...or Not to Be: A Collection of Suicide Notes

by Marc Etkind

The first book of its kind, . . . Or Not to Be offers rare insights into the lives--and deaths--of such luminaries as Vincent Van Gogh, Sylvia Plath, Diane Arbus, Jim Jones, Anne Sexton, Hermann Goering, Kurt Cobain, and Yukio Mishima, via their last letters and suicide notes.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1573225800
• ISBN13: 9781573225809
• Release Date: February 1997
• Publisher: Riverhead Books
• Length: 114 Pages
• Weight: 0.29 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.1" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Getting The Last Word

It is quite interesting to review the very last words written of one who has chosen to enter a new phase of this time we call eternity. Having read a suicide note "in person" so to speak, I was shocked to realize what seems so obvious. The last word is finally gotten and there is no disputing it. In many instances a very few words in this eclectic collection speak volumes about the life left behind such as the man who wrote "Somebody had to do it. Self awareness is everything" or the young guy who penned "I am sorry...I want to keep Dad company." More than just a listing of comments arranged to titillate, the quotes and commentary are accompanied by some brief histories as well as background and psychological profiles. Who knows why anyone does what they do? The author speaks of a man who left a note reading simply "$36" which was also the amount of cash found in the man's mouth. No one can really be sure of anything but if you have ever lost a loved one to suicide, you are not alone and this collection is a way of sharing the pain of the unexplained.

Excellent analysis of suicidal notes and tendencies

The Author does an excellent job of analysis sets of Notes and explains the pattern through them all. In other words, the author didn't just slap together a compilation of notes -- he explains them and points out important details about how they are written. For example, did you know that Suicide Notes that were written hundreds of years ago has the same pattern as Suicide notes written today? Did you know that most Suicide notes are torn up by the author immediately after being written? This book covers these type of things and much more. The author analyzes many popular celebrity notes too, such as Kurt Cobain (and his wife's reaction to it). The most interesting thing I found in this book was the inclusion of the note O.J. Simpson wrote while in prison, which sounded very much like a Suicide Note and followed all the patterns of one.

Good Read, Good Study

I've you've ever been curious about the hush-hush issues in today's American society, then this is a great book to pick up. Not many people want to even think of the facts and intellectual insights contained herein so this book becomes a fascinating read -- simply because you've never read something like this before. My own morbid mind enjoyed it and I liked the glimpses into the mind of a soon-to-be suicide. Lets you know what to look out for in other people. This book comes highly recommended!

A Book Too Thin

Well, that's all I can complain about it. This is a very well organized book, with a factual tone.Instead of just containing quoted suicice notes, the author also chips in his interpretations and comments. The comments could have easily been pretentious and intrusive had the author not been insightful and careful. I love those comments that bind seemingly unrelated final notes together.If only it could contain more stuff!

Provoking

This is a weird book to say the least. It is voyeurism. Read it and you will see why people kill themselves. Some are serious, others funny, some are altruistic, others stupid. But all end in death.