99 Ways to Die And How to Avoid Them by Ashely Alker Book Review

About the Book:

An illuminating, hilarious, and practical guide to 99 of the most terrifying ways to die and how to avoid them from an emergency medicine doctor.

Dr. Ashely Alker is a self-described death escapologist―or, in more familiar terms, an emergency medicine doctor. She has seen it all, from flesh-eating bacteria to the work of a serial killer to the more mundane but no less deadly, and her work outwitting the end has uniquely prepared her to write this book.

Dr. Alker manages to shock readers while making them laugh, educating them on how to outsmart a wide range of deadly situations and conditions. Many of the chapters include stories from her experiences in life and medicine, at times heartwarming, others heartbreaking. Sections include explorations of sex, poison, drugs, biological warfare, disease, animals, crime, the elements, and much more.

An Anthony Bourdain-style greatest hits tour of death, 99 Ways to Die is entertaining while it informs. Full of valuable advice and wild stories, this riveting read might just save your life.

My Review:

Who knew that reading about ways to die could be so entertaining. Alker has a sense of humor that makes all the difference. Some of the stories she tells about her experiences as an Emergency Department doctor are interesting and humorous. Her knowledge of diseases, animals, etc. is great. And I love her repeated advocating vaccines. She knows whereof she speaks. This is not a book for hypochondriacs to read, however. Even I began to wonder about some of the aches and pains I feel. Could it be...?

Knowledge, humor, experience all combine to make this book a very informative and entertaining one.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Ashely Alker, MD., MSc., is a practicing emergency medicine physician and a professor at George Washington Medical School specializing in utilizing media to create accurate public health education. She has been featured in USA Today, BBC World, San Diego Union-Tribune, TEDMED, and TEDx, and her debut non-fiction novel, Ways to Die, was published by Macmillan Publishers. Ashely is the founder of Meaningful Media, an organization that connects public health experts to all forms of media to develop scientifically accurate messaging. Dr. Alker has contributed to public health education as a medical technical consultant and a medical screenwriter for over 20 television shows, including TV and film for Netflix, HULU, HBO, CBC, Disney, and Apple TV.

St Martin's Press, 384 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)