{"product_id":"are-they-dead-yet-the-art-of-the-obit-9781639733651","title":"Are They Dead Yet?: The Art of the Obit","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Mordantly wonderful.\" -CARL HIAASEN\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"I almost died laughing.\" -ROZ CHAST\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"My own departure would not be so bad if only Mr. Roberts could write the obit!\" -KAI BIRD\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\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 \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\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Bloomsbury Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/11\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.87lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.45h x 5.75w x 1.01d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781639733651\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/15\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSam Roberts\u003c\/b\u003e, a 50-year veteran of New York journalism, is an obituaries reporter and formerly the Urban Affairs correspondent at the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e. He has hosted the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e \"Close Up\" on TV and the podcasts \"Only in New York,\" anthologized in a book of the same name, and \"The Caucus.\" He is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorkers\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eA History of New York in 27 Buildings\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eA History of New York in 101 Objects\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eGrand Central\u003c\/i\u003e, among other books. He has written for the \u003ci\u003eNYT Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eNew Republic\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eVanity Fair\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eForeign Affairs\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eAir Mail\u003c\/i\u003e. A history adviser to Federal Hall, he lives in New York with his wife.\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Sam Roberts \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":48815962423453,"sku":"9781639733651","price":34.8,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_597b0f5f-8db8-403e-9f36-031b93199582.jpg?v=1787063177","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/are-they-dead-yet-the-art-of-the-obit-9781639733651","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}