Yours Truly

In a surprisingly upbeat, heartfelt book about a serious subject, The Wall Street Journal's veteran obituary writer, award-winning journalist James R. Hagerty, shares his unique skills with those who want to have the last word with flourish, honesty, and even humor. Whether in-brief for future newspapers and websites, or as a more complete mini-memoir for friends and family, Yours Truly is a guide to making sure your story is told the way you want - and how the process of preparing your own life story can help you live a better life.

James Robert Hagerty is an author and journalist who has worked at The Wall Street Journal for nearly forty years. He is the paper’s only fulltime obituary writer. His article “An Obituary Writer Writes One for Himself” drew an outpouring of reader responses, which inspired this book. A graduate of the University of North Dakota, he lives in Pittsburgh, PA.