title: Exit Laughing: How Humor Takes the Sting Out of Death (Io Series)
author:  Victoria Zackheim 
description: "Follow the adventures of a funeral party led astray by a lost hearse, or picture the kazoo being played at Jessica Mitfords funeral. Some of the selections will remind readers of similar encounters with grief, and of the absurd events that interrupt the depressing times that force one to laugh in spite of the sorrow."<br /><i>San Francisco Book Review</i><br /><br />"Death happens, and the writers in <i>Exit Laughing</i> show that humor can serve as an acceptable and beneficial means to mend broken hearts. Laughter, Zackheim writes in her introduction, 'can open the door to emotions shared, and perhaps through this sharing we can not only process the reality of death but mend the complex and often difficult relationships we share with the person who is dying.'"<br /><i>Shelf Awareness</i><br /><br />"<i>Exit Laughing</i> puts a light twist on a serious topic: death."<br /><i>J Weekly</i><br /><br /><i>Exit Laughing</i> makes death more approachable as it reveals the funny side of passing on.<br />Literary Mama<br /><br />The stories in<i>Exit Laughing</i>all address a subject that many of us have difficulty discussing: death and its inevitability, its circumstances, its sadness and all the other emotions that go along with it. But the dominant theme running throughout this anthology, and hence the title, is humor. It is so welcome. Each of the authors in Victoria Zackheim's collection shares personal anecdotes and stories: fond (and sometimes not so fond) recollections all tinged with the love, feelings, and humor enjoyed with the subjects. Ms. Zackheim says in her introduction that so many of us use humor to ease pain; it can play an important role in helping us talk about and accept the death of a loved one. This anthology clearly underscores that concept. <br />Story Circle Book Reviews<br /><br />This comforting book makes the reader feel as if she has been invited to a dinner party to share not only good food, but personal stories about how humor appeared at times of death of a loved one.<br />Transitional Keys<br /><br />As we all know, laughter is goodtherapy, just as writing about death is good grief work. Exit Laughing: How Humor Takesthe Sting Out of Death is funny and therapeutic. Its a useful book for mourners, fortherapists, and for anyone who is worried about the impending death of a loved one.<br /><i>PsycCritiques,</i>American Psychological Association<br /><br />From beloved husbands to difficult mothers and more, this moving and often fiercely funny collection illuminates with grace, humor, and a few belly laughs the way someones death can change our lives.<br />Caroline Leavitt, <i>New York Times </i>best-selling author of <i>Pictures of You</i><br /> <br /> In a culture where the discussion of death is basically taboo, the authors in <i>Exit Laughing </i>relate their stories with candor, compassion, love, and yes, humor. A perfect mix of gravitas and levity to the subject nobody wants to talk about: mortality. As funny and poignant as <i>Harold and Maude</i>, <i>Exit Laughing </i>makes it clear that even the Grim Reaper will put on a monkey face and maybe even giggle, when tickled.<br />Sara Pritchard, author of <i>Crackpots</i> and <i>Help Wanted: Female<br /></i><br />I love this anthology! Absorbing, poignantly moving, but most of all, profoundly life-affirming.Sandra Gulland, best-selling author of<i>Mistress of the Sun</i> and <i>The Josephine B. Trilogy<br /></i><br />This gem of an anthology about what we fear, avoid, would rather not mention, let alone read aboutdeathis the funniest book Ive read in years. <i>Exit Laughing</i> is a bold, outrageous, never sanctimonious, death-defying collection that looks straight in the eye of the inevitable while making you laugh real tears.<br /> Beverly Donofrio, author of <i>Riding in Cars with Boys</i> and <i>Looking for Mary<br /></i>
zlib_text: Critical Acclaim for Eating the Cheshire Cat
  “Helen Ellis’s murderously comic novel . . . is bright as bubble gum even as it bats
  around issues of inﬁdelity, betrayal, molestation, and self-mutilation.”
  —Mark Rozzo, Los Angeles Times
  “. . . sometimes shocking, often hilarious . . .”
  —Joy Jacobs, Vogue
  “If there is a prize awarded for Most Outrageous Opening Scene, surely Ellis is a
  prime contender.  .  .  . This is a ﬁrst novel with all the polish and style of a much-
  published author; it is mean-spirited, gloriﬁes revenge, and is chillingly, killingly
  funny.”
  —Valerie Ryan, The Seattle Times
  “. . . dark, funny satire . . .”
  —Seventeen
  “The home of the Crimson Tide will never be the same. . . .”
  —Randall Curb, Oxford American
  “. . . darkly comic farce . . .”
  —Rhonda Johnson, Entertainment Weekly
  “. . . poignant . . .”
  —Jennifer Becker, Boston Herald
  “Southern Gothic never had it so funny as it does in Helen Ellis’s hilarious if chilling
  debut novel.”
  —Susan Larson, The Times-Picayune
  “