In the tradition of Mary Roach’s bestselling Stiff and Jessica Mitford’s classic exposé The American Way of Death comes this meticulously researched, refreshingly irreverent, and lavishly illustrated look at death from acclaimed author Harold Schechter. With his trademark fearlessness and bracing sense of humor, Schechter digs deep into a wealth of sources to unearth a treasure trove of surprising facts, amusing anecdotes, practical information, and timeless wisdom about that undiscovered country to which we will all one day travel. Topics include
- Death anxiety–is your fear of death normal or off the scale
- You can’t take it with you . . . or can you? Wacky wills and bizarre bequests
- The hospice experience–going out in comfort and style
- Deathbed and funeral etiquette–how to help the dying and mourn the dead with dignity
- Death on demand–why the right-to-die movement may be the next big thing
- “Good-bye everybody”–famous last words
- The embalmer’s art–all dressed up and nowhere to go
- Behind the scenes at your local funeral home
- Alternative burial choices–from coral reefs to outer space
From the cold, hard facts of death to lessons in the art of dying well, from what happens in the body’s last living moments to what transpires in the ground or in the furnace, from near-death experiences to speculation on the afterlife, The Whole Death Catalog leaves no gravestone unturned.
THE SERIAL KILLER FILES
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st edition (December 30, 2003)
ISBN: 0345465660
THE DEFINITIVE DOSSIER ON HISTORY'S MOST HEINOUS!
Hollywood's make-believe maniacs like Jason, Freddy, and Hannibal Lecter can't hold a candle to real life monsters like John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and scores of others who have terrorized, tortured, and terminated their way across civilization throughout the ages. Now, from the much-acclaimed author of Deviant, Deranged, and Depraved, comes the ultimate resource on the serial killer phenomenon.
Rigorously researched and packed with the most terrifying, up-to-date information, this innovative and highly compelling compendium covers every aspect of multiple murderers -- from psychology to cinema, fetishism to fan clubs, trophies to trading cards.
A CULTURAL HISTORY OF VIOLENT ENTERTAINMENT
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (Trd Pap); (March 7, 2005)
0-312-28276-1
In SAVAGE PASTIMES: A Cultural History of Violent Entertainment, Harold Schechter writes, "The current uproar over media sensationalism rests on two premises: that popular culture is significantly more vicious and depraved than it used to be, and that we live in uniquely violent times. Everyone seems to accept these propositions as the obvious, irrefutable truth. But what if everyone is wrong?"
Schechter, a bestselling true-crime author and professor, argues that exactly the opposite is true -- that without the outlet of violence in popular media, a basic human need would not be met and would have to be acted out in much more destructive ways. Schechter's corollary argument is that some of our bedrock beliefs about media are wrong, and that the movies and video games we enjoy today are much less violent than their equivalents throughout history.
For centuries extreme violence was synonymous with family entertainment, from beheadings in fifteenth-century French plays to blood-soaked Elizabethan revenge tragedies. And that is saying nothing of the actual public executions, attended by throngs of spectators of every age, whose screams are still echoing into the modern age.
Schechter also explains how the demonization of comic books at mid-century set up a pattern of equating testosterone-fueled entertainments with aggression. Even the fate of Mel Gibson in the movie Braveheart, which many would classify as overly violent, pales in comparison to the real execution of William Wallace, which was slow, excruciatingly painful, and public to the point that pieces of his dismembered body were displayed throughout Great Britain from London Bridge to Aberdeen. SAVAGE PASTIMES is a rich, eye-opening look at the history and truth behind the media-violence debates of the present day.
with David Everitt
Paperback: 259 pages
Publisher: Boulevard (Trd Pap); (January 10, 2000)
ASIN: 0425172716
with David Everitt
Paperback - BOULEVARD, December 1997
ISBN: 1572973080
Format: Paperback, 304pp
Pub. Date: December 1997
Publisher: Boulevard Books
In the search for quality entertainment, a man must be heavily armed against the snobbery and derision of a Leonard Maltin or a Janet Maslin. Here, at last, is a movie reference guide that doesn't look down its nose at action films, but actually celebrates the genre. Based on rock-hard decades of macho wisdom, The Manly Movie Guide is your ticket to movies that shoot first and ask if it makes sense later. Yet this masterful compendium goes way beyond Arnold, Sly, and Bruce. While it does list hundreds of your favorite films and categories, The Manly Movie Guide is far more than just a collection of capsulized reviews. Like the brawniest heroes, this book has wit, sensitivity, and a real brainy heart. Not to mention the guts to use them all with extreme prejudice. Part movie reference, part pop culture guide, part humor and part homage, The Manly Movie Guide is a must for film fans of every gender and testosterone level.