Marilyn Johnson – författare

“What a wonderful surprise—a charming, lyrical book about the men and women who write obituaries . . . sly, droll, and completely winning.” —David Halberstam, Pulitzer Prize-winning authorWhere can readers celebrate the life of the pharmacist who moonlighted as a spy, the genius behind Sea Monkeys, the school lunch lady who spent her evenings as a ballroom hostess? The obituary page, of course. Enthralled by these fascinating former lives, Marilyn Johnson tumbled into the little known world of the obituary page to find out what made it so compelling. She sought out the best obits in the English language, and chased the people who spent their lives writing about the dead. Surveying Internet chat rooms, surviving a mass gathering of obituarists, and making the pilgrimage to London to savor the most caustic and literate obits of all, she leads us into the cult and culture behind this fascinating segment of our daily news.“A smart, tart and often hilarious tiptoe through the tombstones.” —Parade“This delightful quirk of a book is not dark or morose; it’s an uplifting, joyous, life-affirming read for people who ordinarily steer clear of uplifting, joyous, life-affirming reads . . . Of all the personalities captured in The Dead Beat, few are more endearing than Johnson, a former obituary writer. Her enthusiasm is infectious . . . Writers interested in honing the craft should inhale this book. Who else might profit or delight from reading about obituaries? Just about anyone who’s not yet in one, I’d wager.” —Mary Roach, Los Angeles Times Book Review

"[A] marvelous book about the vital importance of librarians in the cyber age. . . . Move over, Google—make way for the . . . all-knowing lady behind the desk." —Christopher Buckley, New York Times–bestselling author of Losing Mum and PupIn a world of streaming media, digital archives, and Google Everything, some think librarians are as obsolete as print on a page. Marilyn Johnson, acclaimed author of The Dead Beat, now celebrates libraries and librarians, arguing that the work they do is more important than ever. Johnson follows a new breed of visionary professionals—cybrarians—who use the web to link people and information, and bridge the gulf between those who have the tools and resources they need and those left behind by economics, education, or the latest computer upgrade.With wit and grace, Johnson upends the stereotypes to show that contemporary librarians come in a variety of disguises, including: a tattooed, multi-ethnic, hard-partying children''s librarian; a writers'' groupie; a boxing archivist; a Catholic couple who teach missionaries to use computers; and many sexually ambiguous and voluptuous avatars. They''re joined by a chorus of entertaining librarians and cybrarians who make unholy, and hilarious, noise behind the stacks, in the bar, and on the web.Libraries are the portal to our future and the cradle of our past, and librarians are wired to both. Johnson presents a refreshing view of the undervalued individuals who create order out of our messy world."Johnson does for the library profession what Malcolm Gladwell did for the theory of memetics in The Tipping Point." —Nora Rawlinson, The Tipping Point"Topical, witty. . . . Johnson''s wry report is a must-read for anyone who''s used a library in the past quarter century." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The author of The Dead Beat and This Book is Overdue! turns her piercing eye and charming wit to the real-life avatars of Indiana Jones-the archaeologists who sort through the muck and mire of swamps, ancient landfills, volcanic islands, and other dirty places to reclaim history for us all. Pompeii, Machu Picchu, the Valley of the Kings, the Parthenon-the names of these legendary archaeological sites conjure up romance and mystery. The news is full of archaeology: treasures found (British king under parking lot) and treasures lost (looters, bulldozers, natural disaster, and war). Archaeological research tantalizes us with possibilities (are modern humans really part Neandertal?). Where are the archaeologists behind these stories? What kind of work do they actually do, and why does it matter? Marilyn Johnson's Lives in Ruins is an absorbing and entertaining look at the lives of contemporary archaeologists as they sweat under the sun for clues to the puzzle of our past. Johnson digs and drinks alongside archaeologists, chases them through the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and even Machu Picchu, and excavates their lives.Her subjects share stories we rarely read in history books, about slaves and Ice Age hunters, ordinary soldiers of the American Revolution, children of the first century, Chinese woman warriors, sunken fleets, mummies. What drives these archaeologists is not the money (meager) or the jobs (scarce) or the working conditions (dangerous), but their passion for the stories that would otherwise be buried and lost.

"Through a combination of perception and wit, Johnson discovers how archaeologists are invaluable witnesses ''to the loss of our cultural memories.''" —USA TodayThe author of The Dead Beat and This Book is Overdue! turns her piercing eye and charming wit to the real-life avatars of Indiana Jones—the archaeologists who sort through the muck and mire of swamps, ancient landfills, volcanic islands, and other dirty places to reclaim history for us all.Pompeii, Machu Picchu, the Valley of the Kings, the Parthenon—the names of these legendary archaeological sites conjure up romance and mystery. The news is full of archaeology: treasures found (British king under parking lot) and treasures lost (looters, bulldozers, natural disaster, and war). Archaeological research tantalizes us with possibilities (are modern humans really part Neandertal?). Where are the archaeologists behind these stories? What kind of work do they actually do, and why does it matter?Marilyn Johnson''s Lives in Ruins is an absorbing and entertaining look at the lives of contemporary archaeologists as they sweat under the sun for clues to the puzzle of our past. Johnson digs and drinks alongside archaeologists, chases them through the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and even Machu Picchu, and excavates their lives. Her subjects share stories we rarely read in history books, about slaves and Ice Age hunters, ordinary soldiers of the American Revolution, children of the first century, Chinese woman warriors, sunken fleets, mummies.What drives these archaeologists is not the money (meager) or the jobs (scarce) or the working conditions (dangerous), but their passion for the stories that would otherwise be buried and lost."Delectable." —Salon"A gem of hands-on reportage." —Nature