{"product_id":"are-they-dead-yet-sam-roberts-9781639733651","title":"Are They Dead Yet?: The Art of the Obit","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom celebrated \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e obituarist Sam Roberts, the art of the obit: Who we remember, how we forget, and where we find the true meaning in a life.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAfter nearly a decade behind the obituaries desk at the paper of record, Roberts knows obits aren't really about deaths. In fact, they usually only mention dying once. Over the course of the nearly 1,500 obituaries he has written throughout his career, he has instead come to understand that they're about distilling an entire life lived-for someone whose name he may have learned that morning. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eAre They Dead Yet\u003c\/i\u003e?, Roberts explores the major questions that arise from the task of producing a succinct yet record-defining account of a life. Who deserves an obituary, and how do we decide who gets one? How does an obituarist choose what to include-and to omit? What happens when embarrassing information, like a crime, affair, or wonky cause of death, makes itself known? What makes a legacy, a claim to fame? And what happens when that claim to fame, so important in death, isn't what mattered in life at all? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith wit, wisdom, and behind-the-scenes intrigue, Roberts examines the practice of writing advance obituaries, of which there are more than 2,000 on hold and regularly updated at the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, America's relationship to death in the wake of 9\/11 and the pandemic, classic euphemistic language, and more. Through it all, Roberts brings his humor, shrewdness, and experience to prove what he has learned from a long career in death: There's no such thing as an ordinary life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Sam Roberts\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1639733655\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781639733651\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Bloomsbury Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/11\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.00lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.25h x 5.51w x 1.00d","brand":"Sam Roberts","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48113683333375,"sku":"9781639733651","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_308283a1-af34-4ac7-8601-a3c67335be1f.jpg?v=1769616631","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/are-they-dead-yet-sam-roberts-9781639733651","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}