Death

August 29, 2016
Jarman, a contributing editor at the Believer, confronts his own mortal dread with this profound collection of essays, based on oral history–style interviews with experts on death such as Maus cartoonist Art Spiegelman, a funeral-focused consumer advocate, and a hospice worker. A childhood friend of Jarman’s recounts his grief after his twin brother shot himself when the boys were in seventh grade, and his feelings of being left behind. A philosophy professor at Oregon State University outlines the curriculum for his “Death and Dying” course. A certified professional in life celebrations discusses the human need for ritual. Proving that even death has a mundane side, a reporter for the trade magazine Mortuary Management breaks down her process of writing copy for funeral home websites. In the most devastating chapter, Jarman interviews a close friend dealing with the recent and sudden death of her mother. Her shock and pain are visceral on the page, and she provides practical advice on how to support a grieving friend. Through Jarman’s discerning curation, interesting thought patterns emerge. Even those dealing with death professionally discuss it with remarkable candor and intimacy. These people, many of whom walk with death gracefully every day, make the concept a little less frightening—and deeply human.

October 1, 2016
Jarman's first book (he's a music writer and a contributing editor for the Believer) is one of the most fun, surprising, and inventive essay books readers might find on any subject, let alone what's sure to be among many readers' least favorite subjects: death. Part memoir, with the flow and appeal similar to that of an episode of NPR's This American Life, this revelation of a book is chock-full of vignettes that dig deep into the psyche of the Grim Reaper and how we deal with him. With essay topics ranging from the death of a twin child in Jarman's hometown, to an interview with a friend after her mother dies, to a sometimes coworker who also has a job caring for hospice patients, Jarman toils under a blanket of irony as he bravely confronts death, a concept he's most afraid of, head-on. Despite the obvious morbidity of the topic, Jarman's unflinching curiosity on the machinations of death and dying make for an interesting romp and read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)