jjares reviewed on 1/22/2020 + 3316 more book reviews

The snappy details about the famous are delightful to devour and a reader can't stop at just one. This isn't your grandmother's history text; it is a light-hearted look at the foibles, errors and personality flaws of the rich and famous. I developed a taste for Georgia Bragg's outlandish way-with-words while reading her "How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous." My only unhappiness is that she doesn't seem to be writing fast enough for her fans.

Here's a listing of the 14 famous (who are delightfully skewered by the author): Marco Polo, Isabelle of Castille, Montezuma II, Ferdinand Magellan, Anne Boleyn, Isaac Newton, Benedict Arnold, Susan B. Anthony, George Armstrong Custer, Thomas Alva Edison, Vincent Van Gogh, J. Bruce Ismay, Joseph Jefferson "Shoeless Joe" Jackson, Amelia M. Earhart. The point of the book is not to remind you of what you know but entertain you with wildly-improbable, but actually (little-known) facts about various paragons. A really fun read.

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