A witty, random, utterly earthbound assault on our most pondered unanswered question:
What happens when we die?
Does the light just go out and that’s that - the million-year nap? Or will some part of my personality, my me-ness, persist? What will that feel like? What will I do all day? Is there a place to plug in my laptop?”
Mary Roach trains her considerable humour and curiosity on the human soul, seeking answers from a varied and fascinating crew of contemporary and historical soul-searchers: scientists, schemers, engineers, mediums, all trying to prove (or disprove) that life goes on after we die.
Along the way she encounters electromagnetic hauntings, out-of-body experiences, ghosts and lawsuits: Mary Roach sifts and weighs the evidence in her hilarious, inimitable style.
“Surprising and highly enjoyable. Mary Roach is a wonderfully dry, funny, trustworthy tour guide.”
Jon Ronson
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“Very funny, and the dottier examples of human resistance to the idea of terminal mortality make fascinating reading.”
Salley Vickers
the Times
“A perfect balance of objectivity and cynicism”
herald
“Those who subscribe to the lazy cliché that Americans have no sense of irony should read Six Feet Over and think again … this book is full of fascinating nuggets … a funny and informative read.”
independent On Sunday
“There is something irresistible about the cheerfully scatological, cheekily skeptical Mary Roach … she delivers precisely what she promises: an informative, diverting romp through a subject that cannot help but captivate.”
Emily Stokes
observer Review
Mary Roach is a journalist who has contributed to GQ, Vogue and New York Times Magazine and is contributing editor for the science magazine Discover. All of her books have been huge bestsellers in America. She lives in San Francisco.