This Will Kill You: A Guide to the Ways in Which We Go

by HP Newquist, Rich Maloof, Jim Shinnick (Illustrator), Peter M. Fitzpatrick MD (Foreword by), Bill McGuinness (Afterword)

Overview

Have you been attacked by a great white shark? Gone over Niagara Falls in a barrel? Been exposed to anthrax? No, you haven't, or you'd be dead. This Will Kill You reveals the intriguing facts behind the many ways humans bite the dust in encounters with deadly bugs, hungry predators, natural disasters, and freak occurrences. Thoroughly researched and illustrated, not to mention thoroughly hilarious, this book describes in deathly detail what happens to the body when it's struck by lightning, slimed by a dart frog, or flung from a mountaintop.

No other book has ever peaked under the Grim Reaper's robe in such a straightforward and irreverent way. With a foreword by a physician at the Mayo Clinic, an afterword by a funeral director, lists of history's most notable deaths, and a unique death rating system, everything you need to know about the ways in which we go are included in these pages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312540623
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/26/2009
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.78(d)
Age Range:	15 - 18 Years

About the Author

HP NEWQUIST is the author of more than a dozen books, including The Great Brain Book (a National Science Teachers' award winner), the Yahoo! Guide to the Internet (a Book of the Month Selection), and Here There Be Monsters. He is also the creator of the Celebrity Death Trio™, a popular blog that chronicles the passing of fabled icons—who always manage to die in threes.

RICH MALOOF is an editor and award-winning writer specializing in health, technology, and music with a dozen published titles to his credit. He is a front-page contributor to MSN.com, and has also written for CNN, Yahoo!, MSNBC, Women's Health, For Dummies, and Sterling Publications, among others.

Editorial Reviews

Irreverent yet informative…Makes a perfect preventive guide, breezy summer read, or ideal gift for your cousin, the hypochondriac.” —Men's Fitness

“There's nothing like a beach read that graphically details exactly how a shark will chew you up. This book...not only explores the myriad ways in which we kick the bucket (pray you never get a Guinea worm infection), it dares to look at death in a lighthearted way. Sure, being burned at the stake is no fun, but reading about it is a hoot.” —Boston Herald

“From syphilis to snakes, from alligators to anthrax, THIS WILL KILL YOU is a light-hearted look at the myriad ways we humans can depart this earth. It is an iconoclastic and informative romp through our last moments that will leave readers both informed and amused. I enjoyed it immensely.” —Michael Collins, M.D., author of HOT LIGHTS, COLD STEEL and BLUE COLLAR, BLUE SCRUBS

From the Publisher

Adult/High School—In alphabetical order, with the occasional sidebar that seems unrelated to the immediate peril under discussion, the authors describe about 75 specific ways by which individuals can meet their demise. The causes range from the sadly ordinary (stroke) to the much-publicized but rare (alligators), the old-fashioned (hemlock poisoning), and the usually uncharted (playing professional sports). Each entry discusses the mechanics of the particular death (or extensive damage just short of death) the agent causes, as well as the likelihood of succumbing through this means. Data on death rates, parts of the world most afflicted, and notable victims ushered out by the method end each two-page write-up. Also included for each is a "horror factor" gauge that takes into consideration dread, likelihood, and gore, and a brief but useful list of "grim facts" that put the agent of death into place in history or current events. Illustrations are simple thumbnails—no gore. The potential audience for this book includes list lovers, horror fans, and even students engaged in history or science research. Sadly, there is no index.—Francisca Goldsmith, Halifax Public Libraries, Nova Scotia

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