Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving by Mo Rocca

Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving by Mo Rocca

Mobituaries is a fantastic collection of stories and anecdotes about great, influential people from history that have had an impact on the world, written by Mo Rocca. In Mobituaries, Rocca takes readers from world leaders to Broadway stars to Olympic athletes, to name a few, and asks them to oddly revel in the sense of loss of death and to praise each great life and its lasting legacy.

The book begins with a robust introduction about life, death, and the art of obituary writing. Rocca uses this time to explore his own mortality and ponder the fleeting nature of existence. He especially reads a lesson from a Jewish proverb that encourages his potential readers to “write something beautiful with someone’s life” and to value the uniqueness of each life’s story. It is this accepting message of mortality and honoring of life that drives the rest of the book and the stories Rocca chooses to tell.

In the following chapters, Rocca remains true to the promises of his introduction and gives each historical figure a complete and entertaining recounting of his or her life. From politicians like Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford to singers like Ray Charles, to athletes like Muhammad Ali and Jesse Owens, Rocca writes of their successes and failures with a fair hand and sense of humanity. In addition to many biographical details, he often includes notable quotes from the figures or their contemporaries, which help bring the stories to life and give them a special, personal touch.

Perhaps one of the most impressive features of Mobituaries is the sheer amount of ground it covers. In the course of the book, Rocca introduces several dozen figures from various fields throughout history, from ancient times to the 21st century. He also takes the time to explain the original context of the person life, such as the cultural landscape or even the place of events, in an effort to make the readers understand the person’s full impact more clearly.

What stands out most of all, however, is the ease and grace with which Rocca writes each story. He has a keen eye for the interesting details and comedic moments, but his writing is far from shallow. His explorations of the societal and historical contexts of each figure often go deeper than the simple basics and demonstrate a level of insight and understanding that makes Mobituaries stand out as something special. Whether it's Roosevelt and the New Deal, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement, or Patton and WW2, he manages to bring out the core elements of each person's life in a concise and captivating way.

Overall, “Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving” by Mo Rocca is an outstanding read. Not only does the book provide a comprehensive overview of some of the most influential figures from history, but it additionally takes the time to look at their lives from a more human angle. Even readers unfamiliar with the topics will likely find the stories engaging and entertaining, due to Rocca’s often humorous approach. Ultimately, Mobituaries embodies the essence of its namesake, celebrating and honoring the lasting legacies of the people it talks about, and as a result, will leave a lasting impression on its readers.