I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author Liz Scott explores the concept of death through myth and science in the book “You’re Going to Die, but Not Me!”
The Synopsis
In this fearless, riveting work, Liz Scott stares down the great inevitability, death, with a mix of razor-sharp wit, scholarly curiosity, and unflinching vulnerability. From the ancient dreamers who sought immortality to modern laboratories probing the mysteries of near-death experiences, Scott escorts us through humanity’s most profound obsessions. She delves into panpsychism and Buddhist detachment with the same verve she applies to the earthy, pragmatic realities of human composting.
What makes the journey unforgettable is her own presence at its center: a candid, self-aware narrator wrestling with her fear of annihilation, punctuating deep research with stories that are as tender as they are illuminating. This is not just a meditation on mortality, it’s an enthralling quest for meaning, brimming with emotional honesty and intellectual daring. Scott’s voice is the rare guide who can make you laugh while asking you to face the abyss, and leave you strangely grateful for the view.
THE REVIEW
Immediately, I was struck by how honest yet humorous the author presented these essays and memoir-style passages. The realities of death and the human response to it are a subject that is filled with so many nuanced emotions, from dread and fear to love and acceptance, and the author does a great job of tapping into these emotions through the book. The book’s interactive nature stands out as well, allowing readers to create a to-do list and even providing reading lists for various subjects.
The multitude of subjects that death touches upon is explored in great detail in this book. The insight and knowledge readers gain is incredible, from learning about death doulas and how people approach death in different cultures, to the way faith plays a role in certain people’s experience with death, and so much more was expertly written about, and yet it was the author’s balance of deep psychological and intellectual analysis with vulnerability that made the book shine.
THE VERDICT
Insightful, engaging, and memorable, author Liz Scott’s “You’re Going to Die…But I’m Not” is a poignant and immersive nonfiction read on death and our relationship to it. The blend of deep emotional and psychological analysis with historical and pop-cultural references and quotes laid a solid foundation for the author to lay out their own fears and stresses as they approached the subject of their mortality, and gave readers something to relate to and engage with on a deeply personal level. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
About the Author
Liz Scott is a psychologist, writer, dog lover and blessed mama and grandma. Her newest book, You’re Going to Die But Not Me is an up-close examination of her mortality journey from near-terror to near-acceptance…out Spring, 2026.
Her memoir, This Never Happened, came out in 2019 followed by a memoir/essay hybrid called Love Life: Confessions of a Psychologist in 2024.
Originally from New York City, she lives and works in Portland, Oregon.
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