Title: Only Dead on the Inside
Author: James Breakwell
Release Date: October 10, 2017
Publisher: BenBella Books
Review Spoilers: Low
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Now, obviously, it’s not a particularly serious book because (1) zombies aren’t real and (2) it’s written by James Breakwell of @XplodingUnicorn fame. Don’t let that stop you from checking it out!
If you’re not familiar with his work, James Breakwell is a father of four girls who has taken to Twitter to share his family’s antics with the world. He also has a handful of other social media accounts where he produces comics and witty commentary. (You can check out his website to find out more.) Breakwell is hilarious and when Only Dead on the Inside was announced I couldn’t wait to see what he could do with more than just 140 characters.
Breakwell certainly does a great job of bringing his unique brand of parenting humor to this book. Only Dead on the Inside takes real-life commentary on everyday parenting and applies it to the zombie apocalypse with hilarious results.
For example, dealing with a picky eater? Imagine what will happen after the dead rise and that one particular brand of dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets your kids basically live on is no longer available. Not sure what kind of weapons to tack on to your recently amputated arm? Don’t worry because there’s a chart for that!
The book is actually full of fun charts and graphs, as well as simple comics similar to one the of author’s webcomics. Despite their simplicity I found the comics to be the best part of the whole book. Who even thinks up half of the stuff this guy does? And who else could make a comic of a child lopping off their parent’s limbs to stop the zombie apocalypse as charming and fun as James Breakwell?
I will say that you’ll probably want to read this book in small doses. While it’s a fun read, it felt pretty repetitive in it’s presentation. The jokes take the same sort of format all throughout and while each of the aptly titled chapters take on a different aspect of surviving the apocalypse, they can read very much the same. I read through the majority of the book in one sitting and after awhile it just started to get old.
Only Dead on the Inside is a book that parents and non-parents alike can enjoy — though readers with experience with kids will get a lot more out of it. The book couldn’t have come out at a better time because it’s sure to make a great gift for any parent or soon-to-be parent on your Christmas list as the holiday season approaches, especially for those with a good sense of humor and an appreciate for zombie flicks. Because as anyone who deals with kids on a regular basis will tell you, sometimes all you need is a good laugh now and then!
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