The Dead Beat

By Marilyn Johnson

An interesting look at the obituary, written by a fan of the art of writing obituaries.
Who hasn't read an obituary? Reading the lives of strangers in an idle moment, or reading about a headline maker who has recently died? Or reading the obituary of someone you knew and loved. It's something virtually everyone has or will do at sometime or another. Apparently it is something that a lot of people like to do regularly. They are connoisseurs of the obits. They even have their own newsgroup: alt.obituaries.
Marilyn Johnson is one such connoisseur. She has not only written many obituaries, but she makes a point of searching out and reading the fascinating and striking little histories of those passing out of time and into eternity. She loves obituaries and this book displays her love of this special and unsung form of reporting. Well worth reading even if you aren't one who is normally given to perusing the obit page.

Review by Simon Garfield from The Guardian:     https://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/nov/19/biography.features1.