How We Disappear

A Personal History of Information

De: Thomas S. Mullaney

Narrado por: James D. Sasser

A brilliant foray into the nature of information, of history, and of making meaning in the face of death and decay.

Our lives are collections of information—from mundane official documents, poignant family photos, and random artifacts to the cues embodied in our genes. Never is this more evident than in the wake of a parent's death. Yet from all these elusive, even evanescent, data points, history is written and a future is made.

This information is stored on clay tablets and wood pulp; in vinyl grooves, compact discs, and magnetic patterns; and relayed over undersea cables and satellite cell networks. But all information decays. Everything that we put "in formation" eventually collapses into randomness.

In this wide–ranging examination of the micro and macro, world–renowned scholar Thomas S. Mullaney reflects on the deaths of his parents, and on how human lives "disappear." Lyrical and poignant, his erudite, inspiring meditation offers eye–opening insight on the miracle of existence, and on what it means to forge meaning from a chaotic universe.

©2026 Thomas S. Mullaney

Great Insight!

Great read that goes into depth about the things we leave behind and how one day they will disappear. He discusses things like photos, records, books and CDs and how they’re constantly battling against the elements. You will learn a lot about the concept of entropy and how it applies to the things that we leave behind.

The author is a Historian, so it was interesting to learn about these things from a historical lens. In particular, the effort that archivists go to preserve artifacts and documents. You will gain an appreciation for how ephemeral material things are, but ultimately every item will disintegrate in some way because of the environment.

There was a line in the book that stuck with me that goes “ an environment where things don’t eventually break down is both cold and dark.”

Definitely recommend.

Poignant and fascinating

A thoughtful and thought-provoking book about life, love, and death. The polished narration in no way suits the text, which is both academic and deeply personal. This audio book would benefit from a reread by the author himself.