The Thing About Life Is That One Day You'll Be Dead

Mesmerized and somewhat unnerved by his 97-year-old father’s vitality and optimism, David Shields undertakes an original investigation of our flesh-and-blood existence, our mortal being. Weaving together personal anecdote, biological fact, philosophical doubt, cultural criticism, and the wisdom of an eclectic range of writers and thinkers—from Lucretius to Woody Allen—Shields expertly renders both a hilarious family portrait and a truly resonant meditation on mortality. The Thing About Life New York Times Best Nonfiction Book of the Year, Chosen by as one of the 25 best books of the year Best Reads of 2008, Chosen as one of the twenty best nonfiction books of 2008, Chosen by Amazon as one of its Significant Seven for February 2008 and one of the 50 best books of the year Powell’s Books New Favorite, Staff Pick BookSense Finalist for the Washington State Book Award, 2009