Thoughts on Sum

I just finished reading this book last week, called Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman, and I can’t stop thinking about it.

First, about the book. Sum is a book by famed neuroscientist David Eagleman, who typically writes non-fiction science books on the brain, what makes us tick etc. This is a radical departure from his usual fare, as this is a speculative fiction book, about 40 ‘imaginations’ of what happens when you die. Each of these imaginations is a 2-3 page note on what life will be like. One hypothesizes that we relive our life again, but with all similar experiences clubbed together - so like 8 days tying shoelaces, 5 months on the toilet, 1 week going through all breakups etc. There are 40 unique ideas of the afterlife.

These imaginations are inventive and unique. They’re a page-turner, making you think harder each time. They’re also a lot of fun. Its important to read books like these every once in a while to think about things that we don’t know we don’t know - the unknown unknown. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and will be thinking about it for the longest time.