All My Friends Are Dead

This highly existential work of morbid satire was masquerading as something far more innocent nestled among the children's books at Target. Needless to say, its hilarious portrayal of ennui and mortal dread from the varying perspectives of dinosaurs, pirates, trees, and a host of other sorry saps abandoned and in wait for the reaper. A crack up. Your kids will love it.

Avery Monsen and Jory John's All My Friends Are Dead is the existential nihilistic book you've been waiting for. It begins with a careful examination of the meaninglessness of the universe and life, even unto our most basic connections with those around us, before encouraging readers to create their own meaning in order to find fulfillment. The simplicity of the story makes the message all the more significant and Monsen's illustrations capture the underlying pathos at work. The book will entertain and provoke more than a few laughs, but readers are just attempting to laugh off their own discomfort with the futility of existence prior to the journey of self-discover that will enable to them find something worth living for. Truly, this show more is schadenfreude at its best. show less

This is a small little book that I carried around in my purse for about three weeks so I could show it to everyone I met (I failed by not showing it to Erin or my boyfriend, but no one ever said I had a great memory). It's slightly morbid while being very funny. I really think I need to buy it and continue to carry it in my purse, just so that I have something to accost/annoy strangers with and so that I always have something handy to bring me a smile. Sounds like a good plan, yeah?

All My Friends Are Dead is a picture book featuring the dinosaur on the cover, an old man, a tree and an end table (not friends, after all), and others who find themselves alone in this world. It's macabre, sure, but sweet and funny at the same time. I show more absolutely love it.

Daddy and I agree that Death ought to have been speaking in all capital letters.* He loved the book. Because of its size, he wondered if I intended to read it to the chicklets at story-time. I said that most of the jokes would go right over their heads, so no.

The next day I showed the book to my mom and even she chuckled though the humor is a bit macabre and she doesn't tend to dig that sort of thing. Jenni of course loved it and was tempted to buy a copy she in the store a few days later.

I need to buy this book. Seriously. Also, I hold it responsible for making "Dangit" so prominent in my daily vocabulary.

* Reference to Terry Pratchett's Death, who is the best Death in literature as far as I'm concerned. You also have to imagine that he speaks with Christopher Lee's voice. show less

Yes, five stars. For a book under twenty words.

One reviewer expressed his despair that this book had a higher average rating than classics like Hamlet and Jane Eyre and such. He said that this showed how stupid goodreaders are. Also, he rated this book one star, probably because it didn't mesh with his idea of Classic Literature (to be spoken in a hoity-toity aristocratic accent).

As far as I am concerned, that little piece of poop on the floor can stick to his WONDERFUL LITERATURE. You want to read Beowulf and try not gouge your eye out with a spoon in the name of classical, true, serious literature? Fine. I'll just be over here laughing at small books with pictures, and that does not make me an idiot.

Also, I am obviously not rating show more this on the same scale that I would an actual piece of literature with a plot and setting and the like. It's a funny little gag book, and I've rated it as such.

I won't link to the aforementioned person's review for fear that it will set a pack of Restless Defenders of Victorian Literature on my tail, but it can be easily found. So keep your long-winded Dickensian snore-fest. I prefer to laugh. show less

short. to the point. one of the best books on nihilism ever.

ever.

or is it fatalism? who cares.

much funnier than i thought it would be. i thought it looked stupid. not so. darkly, wickedly, funny.

Súper gracioso, la parte del zombie LOL, y las mesas...pobre árbol :'(
Es un libro tonto, en el buen sentido de la palabra, muy corto, te hace reír, y NO ES PARA NIÑOS...a menos que quieras mostrarle a un anciano que dice que casi todos su amigos están muertos, y en la siguiente pagina te indique ahora todos lo están. Te deja con una pequeña sonrisa en la cara.

"All my friends are undead"

All My Friends Are Dead isn't a book for children -- or even the young at heart. Instead, Avery Monsen has penned at book that reminds readers of their own mortality -- in a most hilarious way. Next time you're feeling sorry for yourself, you can remember that every person in this book has it worse than you do.