“Blending dark humor with deep humanity, Dead Serious chronicles Shoulak’s life through a series of close calls with death, profound personal losses, and the multigenerational grief that shaped her identity. Rather than dwelling in despair, the memoir offers a refreshingly lighthearted perspective on surviving life’s hardest moments — and choosing joy anyway.

In candid, often relatable chapters, Shoulak reflects on nearly dying more than once, navigating substance abuse and sobriety, and losing influential friends and family members whose deaths permanently altered her worldview. Throughout the book, she invites readers to laugh, reflect, and reconnect with gratitude for the small, often overlooked moments that make life meaningful.”

- Florida Press Association