Module 11: How They Croaked

How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg

Book Cover Image:

Book Summary:

How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg is an informational book intended for teen readers curious to learn the gory details about how famous individuals, such as Christopher Columbus, Pocahontas, and George Washington passed away. The 19 historical figures discussed in the book are listed in order according to their date of death, starting with King Tut in 1323 B.C. and ending with Albert Einstein in April 18, 1955. Bragg includes details on the events leading up to their deaths, the unsuccessful and often barbaric medical treatments attempted, and any interesting autopsy findings or treatment of the body after death. The information is factual, but the tone is conversational, making How They Croaked an interesting, gross-out read.

          

APA Reference of Book:

Bragg, G. (2011). How they croaked: The awful ends of the awfully famous. New York: Walker Publishing Company, Inc.

Impressions:

The irreverent title and creepily clever skeletal physician on the book cover are instant attention-grabbers, and once teens take a peek inside, they are sure to be hooked.  How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous is packed full of little known facts about how famous individuals died.  This is information that students want to know, but are unlikely to find discussed in depth in most biographies or history textbooks which focus on the accomplishments and societal impact of historical figures.  The descriptions of each historical figure’s death are gruesomely detailed and designed to be startling; Bragg tempers this with a humorous writing style that can be seen immediately in the chapter titles, like George Washington: Little Mouth of Horrors and Marie Curie: You Glow, Girl.  Bragg also includes interesting facts about each individual’s life, family background, and accomplishments to help readers form an impression of the times each figure lived in. Improbable as it may seem, this book is so entertaining that students are bound to want to conduct self-directed research into the lives of the historical figures mentioned.  It is a disturbingly, interesting read.  

Professional Review:

School Library Journal

“King Tut died of malaria; Edgar Allan Poe is suspected to have had rabies. Beethoven and Galileo both met their ends due to lead poisoning. Fifteen other historical figures, including world leaders, writers, and scientists, were felled by things as mundane as pneumonia and as unpredictable as angry mobs. Each entry provides the circumstances of the person's death and gives context to those circumstances, from discussions of the political climate to medical practices of the time. Chapters are separated by a spread of brief facts related to the individual, the demise, or the era. Lively, full-page caricatures set in decorative frames appear throughout, along with spot illustrations. Back matter includes a lengthy list of sources. The sometimes-snarky writing gives the material a casual, conversational tone that will appeal to many readers. The title alone provides an easy booktalk; expect this one to be passed around and pored over.”

Danner, B. (2011, April). [Review of the book How they croaked: The awful ends of the awfully famous, by G. Bragg].  School Library Journal, (57)4, 189-190. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/

Library Uses:

Middle School Library

The informational book format allows the librarian to easily read a couple of chapters to peek student interest in the book. How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous also contains a list of books and websites for further reading and investigation into the lives of each historical figure.  Coordinating with the campus history teacher, the librarian could direct students to use these resources to complete a research project about the lives and deaths of famous historical figures.