The Portable Obituary: How the Famous, Rich, and Powerful Really Died by Michael Fargo

Writer Michael Largo crafts an over 300 page obituary column paying tribute to some of the most famous and infamous people to ever have lived. There's also quite a few people that have become forgotten over time, slipping through the cracks of pop culture and world history. 

I thought that Largo's writing style was clear and concise. I learned a lot of interesting things from those lesser known celebrities to how medical terms involving the cause of death have changed over the years. I thought it was ironic how over 100 years ago, wealthy people were said to have died of exhaustion while the poor were categorized as dying of laziness; when in reality it was their living conditions and manner of life style, through excess or severe want that were the true culprits.

I thought that there were several notable figures absent from this book. Largo covers how a number of presidents die. However, there's no mention of JFK. Bobby Kennedy, Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr., are also omitted from this work. Michael Largo has another book called Final Exits, about the various ways people have died. I want to read that book. Perhaps he focuses on assassinations in that book and thus didn't want to repeat himself... 

Some of the facts the writer presents seemed contradictory to other books and documentaries I've seen over the years. Some of it could just be me remembering details differently. Though I must ask why Largo neglected to mention the resurrection of Jesus Christ in his listing on the founder of Christianity? Whether the author believed in Jesus as Savior or not, to not mention that many believe Christ rose from the dead was a serious oversight. Michael Largo wrote in other obituaries that further similar important religious figures are believed to have returned to life. Or never passed at all. Why not with a historical figure whose proclaimed resurrection is the founding tenet of one of the most important religions in human history?

The inside cover states that this book covers over 1,000 famous deaths. However, that's a deceptive blurb. I would say that Michael Largo covers probably 300 deaths in great detail and another 100 in 1-2 sentence factoids. The remaining majority are regulated to an index which tells of famous people such as Buddy Hackett and Wyatt Earp, with only a birth date, date of death, age at the time of death and cause. Imagine that, your whole life summed up in 3 short lines- just like a standard obituary.. 

Lastly, this book claims that Michael Largo has a humorous slant on the deaths of these notable figures. I understand that when dealing with such a morose subject, a hearty sense of humor is vital to prevent yourself from falling into a depression. However, I didn't really think the writer was all that funny. Informative? Absolutely! I devoured this book. It was an entertaining read. However, I felt like the attempts at humor were mostly bad puns and the equivalent of undertaker Dad jokes.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.