99 Ways to Die: And How to Avoid Them
From flesh-eating bacteria to serial killers to your next deli sandwich, death is lurking everywhere, and Dr. Ashely Alker has seen it all.
As a self-described "death escapologist," this emergency medicine physician has spent her career outwitting the end. Now she's sharing 99 of the most terrifying, fascinating, and unexpected ways you could meet your maker, along with practical advice on how to avoid them.
Dr. Alker shocks you while making you laugh, weaving in heartwarming and heartbreaking stories from her years in the ER. Explore deadly topics including sex, poison, drugs, biological warfare, disease, dangerous animals, crime, and the elements. Learn why pregnancy is one of the most dangerous undertakings for women, what to do if you wake up with a bat in your room, and why that sushi roll might be plotting against you.
This is the survival guide you didn't know you needed. You'll laugh, you'll gasp, and you might just live a little longer.
Interesting Facts
Death Escapologist Title: Dr. Ashely Alker calls herself a "death escapologist," which is her playful way of describing her job as an emergency medicine doctor. She's spent her career helping patients outwit the end.
Hollywood Medical Consultant: Before writing this book, Dr. Alker worked as a medical technical consultant for over 20 television shows. She improved medical accuracy on productions for Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Disney, and Apple TV.
Vaccines Get Over Two Hundred Mentions: One reviewer counted more than 200 uses of the word "vaccine" before giving up. Vaccines are central to the book's prevention strategies.
Deeply Personal Chapters: Many chapters include stories from Dr. Alker's own life and medical practice. Some are heartwarming, while others are heartbreaking.
Disease Inspired Game of Thrones: The book explains that the fictional disease grayscale in Game of Thrones was inspired by real-life leprosy, which still affects about 200,000 people annually worldwide.
From Strep to Serial Killers: The book covers everything from flesh-eating bacteria to the work of a serial killer. It spans the mundane and the extraordinary.
She Wrote a Children's Book Too: Before tackling 99 ways to die, Alker authored Goodnight Grandma Angel, a picture book helping children understand death.
Wild Range of Topics: The book is organized into sections covering sex, poison, drugs, biological warfare, disease, animals, crime, and the elements. One reviewer particularly loved the subsection on deadly Australian fauna.
Death as Magic, Not Morbidity: Alker describes death as "the force that defines human life as a temporary, precious spark of magic." That philosophy threads through every chapter.
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