The Book of Immortality

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A “wonderful” (Harper’s), “engrossing” (Parade) exploration of humanity’s obsession with immortality from an author described as “part Mary Roach, part Joe Strummer of The Clash” (The Wall Street Journal). Adam Leith Gollner, acclaimed for The Fruit Hunters, examines our relentless quest to evade aging and death. Raised without religion, he is captivated by the myriad ways people seek eternal life. His narrative oscillates between profundity and humor, introducing us to individuals shaped by their beliefs in immortality. From a Jesuit priest on his deathbed to Harvard antiaging researchers, Gollner navigates the realms of religion and science, uncovering truths amidst absurdities. His journey includes visits to David Copperfield’s Bahamas archipelago, where he claims to have discovered “a liquid that reverses genes,” and a cryonics facility. He attends a futuristic costume party with radical life-extensionists and experiences the mineral waters at the Esalen Institute. Gollner also traces history to St. Augustine, Florida, where Ponce de León sought the Fountain of Youth. Combining immersive reporting and lyrical prose, he charts the evolution of longevity science from alchemy to modern genetics, exploring the symbolic ties between eternal life and water. Interwoven is a meditation on belief, revealing how our stories of immortality reflect our understanding of death. Gollner delivers a rollicking and insightful examination of