gotten the whole religion thing 100% correct yet! That's a pretty deep emotional response for a book that is largely supposed to be a quirky and humorous novelty book!

Even if you're already deeply rooted in your belief system, this is still a great little handy reference to have on hand and its a quick and fun read. I definitely learned a lot that I didn't know before and have a whole page worth of notes to research for further information. This book is a great little addition to any paranormal, religious, non-fiction, etc. home library!

[Kirsten Gay · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book tries way too hard to be funny. It obviously wasn't intended to be educational, but the information goes from wildly exaggerated to just plain incorrect. If they had stuck to actual facts it would have been funny and interesting, but this reads like a snarky take on world religion written by people who are way too cool and smart to believe in anything.

[Kyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's fun. Not deep theological exploration, but fun. Moore does a very good job of giving the reader a well-researched nutshell description of what may happen after you die, from 91 different spirituality's viewpoints. For a reader interested in comparative religions, this book might be a good jumping-off point to further reading.

[Sarah Jacquie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amusing, interesting, and definitely something I think anyone would have a hard time resisting to thumb through -- no matter what you believe!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not absolutely factual but definitely a fun read.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of me feels guilty including this as part of my challenge since it only has 159 pages, but it is hysterical, and I learned a lot. I can't give it 5 stars, but it is a really good read.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are at least 90 different answers to the question: What happens after I die?

[Trdat III · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very edgy book.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just an okay read. The authors did a good job of "dumbing" the religions down so they were easy to understand, but I think they overdid it in some areas. At times, the descriptions emphasized the odd parts of the religions more than necessary in an attempt to make things funny. The result was that a lot of the time, it felt like I was reading propaganda about the religions rather than facts. The kind of thing one religion may say about another to deter people from joining. On the bright side, it was done equally to all the religions within the book, but it made the book much less fun and interesting for me to read.

I expected it to be a playful description of each religion given the nature of the book, but I also expected it to be factual. Which maybe was asking too much. At times, as I said, the exaggeration or slanted focus of the details made things a little less than factual. Anyway, it's an okay read but not really funny. There are better books out there with info on each religion, but if you're just looking for a quick snapshot to give you a glimpse of each religion's afterlife, you may like this book. Just don't treat it as the go-to source for information.

[Kathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Neither funny nor educational to me.