Death Need Not Be Fatal

By: Malachy McCourt, Brian McDonald

Narrated by: Malachy McCourt

Before he runs out of time, Irish bon vivant Malachy McCourt shares his views on death - sometimes hilarious and often poignant - and on what will or won't happen after his last breath is drawn.

During the course of his life, Malachy McCourt practically invented the single's bar; was a pioneer in talk radio, a soap opera star, a best-selling author; a gold smuggler, a political activist, and a candidate for governor of the state of New York.

It seems that the only two things he hasn't done are stick his head into a lion's mouth and die. Since he is allergic to cats, he decided to write about the great hereafter and answer the question on most minds: What's so great about it anyhow?

In Death Need Not Be Fatal, McCourt also trains a sober eye on the tragedies that have shaped his life: the deaths of his sister and twin brothers; the real story behind Angela's famous ashes; and a poignant account of the death of the man who left his mother, brothers, and him to nearly die in squalor. McCourt writes with deep emotion of the staggering losses of all three of his brothers, Frank, Mike, and Alphie. In his inimitable way, McCourt takes the grim reaper by the lapels and shakes the truth out of him.

As he rides the final blocks on his Rascal scooter, he looks too at the prospect of his own demise with emotional clarity and insight. In this beautifully rendered memoir, McCourt shows us how to live life to its fullest, how to grow old without acting old, and how to die without regret.

Critic reviews

"The idea of death may indeed take away a lot of things, but it cannot take away a great man's sense of humour. Malachy McCourt, as always, goes to the coalface and manages to dig out a tunnel of light."—Colum McCann, author of Let the Great World Spin

"A lovely 'wee' book with a huge questing soul. Written with a twinkle in one eye and a tear in the other. Mr. McCourt writes with an openness and rawness about a Dickensian childhood and a life richly lived thereafter, discovering along the way the liberation of true forgiveness and the healing quality of love. I couldn't put it down."—Liam Neeson

"Malachy McCourt's new book DEATH NEED NOT BE FATAL is one you must get and read and weep and laugh and sing over! A fabulous, funny, joyous journey. McCourt's own life and stories are hilarious and heartbreaking. Celebrate the laughter and the Irish humor that makes us all remember what it takes to do our time here, determined to live forever. DEATH NEED NOT BE FATAL will help you remember who you are and who you love. I loved it!"—Judy Collins

"Malachy McCourt is a born storyteller. The colorful reflections on his life and his musings about death are lyrical and bittersweet, and of course given the author, filled with humor."—Ed Burns

"McCourt returns to the twin balms the Irish have relied on forever: laughter and song. A wake in book form, his new memoir, written with Brian McDonald, is chock full of lyrics and verses from McCourt's favorite songs and poems as well as tales that may or may not be true, but are quite funny even when - maybe, especially when - they deal with death."—The Washington Post

"Much of his humor is near to tears."—p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: center; font: 16.0px Helvetica}span.s1 {font-kerning: none}Michael D. Langan, The Buffalo News

"Malachy McCourt's DEATH NEED NOT BE FATAL packs potent reflections on life."—New York Daily News

"A lyrical memoir."—AARP

"This is one of those books where you ration pages because you want it to last. [...] In a world at risk of drowning in memoirs, often by those who have not lived enough to pen so much as a substantial chapter, I beg you to read this by a man who lived ever so well and wrote about it lyrically."—Jacqueline Cutler, NJ Advance Media

"At 85, Malachy McCourt swears to one and all he's in the Departure Lounge of his life now, but there are few of his age filled with as much fire. Although he insists in his own words he will soon "expire, depart, ascend and vanish," the truth is he has more to say now - hilariously and heart-rendingly - than ever."—IrishCentral.com

"An unrepentant storyteller, he is back with a book on what is clearly on his mind these days, DEATH NEED NOT BE FATAL."—Publishers Weekly

Brilliant

Malachy, much like brother Frank, has a gift with the English language. He is able to cover grim topics with levity and wisdom. I can say, without hesitation, that it is possible to laugh at death. The brothers McCourt are, by far, some of my favorite humans to ever put pen to paper. Thank you for your story!

Wonderful listen!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, Malachy is funny and his brogue is just like my grandmothers!

What other book might you compare Death Need Not Be Fatal to and why?

it's not anything like Angela's Ashes, but he compliments Frank's story well.

What a life lived and shared!

Any additional comments?

This perhaps is not my favorite memoir. There is a great deal of sadness, loss, brutal poverty, and generally the harm humans do to each other and themselves. But, the perspective on life this man has, the obstacles he has overcome, the success he has achieved and the celebrity he has endured; all make for a most memorable read. He narrates the book himself, with a sly Irish accent, and an abundance of wit and humor. Sometimes he even breaks into song!

He is the brother of the famous Frank McCourt whose book I have not read, perhaps being writers is built into their DNA, I don't know. But I do know I will remember this book, and this man, for years to come.

Very enjoyable story

Malachy is hilarious and is amazing at describing events, makes you feel like your part of the story!

The underlying philosophy

The story was engaging; however, some of the details seemed belabored. Overall, I enjoyed the book.