Mobituaries - by Mo Rocca (Paperback)

About the Book

From popular TV correspondent and writer Rocca comes a charmingly irreverent and rigorously researched book that celebrates the dead people who made life worth living.

Book Synopsis

From beloved CBS Sunday Morning correspondent and humorist Mo Rocca, a rigorously researched, "funny and smart" (Jon Stewart) book that celebrates the dead people who have long fascinated him.

Mo Rocca has always loved obituaries--reading about the remarkable lives of global leaders, Hollywood heavyweights, and innovators who changed the world. But not every notable life has gotten the send-off it deserves. His quest to right that wrong inspired Mobituaries, his #1 hit podcast. But here, in this "delightful, hilarious romp through history" (Booklist) he has gone much further, with all-new essays on artists, entertainers, sports stars, political pioneers, founding fathers, and more. Even if you know the names, you've never understood why they matter...until now.

Take Herbert Hoover: before he was president, he was the "Great Humanitarian," the man who saved tens of millions from starvation. But after less than a year in the White House, the stock market crashed, and all the good he had done seemed to be forgotten. Then there's Marlene Dietrich, well remembered as a screen goddess, less remembered as a great patriot. Alongside servicemen on the front lines during World War II, she risked her life to help defeat the Nazis of her native Germany. And what about Billy Carter and history's unruly presidential brothers? Were they ne'er-do-well liabilities...or secret weapons? Plus, Mobits for dead sports teams, dead countries, the dearly departed station wagon, and dragons. Yes, dragons.

Rocca is an expert researcher and storyteller who offers "joy for curious minds" (Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Steve Jobs and Leonardo da Vinci), and with his dogged reporting and trademark wit, he brings these men and women back to life like no one else can. "In our fact-challenged times, Rocca's joyful tour through the didja know's of history is an unexpected antidote" (The New Yorker).

Review Quotes

"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

"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

About the Author

Mo Rocca is a correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning, host of the hit Mobituaries podcast, and host of The Henry Ford's Innovation Nation. He's also a frequent panelist on NPR's hit weekly quiz show Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! and host and creator of Cooking Channel's My Grandmother's Ravioli. Rocca is coauthor of the New York Times bestselling Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving and author of All the Presidents' Pets: The Story of One Reporter Who Refused to Roll Over.