How to Survive Death and Other Inconveniences
In these thematically linked pieces, Sue William Silverman explores the fear of death, and her desire to survive it, through gallows humor, realism, and speculation. Although defeating death is physically impossible, language, commemoration, and metaphor can offer slivers of transcendent immortality.
Forward Review, Book of the Year Award, nominated in two categories: "memoir" and "humor."
BITCH MEDIA: "One of 9 Essay Collections Feminists Should Read in 2020."
One of 100: "The Best of the University Presses: 100 books to escape the news--selected from new books or favorite releases from any point in time."
One of Big Other's Most Anticipated Small Press Books of 2020
She Reads: One of 11 memoirs by unbreakable women
MORE PRAISE:
"Silverman's new book is a joyously unconventional memoir written at least in part as a hedge against mortality. It will shake loose memories, invite you to ponder, and, maybe best of all, make you laugh. This is a marvelously written, imaginative, and seriously funny book." Abigail Thomas, New York Times best-selling author
"With true originality and wit, Silverman takes readers on a wild ride through time, memory, pleasure, and trauma. What remains is a deeply human portrait of one woman's resilience and the power of her spirit. I couldn't put it down." Christina Haag, New York Times bestselling author
BitchReads: One of 13 March Books for Feminists: "Fearing death is normal, and in some ways, it's to be expected. After all, it's the one part of life's journey that we'll all experience and it's also the part we know the least about. Memoirist Sue William Silverman's goal, however, is a bit different: She wants to outwit death long enough to escape it, and she believes she's figured out how to do so. By creating recordings that will outlive her, reliving a youth where she was less concerned about mortality, and caring much less about how she will die than how she's lived her life, Silverman aims to cheat death. Though a book about death should be morbid and depressing, Silverman takes an unusual approach, packing both humor and wit into more than a dozen entertaining essays that may offer comfort to those dealing with death anxiety."
One of 9 Essay Collections Feminists Should Read in 2020: "How to Survive Death and Other Inconveniences is Silverman confronting that fear, connecting it the lingering trauma from a sexual assault, and exploring how her deathphobia has dictated so much of her life—from visiting emergency rooms for imagined illnesses to bending to the whims of an overly strict piano teacher. Silverman's fourth memoir is really about coming to terms with physical death while seeking to create immortal work." ~~ Evette Dionne, Bitch Media
"Self-aware, quirky, and fiercely intelligent…Silverman achieves a kind of immortality. Readers will find both traditionally and experimentally structured essays. Because of the distinctive subject matter and Silverman's vast writing talents, the book will appeal to new and experienced readers alike…. Read any random passage from any random page, and your ears will be delighted by a kaleidoscope of sound." ~~ HIPPOCAMPUS MAGAZINE
"The book's title may suggest this is a morbid book; yet, Silverman in her own clever way leans towards tongue-in-cheek, mixing pop culture, literature, and history with her stories and, of course, her unending quest to survive." BrevityMag.com
Contents
Author's Note 000
Ultima Thule 000
Fate 1
Clotho
spins the thread of life
The Eternal Reign of Miss Route 17 000
13 Ways of Surviving New Jersey 000
Miss Route 17 Refuses to Grow Old 000
The Three Fates: How Much Is the Moon Worth? 000
The Remarkable Death-Defying Exploits of Miss Route 17 000
Until My Number Comes Up 000
Requiem for a Qwertyist 000
My Death in the Family 000
The Three Fates: Drawing the Shades 000
A Member of the Wedding 000
Fate 2
Lachesis
measures the thread of life to determine how long you live
The Sick Hypochondriac 000
The Three Fates: On Tedium 000
The Safe Side 000
My Life as a Thanatologist 000
The Janet Leigh Variations 000
The Summer of Hate and Death000
Here Be Human Dragons 000
Miss Route 17's Near-Death Experience Under the Boardwalk at the New Jersey Shore 000
Sigilisms of Miss Route 17's Many Hidden Talents 000
Death Comes for the Poet 000
Flirting with the Butcher000
The Three Fates and the Barefoot Angels 000
Fate 3
Atropos
cuts the thread of life with a pair of shears to decide how someone dies
At the Terminal Gate 000
Miss Route 17's Own Graceland 000
Memorabilia: My Guardian Devils and The Phantom of the Opera Gloves 000
The Three Fates: When You Go 000
Of Chrysanthemums, Tupperware, Cremated Remains, and FedEx-ing to the Great Beyond 000
Miss Route 17's Blue Period 000
The Three Fates: Filling in the Blanks 000
On the Reliance of Verbs to Survive Death 000
The Queen of Panmnesia 000
Acknowledgments 000
Notes 000