You Will Die: The Burden of Modern Taboos

(Paperback)

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Taboos, by definition, are off-limit topics. As a book that covers nasal mucus, excrement, sex and drugs, You Will Die is inherently sensational and author Robert Arthur takes advantage of that by packing the pages with provocative information and illustrations. Arthur exposes the war on sex and drugs by systematically exploring how the taboos surrounding them historically developed and how these topics are grossly misrepresented by the media. An anthropological examination of modern society, the book proposes that everyone would be a lot happier if taboos were banished.

Reviews

"As Arthur shows in this frequently fascinating survey of things left unsaid, the consequences of refusing to acknowledge basic realities of life go beyond silly censorship." -Reason Magazine "Points such as the fact that most prostitutes are not drug addicts and that many actually enjoy their work, or the argument that the reason illegal drugs are so deadly is because they're illegal, won't sit well with those firmly entrenched in their beliefs, but Arthur's richly researched and readable treatise will give those open to other positions plenty to think about in this heavily annotated volume." -Publisher's Weekly "Taboos negatively affect the latent assumptions on which Americans carry out their lives, and have transformed the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness into the pursuit of health, safety and the avoidance of death." -Alternet "In a sense, You Will Die is two books in one; it is written in a pleasant, conversational style and presents fascinating, often obscure facts in such a way as to make it a great pleasure read, but is both exhaustively researched and so extensively footnoted that it will make an important addition to my reference library." -The Honest Courtesan "We think we understand our societys taboos, I certainly thought I did. But reading Robert Arthurs fascinating, powerful book showed me how little I knew about the subject. You Will Die challenged me in the way that really good books do." -Chester Brown, Graphic Novelist, author of Paying For It
"As Arthur shows in this frequently fascinating survey of things left unsaid, the consequences of refusing to acknowledge basic realities of life go beyond silly censorship." -Reason Magazine "Points such as the fact that most prostitutes are not drug addicts and that many actually enjoy their work, or the argument that the reason illegal drugs are so deadly is because they're illegal, won't sit well with those firmly entrenched in their beliefs, but Arthur's richly researched and readable treatise will give those open to other positions plenty to think about in this heavily annotated volume." -Publisher's Weekly "Taboos negatively affect the latent assumptions on which Americans carry out their lives, and have transformed the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness into the pursuit of health, safety and the avoidance of death." -Alternet "In a sense, You Will Die is two books in one; it is written in a pleasant, conversational style and presents fascinating, often obscure facts in such a way as to make it a great pleasure read, but is both exhaustively researched and so extensively footnoted that it will make an important addition to my reference library." -The Honest Courtesan "We think we understand our societys taboos, I certainly thought I did. But reading Robert Arthurs fascinating, powerful book showed me how little I knew about the subject. You Will Die challenged me in the way that really good books do." -Chester Brown, Graphic Novelist, author of Paying For It