From popular TV correspondent and writer Mo Rocca, a charmingly irreverent and rigorously researched book that celebrates the dead people who made life worth living.
Mo Rocca has always loved obituaries—reading about the remarkable lives of world leaders, captains of industry, innovators and artists. But not every notable life has gotten the send-off it deserves. With Mobituaries—the book companion to the CBS podcast of the same name—the journalist, humorist, and history buff is righting that wrong, profiling the people who have long fascinated him—from the 20th century’s greatest entertainer...to sitcom characters gone all too soon…to a shamefully forgotten Founding Father. Even if you know the names, you’ve never understood why they matter…until now.
In these pages, Rocca chronicles the stories of the people who made a difference, but whose lives—for some reason or another—were never truly examined. There’s Thomas Paine, whose Common Sense lit the fuse for the American Revolution—and whose paltry obit summed up his life thusly: “He had lived long, did some good, and much harm.” And then there’s screen icon Audrey Hepburn. She remains a household name, but how much do we know about her wartime upbringing and how it shaped the woman we fell in love with? And what about Billy Carter and history’s unruly presidential brothers? Were they ne’er-do-well liabilities…or secret weapons.
As a correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning and the host of The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation, Rocca is an expert researcher and storyteller. He draws on these skills here. With his rigorous reporting and trademark wit, Rocca brings these men and women splendidly back to life like no one else can. Mobituaries is an insightful and unconventional account of the people who made life worth living for the rest of us, one that asks us to think about who gets remembered, and why.
Industry Reviews
"Once again Mo Rocca delivers a funny and smart offering whilst punning off his first name." -Jon Stewart
"I'm dead keen to read it and alive with joy at not being included."-P. J. O'Rourke, author of, most recently, None of My Business
"In our fact-challenged times, Rocca's joyful tour through the "didja know"s of history is an unexpected antidote."-The New Yorker
"There's an attention to detail in Rocca's book (which he penned with college friend and current professor Jonathan Greenberg) that makes it readable in both long and short bursts....You can pick up the book for a few minutes or an entire afternoon and have a satisfying experience."- Forbes
"[Mo Rocca's obituaries have] a rare and welcome generosity of spirit...They revisit people who died long ago but were denied full appreciation. They're exhumation as celebration. -Frank Bruni, New York Times Opinion Columnist
"With wit, exuberance and a touch of mischievousness, Mobituaries provides fascinating facts for all ages."-Shelf Awareness
"Mo Rocca is like a box of chocolates; the more you taste him, the more you love him. And he just gets better and better. Read on and enjoy slowly." -Angie Dickinson, Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning actress
"Mo Rocca has given us a candy bowl of tasty morsels: tales of fascinating folks that we don't know enough about. It's a joy for curious minds, and addictive reading." -Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Steve Jobs and Leonardo da Vinci
"A spicy blend of humor, irony, wit, facts, fable, and heart." -Kirkus
"Impeccably researched, this book is packed with facts that are sure to give you a leg up at pub trivia.... a delightful, hilarious romp through history. Put this book in the hands of history buffs or anyone who loves a good laugh."-Booklist
