pickLepore is hands down one of my favorite historians writing today. More than anyone else I‘ve read, she has an affinity for the seemingly odd, quirky, forgotten bits of history which she then weaves together in fascinating narratives about everything from Wonder Woman‘s creator to life & death, the subject of this book. This book is a little more dense than other Lepore books but it‘s still fascinating, thought-provoking & very well-written.
So the same man who had concerns about men having too much sex after marriage? He also had a lot of concerns about young people living in cities...
That man? Sylvester Graham. You might know him better by the digestive cracker he invented in the early 1800s—Graham crackers.
And again, I learn something fascinating and completely unexpected from one of Lepore‘s books.
The “ill effects” of too much sex.
🤨
I‘ve gotten to read more of this endlessly fascinating book today. Each chapter deals with a different stage of life—from birth to death. I‘m currently in the middle of the chapter on adolescence which was originally defined as “...the time between when you learn about sex and when you do it.” Never mind what goes on then, many people were concerned about what happened after marriage...
It‘s an overcast day but no worries, it‘s still nice enough to read in one of my favorite places in the city. The Lincoln Park Conservatory, free and open year round, is gorgeous inside and out—love this garden in the city. It‘s taking me a while to read this book not because I don‘t like it, I do, but because I‘ve been leaving it in my bag & only reading it when I‘m out & about. Lepore‘s history of life & death continues to be a fascinating read.
From the introduction...
...and another reason why Lepore‘s books are always so interesting. She understands history isn‘t a dry recitation of facts but rather a story from which we have a lot to learn...especially if we are engaged in the reading of it.
And this is why you read Lepore...because of course a book on the history of life and death is going to start with a discussion about the history of a game—Life—many of us have probably played.
Love. It.
Today‘s grab and go book since everything else I‘m reading is too big to carry around easily. Lepore is my go-to historian—she‘s an excellent writer who has an affinity for writing about strange, interesting, surprising, important, surprisingly important but little known, straight up fun history. she never disappoints and I anticipate another good read.
"A great many questions about life and death have no answers, including, notably, these three: How does life begin? What does it mean? What happens when you‘re dead? These questions are ancient; they riddle myths and legends; they lie at the heart of every religion; they animate a great deal of scientific research. No one has ever answered them and no one ever will, but everyone tries; trying is the human condition. All anyone can do is ask."
Mansion of Happiness: A History of Life and Death | 
