Module 11 - How they croaked: the awful ends of the awfully famous

Summary
How they croaked: the awful ends of the awfully famous is a collection of stories about the deaths of historical people.  Famous characters include Edgar Allen Poe, King Tut, Albert Einstein, and Marie Antoinette.  Many of the fine details of their death and diseases are explained along with medical procedures of their time.

Impressions
Love this book.  The author has a great sense of humor and a large dose of sarcasm.  The material, which is not new information, is presented in an entertaining yet informational format.  I was surprised at how much I learned about the deaths and medical care of the historical characters presented in this book.  To learn and laugh at the same time read this book!

 Reviews

The most reluctant of readers will find it difficult to resist this consistently disgusting chronicle of the gruesome deaths of 19 will famous people. Bragg opens with King Tut, discussing in gory details the embalming and mummification processes of the ancient Egyptians. Among the many macabre details is an explanation for why mummy eye sockets look empty: "Eyeballs shrink to almost nothing during the drying process" (the author notes that if mummy eyeballs are rehydrated, they return to almost normal size). Among the other famous figures profiled are Henry VIII, whose corpse exploded in its coffin while lying in state; George Washington, who was drained of 80 ounces of his blood by doctors before dying; and Marie Curie, who did herself in with constant radiation exposure. The accounts of how ill or injured people were treated by doctors through the 19th century reveal that medical practices were usually more lethal than the maladies. Between each chapter, there is a page or two of related and gleefully gross facts. Bragg's informal, conversational style and O'Malley's cartoon illustrations complement the flippant approach to the subject; the energetically icky design includes little skulls and crossbones to contain page numbers. Engaging, informative and downright disgusting. (sources, further reading, websites, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

 How they croaked. (2011). Kirkus Reviews, LXXIX(3) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/915736316?accountid=7113

YA Illustrated by Kevin O'Malley. The demises of nineteen famous people, beginning with King Tut and ending with Albert Einstein, are recounted in gory detail. Attempts to lighten the accounts through use of a jokey tone and conversational slang can tiptoe into tastelessness; nevertheless, readers are warned in an introduction, and reluctant ones may snap this up. Crosshatched black-and-white spot art appears throughout the text. Reading list, websites. Ind. DJF

Ford, D. J. (2011, Fall). Bragg, Georgia: How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous. The Horn Book Guide, 22(2), 471. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA271052981&v=2.1&u=txshracd2679&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w

Suggestions 
This would be a great and fun way to do a know and need to know chart.  Students could create a chart about what they know about the death of one of the historical characters in the book and then read the passage that discusses what actually happened.

For ELA you could also introduce humor in a passage. 

References

Bragg, G., & O, K. (2012). How they croaked, the awful ends of the awfully famous. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

https://www.perma-bound.com/ws/image/cover/49510/m?ref=vd