by Cathryn_Conroy: Sometimes I read a book just for the clever title. This is one of those times. And while the book was good and made me smile quite a few times, it is missing something big if it purports to truly convey the ideas and thoughts we humans have about the unknowable afterlife: The Christian and Jewish views of heaven.
Bottom line: This is not a serious book—just as the title reflects.
Written by Ken Jennings (yes THAT Ken Jennings of “Jeopardy” fame), this is a fun and light compendium of various interpretations of the afterlife—from religious to literature to movies to television to theatrical plays to music to comic books.
What this book is: A lighthearted compilation of our imaginings of heaven and hell as portrayed on Broadway, hit songs, and bestsellers.
What this book is not: A serious study of what religious people of various faiths believe will happen to them after death.
Jennings begins the book by noting the steep decline in the United States from 1970 to 2016 of the number of people who believe in God, pray, or attend religious services, while conversely the number of people who believe in an afterlife has increased slightly over the same 46-year period.
Very cleverly, Jennings highlights 100 afterlife destinations mostly fueled by the imaginations of creative artists.
Focusing first on the spiritual—from ancient African religions to Zoroastrianism—he then moves on to the arts: • Books include “The Chronicles of Narnia,” “Lincoln in the Bardo,” and John Milton’s epic poem “Paradise Lost.” • Featured movies are “Beetlejuice,” “The Sixth Sense,” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” • Television shows include “The Good Place” and “Lost.” • Musical pieces highlighted are Paul Simon’s “The Afterlife” and the Talking Heads song “Heaven.” • Theatrical plays include the musical “Cats” and Jean-Paul Sartre’s one-act play “No Exit.” • Miscellaneous items conclude the book, including comic books, Dungeons & Dragons, hellscapes in Renaissance art, and even a Disneyland ride to Hades called Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.
Just like any good travel guide, Jennings has boxed copy set off from the rest of the text with savvy traveler tips, such as day trips to take, where to stay, how to get around, eating and drinking guides, what to pack, and more. All tongue-in-cheek and humorous.
This is an entertaining, almost frivolous look at something many people take very seriously, but since it lacks the Christian-Judeo interpretations of the afterlife, it is incomplete and nothing more than playful.
If nothing else, it is an amusing addition to your bathroom reading collection.
