Author Cyrus M. Copeland has long thought about assembling a book of collected eulogies, as a matter of fact, since the time that he had “the bittersweet pleasure” of composing a eulogy for his father. After 9/11, Copeland found even more reason to start to work on the book.
Among those eulogized in “Farewell, Godspeed:The Greatest Eulogies of Our Time” (Harmony) are John F. Kennedy, Jack Benny, Sonny Bono and Bette Davis. Most of the source material, ranging from newspapers to audio and video tapes, was acquired at libraries.
Author Copeland states “These are people who left an imprint on how our world works.They are people who have taken their 15 minutes and stretched it to an entire lifetime.” Perhaps the saddest conclusion Copeland reached through his research was that all these great things said about great people were said after their deaths.
Here are two reviews: one from the St. Louis Post Dispatch and another from today’s New York Times entitled “She Loved Life (And Bourbon. And Bawdy Jokes)”.
Recent Comments