Dead People Suck

A Guide for Survivors of the Newly Departed

By: Laurie Kilmartin

Narrated by: Laurie Kilmartin

This program is read by the author and includes material recorded in front of a live audience

An honest, irreverent, laugh-out-loud audiobook guide to coping with death and dying from the Emmy-nominated writer and New York Times bestselling co-author of Sh*tty Mom, Laurie Kilmartin.

Death is not for the faint of heart, and sometimes the best way to cope is through humor. No one knows this better than comedian Laurie Kilmartin. She made headlines by live-tweeting her father’s time in hospice and her grieving process after he passed, and channeled her experience into a comedy special, 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad. Dead People Suck is her hilarious guide to surviving (sometimes) death, dying, and grief without losing your mind.

Whether you are old and about to die, sick and about to die, or with a loved one who is about to pass away or who has passed away, there’s something for you. With chapters like “Are You An Old Man With Daughters? Please Shred Your Porn,” “If Cancer was an STD, It Would Be Cured By Now,” and “Unsubscribing Your Dead Parent from Tea Party Emails,” Laurie Kilmartin guides listeners through some of life’s most complicated moments with equal parts heart and sarcasm.

Critic reviews

"Many memoirs by musicians include little stingers of their music between audiobook chapters, so why not let comedians include a few bits of live performance in their audiobooks? Laurie is as hilarious in print as she is on stage, finding humor in the darkest of subjects: hospice care, cancer, and death. Sprinkled throughout the essays are pieces of her stand-up on the subject of being parentless at 48. I hope more comedians are inspired both by her material and her choices for the way she recorded it." -Thrillist

“Dead People Suck but this guide absolutely doesn’t. I’ve never read something so cynical that’s also so life-affirming.”
—Patton Oswalt, comedian and New York Times bestselling author of Silver Screen Fiend and Zombie Spaceship Wasteland

“I don’t know how Laure Kilmartin managed to make this book both heart-breaking and hilarious, but she did. It’s honest and uncomfortable and brilliantly useful.”
—Cynthia Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest

"The comedian and Emmy-nominated writer for "Conan" narrates her hilarious and heartfelt how-tos for coping with grief." -New York Times Book Review

"[I]nfused with Kilmartin's wit and buoyed by personal stories. It's a mix of live readings and studio tracks. It's a tug at the heart strings, a cup of cold water in your face, and a lot of laughs." -Department of Tangents podcast

"Writing and performing this book must have been therapeutic for [Laurie] Kilmartin. It might be for you, too." -Providence Journal

Great book!

Great book, funny and sad and poignant and funny. Perfect for those with newly departed relatives, or relatives you wish were departed.

Wasn't my cup of tea

It was so-so. Nothing huge to recommend. A few funny moments here and there, but not really as explained in the synopsis.

Exactly What I Needed

Laurie Kilmartin's experience is extremely different from mine. Much of her book deals with hospice, which is not a part of my story of loss. Even so, the raw truth expressed opened up a whole new batch of feels. Then the chapters about what happens after the loved one passes -- I can't express how real and close it felt. This book makes me want to contact Laurie and share my grief stories with her, but I won't do that because that would be weird. For reference, it's been just over two years since my loss. For the audio, I particularly loved the chapters that were recorded live, but all of it was amazing. Thank you, Laurie Kilmarten.

Both irreverent and heartfelt.

In spite of the title, I think this book is better suited for people who didn’t lose someone very recently. I think one needs a bit of time, distance, and perspective to appreciate the message and humor of this book. And it’s not revealed in the title, but this book is really for adults who have lost one or both parents. It’s not really about losing a child, spouse, or friend.

For people coping with the loss of a parent this book offers hard truths, insights, helpful hints, humor, and a feeling that none of us are in this alone. The vast majority of us will suffer the loss of our parents. The author lost her elderly dad when she was in her late 40s. A comedy writer by profession she brings her take to the situation and offers some moments of humor as she also shares her broken heart. In addition there are some insights into better preparing for our own inevitable mortality and thankfully she finds humor there as well.

An unusual format in that she intersperses her narration with audio from her stand up.

Dead DO Suck! But this book does not.

I’ve gone through losing my young friends and grandfather these past few years. Grief is not easy to articulate but this book helped make me laugh and not feel alone in my grief. Thank you, Laurie!!!