52 McGs. by Robert McG. Thomas Jr.

I found this collection of New York Times obituaries at a Goodwill. It was $2 and my mind has been on obituaries lately. I read the ones in the local paper, and I think about the ones I may have to write sooner than later. I want to know what makes a good obituary, so I picked this up without thinking twice. After all, the jacket said these were “masterful obits” and focused on unsung heroes and ordinary people—who are exactly the kinds of subjects of the obituaries I will write.

I know when I really like a book because when I’m not reading it I think about it and look forward to the next opportunity to read more. And I will often eschew other activities in favor of reading just a little more before bedtime. This was not one of those books.

I understand why Robert McG. Thomas had a following and people liked his obituaries. They are just not for me. It felt like he was trying too hard to sound different and to use flowery language and puns. It’s a style of writing and humor that doesn’t appeal to me.

Maybe it was because it was hard to focus on the book—being distracted by the style—but I found some of the life stories to be confusing. Their stories would hop around chronologically, or a key detail would be glossed over, or a reference to someone famous would be lost on me (usually I’m pretty good at catching pop culture references even well before my time, but I felt lost more often than not with these obituaries).

I did not get what I was hoping out of this book—mostly. I did pick up on some basic obituary structure that I found useful: start with a short lede, mention what they died of, tell what story or history you want, and end with who they are survived by (and maybe a succinct closing line).

There’s not much else to say about this book. I am glad I bought it used at Goodwill. I would not have paid full price for it. It was easy and quick enough to read—when I did get around to reading it.