I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

What made this book even more interesting to me was that there was trivia and humor blended into the story. That made it all that much more easier to read and follow.
The book is based on a podcast, but you don't need to listen to it to read the book.

Interesting unique read for sure.

I enjoyed reading this book a little at a time. The author sure has a knack for finding obscure and quirky stories to share. This was both informative, entertaining and occasionally funny.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster, along with Netgalley, for providing this ARC.

I felt like this book was written for me. Mo Rocca blended insane amounts of trivia with humor to create something I thought could go on longer and cover more. I realize it is based on a podcast, but I like the writing style with humor that made the stories of these people more interesting.

What a great book! Wonderful profiles of famous (and not-so-famous) people and things written by, and in the voice of CBS commentator Mo Rocca. A joy to read all at once, though a book that would be easy to pick up and put down at random since many of the profiles are short and sweet.

Mobituaries is a book that will teach you about history as you chuckle.

Mo Rocca does an amazing job at informing the reader about different people such as Thomas Payne and Sammy Davis, Jr. in an interesting and exciting manner. He follows that information with additional information that should be contained in a proper obituary.

These are fascinating. For instance, Mo tells us about earlier use of a long S in American writing and the death of the station wagon. McDonalds’ drinking glass demise is covered under “…and other things from the 1970s that could’ve killed us.” This is an enjoyable book by a fun and optimistic journalistic (nod to his father intended).


I received an ARC from Quarto Publishing through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

Pleasant grab bag of historical oddities and things of interest to Mo. A lot of presidential and starlet trivia. His voice, on the book, sounds a bit like Kasey Kasem. Perhaps he'd do a long distance dedication.

This was longer than it needed to be. Interesting in parts, but is slogged through most of it. It was fun to read about some aspects of people that I hadn’t known about.

Wowzer! Mo Rocca's passion for and playful way of relating historical trivia is both entertaining and enlightening. Based on his podcast, this work covers the "deaths" of real people, imagined ones (like TV series characters), trends and trees even. One can dip in anywhere and read with delight and be fully prepared for witty party smalltalk.

I have been watching CBS Sunday Morning since the Charles Kuralt era and I love the Mo Rocca segments. His journalistic style comes through loud and clear in this book. In fact, as I was reading, I could hear his voice. He not only memorializes famous people, but he includes inanimate objects and eras.

There are so many fascinating bits of trivia, that I knew I was driving my husband slightly batty with constant interruptions of "Did you know..." and "Listen to this..." Some of the bits are familiar to me (but I am into this kind of stuff, so it may be new to others).

Rethinking Mount Rushmore, Puerto Rican dictators influencing baseball, and disco. Ethel Merman disco. You will want to read this with the web at your fingertips. Fun, funny, and informative.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I have long been a fan of Mo Rocca, primarily through his humor and intelligence as displayed on NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me radio program, but I was previously unaware that he had a podcast and show highlighting "Mobituaries" for individuals or that deserve acknowledgement for their achievements that have been forgotten or unknown.

The topics addressed in his book Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving might delve into what the forgotten country of Prussia was, facts about what led to the retirement of corsets, the changes of black representation in Congress after the Civil War, people famous for more than one thing, and presidents who did more either before or after their presidencies than while in office.

A majority of the names covered in this book may already be known to you, but the shared stories contain many new nuggets of fascinating information. Mobituaries is a perfect book for fans of Bill Bryson, who appreciate detailed historical insights with a side of humor.

(I received a digital ARC from Simon & Schuster via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

I made it through about half of this book and it took me nearly two months to get that far. These are interesting, but they aren’t holding my attention very well. Might be something that would be a good option to pick up every once in a while and read a Mobituary about a random person when you have a few minutes.

Plus there was some pretty wacky formatting going on which also made it difficult to read.

I always enjoy the way that Mo Rocca can tell a story, and that carries through in this book, as he has researched deceased people throughout history and shared quips of their lives, including fun facts that may not have been known. This is an easy to read style of writing. It can easily be read in bits & pieces, if desired. Fun learning.

I appreciated getting an ARC of this fun romp through a wide variety of historical “deaths”. From reputations to trees and everything in between, this is a great book for people who like random facts, interesting history, and light-hearted nonfiction. Rocco has a distinctive writing voice that conveys his personality, if you already know it from radio or television. I highly recommend this book.

OK, I admit to being an avid true history reader. But one of my favorite formats is one with each chapter being a standalone story, so that I can get a break from the long, often tedious, biographies. Mobituaries is all that PLUS adding the elements of chapters featuring significant historical characters long forgotten. Each story details someone who made a contribution to society that affected future generations. The author uses a style that is engaging, accompanied by both humor and respect. Most enjoyable!
Note: The publisher provided an advance, unedited copy for review on my Kindle. The format ended up being scrambled pieces, with blank pages and lacking illustrations or pictures, making it unfriendly to navigate. Add to that the fact that it took me weeks to learn how to even access the file on my reader.

I am a big fan of the podcast, so it was a no-brainer when it came to reading the book. While there are a few crossovers to the podcast, there is so much new information.
Rocca has a gift of being able to take two completely different topics and make connections that the reader didn't see coming. Andy Griffith and the conjoined twins Eng and Chang is just one example.
Rocca's voice exhibits an excitement for his subject matter that us contagious. Love this book!

This book was not only filled with many numerous anectdotes, it also is rich in little known facts. I thoroughly enjoyed reading g this and highly recommend it to others for a lighthearted read.

I always love to hear what type of a project Rocca is up to, and this is just as original, unexpected, charmingly clever, interesting, and funny as I'd hoped it would be.

Mo Rocca has written the kind of book that I absolutely love! Name dropping starts on page 1 and continues through the last sentence of the last page. Fun, interesting facts about people from history that you thought you knew but really didn't. It's like when you find out one of your relatives was a great politician, or a great moonshiner...either way, it's a fun read that you'll share with everyone you know. Makes a great trivia reference too.

I’ve always loved Mo Rocca’s pithy and pointed takes, and this book reads just like his short and sweet segments. His enthusiasm shines through his writing. I’ve recommended three times just today and will continue to spread the word about this book (and podcast).

These obituaries tell the rest of the story for people who didn't get enough attention but deserve it. Entertaining and educational, so I enjoyed reading them and learned at the same time!