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New book grapples with death and a universe that is forever falling apart

When his father died, Stanford University historian Thomas Mullaney scrambled to preserve the things he’d left behind, in the exact order he’d found them: the papers, photos and other detritus accumulated over decades of living.

It led him to wonder: Why do we bother?

Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd speaks to Mullaney about his new book, “How We Disappear: A Personal History of Information.”

Thomas Mullaney’s mother (bottom left) and her siblings (early 1950s). (Courtesy of Thomas S. Mullaney)
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Thomas Mullaney’s mother (bottom left) and her siblings (early 1950s). (Courtesy of Thomas S. Mullaney)

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2026 WBUR

Here & Now Newsroom

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

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