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The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries (P.S.)
The Dead Beat Lost Souls Lucky Stiffs and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries - P.S. Author:Marilyn Johnson Amazon.com — Once upon a time, journalism profs duly instructed their greenhorn grads to seek out community papers and the obit pages as logical entrance points into the world of newspaper reporting. Working for cash-strapped local papers allowed novices to practice writing everything from hard news to lifestyle features. Obituaries, meanwhile, w... more »ere a rung on the ladder of major publications, albeit the lowest. The musty, dusty obit pages also traditionally hosted aging reporters put out to pasture. Not any more, argues Marilyn Johnson in her unabashedly knock-kneed love letter to the obit pages, The Dead Beat. Today, august publications like The New York Times, England's Daily Telegraph, Independent, and The Economist, and Canada's Globe and Mail use exalted members of the fourth estate to turn out smart, hip tributes to widespread, almost cultish, acclaim. Why? Because, as Johnson persuasively demonstrates in her book, truth is almost always stranger than fiction and a well-written, deeply researched obit is not only a vital historical record but a damn fine read over coffee and toast. "God is my assignment editor," cracks Richard Pearson of the Washington Post and if that isn't more interesting than what's going on in your city council chambers, author Johnson and those working the so-called Dead Beat don't know what is.
As Johnson explains in free-wheeling prose, today's obit writers are virtual folk heroes with global Internet followings and their own conventions. With care and an ear for gentle humor, Johnson guides her readers through the surprisingly structured, labyrinthine obit scene, pausing to meet the writers while pondering both the essence of our being and why, in the right hands, the life of an average Joe can be just as riveting as the shenanigans of a high-flying playboy. And infinitely more resonant. Savvy J-school professors and their students are advised to take heed.« less
Not only is this book extremely well written, it is also downright hilarious - if morbidly so. This is one of those books that makes you think fundamentally different for awhile about what you really want to do in your life. Hard to put down, the stories are infectious.
jjares reviewed The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries (P.S.) on + 3267 more book reviews
This is one of those hip, offbeat books that is such a joy to read. In case you didn't know, we are in the midst of the 'golden age of obits.' I happen to be listening to the author read her own work and it is a trip. It is droll entertainment at its best. I cannot recommend it more highly. It has been so much fun that I turned it back and listened a second time.
Johnson isn't really talking about the obits that family members or funeral homes write for the local paper. She is telling us that seasoned members of the fourth estate write savvy and sometimes funny, stories about the famous, infamous and sometimes everyday people who have died.
Johnson takes the reader to the 6th Annual Great Obituary Writers' International Conference, where obit writers and obit groupies gather to enjoy the written work of wordsmiths sowing obits in their local, national (and international) gardens. Folks pay their own way to hear from the greatest purveyors of obit wit and research. Obit reading has become wildly popular. Who knew?
Frankly, the reason I listened a second time to this talking book is to feel Marilyn Johnson's beautiful use of the English language wash over me and fill in the spaces in my heart that loves a lovely turn of phrase. The 'new obit' arrived in the 1980s but they moved to an art form during 9/11. That's when the newspapers were trying to help Americans process the loss of over 2900 innocent people on one shattering day. I won't forget this book anytime soon. In fact, I've started reading the British and American obits online. Fascinating stuff.
Damian K. (2headedboy) - 
