It takes a funny woman —- a singer, comedian, and actress — to come up with quite a serious book that confronts death and dying.

Marissa Sanchez says her self-published maiden book, Farewell Slam Book, was born out of a desire to guide the bereaved left behind by a person’s death on how to deal with the little and big details surrounding the event. In the book’s preface, Marissa writes: “Even though death is a sad event, I hope this book will be able to provide enlightenment and knowledge that whoever is left behind will not be hopelessly bewildered dealing with the uncertainties of the loss.”

Packed like the slam book of old, the 46-page book is divided into nine chapters: About You, Family and Friends, Dreams, Fears and Regrets, Scrapbook, Interment and Burial, Final Wishes, Sentiments, Final Messages, The End.

In all of these chapters, the author presents blank pages where the book owner is asked to list down his personal likes and dislikes, favorites such as color, number, fruit, snack, etc.

There are also appropriations for the friends and relatives you love the most, photos you wish displayed at your wake, your desired coffin, and the type of funeral you want. Do you want it to be festive? Solemn? Private?

Take note of the questions that Marissa boldly poses in various sections of the slam book:

Who do you want to sing at your wake? Do you have a life plan? Who are the people you want to speak at your eulogy?

Death is one aspect of life that we normally avoid bringing up in conversations, especially among families. Marissa has bravely come forward to look death in the eye by coming up with this first-of-its-kind book, which is certainly not a laughing matter.

Over and beyond her entertainer image, Marissa has given her readers a very helpful guide on how to transition between shock and grief in the event someone close to us passes. With this landmark book, Marissa can very well join any of those.

Death cafes abound in some parts of Europe, such as in Vienna, Austria, where participants talk about life and death, but mostly about death, over endless cups of coffee.

Marissa’s book sells at P950 a copy via Shopee.

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PASSERBY:

What a lovely coincidence that the two personalities picked to host MMFF 2024 events share an interesting commonality.

Jake Ejercito’s father, Joseph Estrada, and Isabelle Daza’s mother, Gloria Diaz, co-starred in Diligin Mo ng Hamog ang Uhaw na Lupa, named best picture in the very first Metro Manila Film Festival in 1975.

They don’t make movies with such titillating Tagalog titles anymore.