Take a photo of a barcode or cover
brittreadsabook's review against another edition
4.0
Overall an informative and thoughtfully-written book. There was one place where I thought the author could have been a bit more respectful of the dead, and the cryogenics chapter and afterword were less interesting.
myfaultystars's review against another edition
5.0
At once brutal and compassionate, Campbell has tackled the subject of death workers with elegance. There is no way to soften the delivery when describing the day-to-day work of embalmers, morticians, crime scene workers, etc. but Campbell manages to find the tenderness in each of these professions. These are the people who make death in the western world a bearable topic, keeping the darker parts out of sight, out of mind. They are unsung heroes, on par with the other first line workers we put on such a high pedestal.
Campbell asks a question that has been raised before: has western society insulated itself from the less picturesque aspects of death to our own detriment? Ultimately, there is no right answer, however Campbell suggests that perhaps we are better able to cope than we think we are.
Do not read while eating, or if you are particularly squeamish. But other than those warnings, I highly recommend.
Campbell asks a question that has been raised before: has western society insulated itself from the less picturesque aspects of death to our own detriment? Ultimately, there is no right answer, however Campbell suggests that perhaps we are better able to cope than we think we are.
Do not read while eating, or if you are particularly squeamish. But other than those warnings, I highly recommend.
yng_ii's review against another edition
5.0
This is a book that I feel every person must read at some point in their life. We in this age have become so far removed from the concept of death - it is something foreign and remote, a specter we are rarely touched by. But this book reminds us two important things about mortality - that by turning a blind eye to it, we impose the burden of responsibility onto others; and that death serves to remind us of the facts about ourselves that make us so alive to begin with.
I’ve never thought much about what I’d like to happen to me after I die, but I COULDN’T stop thinking about it while reading this book. Not in a bad way, necessarily. Rather, I think this book made me conscious of the intricate web of death workers, whose roles and responsibilities I had never really considered. This book made me question long-held ideas about death which I had always assumed to be true, and allowed me to rethink the way in which I would like to be cared for. It is imperative that we hear these stories, such that we might consider more about not only ourselves, but in the way we treat each other - alive or dead.
The quote that stuck with me: “It isn’t perfect, but you gave him back to me. Thank you.”
I’ve never thought much about what I’d like to happen to me after I die, but I COULDN’T stop thinking about it while reading this book. Not in a bad way, necessarily. Rather, I think this book made me conscious of the intricate web of death workers, whose roles and responsibilities I had never really considered. This book made me question long-held ideas about death which I had always assumed to be true, and allowed me to rethink the way in which I would like to be cared for. It is imperative that we hear these stories, such that we might consider more about not only ourselves, but in the way we treat each other - alive or dead.
The quote that stuck with me: “It isn’t perfect, but you gave him back to me. Thank you.”
emilypoche's review against another edition
4.0
The vignettes in this book are touching and thought provoking. Something that I did enjoy was the fact that the author was not only interviewing people on the more liberal death-positive movement. I liked that the stories were varied and seemed very genuine. As an interviewer and as a journalist, the author presented a beautiful work that I would highly recommend.
My only thing I didn’t particularly enjoy in the book is the fact that the author could be a bit heavy-handed with her own personal feelings at times— namely her very apparent disdain for Catholics and Americans. While she’s entitled to her own opinion, it often felt like she was inserting barbed jabs for no real narrative purpose. This contrasts sharply with her inclusion of her internal struggles with the infant in the bathtub. While this is the same personal interlude, it felt more relevant and created a very human, very intimate connection of personal essay and exploration.
My only thing I didn’t particularly enjoy in the book is the fact that the author could be a bit heavy-handed with her own personal feelings at times— namely her very apparent disdain for Catholics and Americans. While she’s entitled to her own opinion, it often felt like she was inserting barbed jabs for no real narrative purpose. This contrasts sharply with her inclusion of her internal struggles with the infant in the bathtub. While this is the same personal interlude, it felt more relevant and created a very human, very intimate connection of personal essay and exploration.
mjayp's review against another edition
4.0
Despite being focused on some really disturbing and horrifying subjects, this book was surprisingly lovely and warm. Death positive and equally life-affirming. I feel like this book will stay with me for a long time. If you love Caitlin Doughty this one is for you, morbid girlies unite!
minnowslibrary's review against another edition
5.0
As someone who has always had an interest in the macabre, and death in general, I knew that this book would be something that I would find fascinating. It was also the perfect tool to start out my new year goal of reading more non-fiction!
**Content Warning for death, of course. General disclaimer to look up content warnings for specific things in this book as well if it sounds interesting! It covers many heavy topics and triggers.**
“He is not the first person I’ve met in the death industry to make me believe you require a natural level of cheer high enough that the dip, when it comes, doesn’t scrape the bottom of your heart.”
This book is split up into chapters that each introduce you to a new person who works in the death industry, as the cover states, “From embalmers to executioners, an exploration of the people who have made death their life’s work.” While reading about each of these people, it made me feel very lucky to both be in a position where I didn’t even know some of these jobs existed, but also that I am not the person doing them. It is so appealing to me to imagine myself in such a selfless role, to do the incredibly difficult work of taking care of the dead, someone’s loved one. This book reassured me that I am supremely incapable of that <3 and supremely grateful to those of us that are capable!!!
I really appreciated how open and honest Hayley Campbell was in her writings. She managed to perfectly balance being serious and respectful at the same time as being a little witty and funny, much like the interviewees. She was hands-on in a lot of these interviews, there in autopsy rooms, the crematorium, funeral homes, cemeteries, the Mayo Clinic, hospital rooms. Campbell asked questions that she knew could or would be met with irritation or hostility, was straightforward with both the executioner interviewed and the bereavement midwife.
**Content Warning: death of child/baby, miscarriage, birth**
The most fascinating aspect of this book to me was the chapter “Tough Mother,” following an experience the author was haunted by after witnessing the aftermath of the autopsy of a baby. This is a bit graphic, but I’m going to be honest because it stuck with me too. While the baby’s body was being washed after the autopsy, the worker stepped away to grab something and the baby’s head began to slip under the water. Campbell, like probably all us, felt the instinct to save the baby from drowning. As she watched, frozen, debating if intervention was appropriate, I felt like jumping forward with her. This moment stuck with her throughout the rest of the book. She lost the will to work and stayed in bed for weeks. After many chapters of graphic discussions of crime scene clean up, autopsies, and executions, I appreciated the honesty and rawness of Campbell admitting just how much this affected her. She was connected with a bereavement midwife, a woman whose entire job is aiding families in the delivery of children who are not expected to survive birth or long after birth, or have already passed but still need to be delivered. This chapter gutted me. It makes sense, of course, but I had no idea this job existed. I want to send every person in the world who does this a fruit basket. And a million dollars.
Learning about and hearing from all of these people was a little life changing, to be honest. I’m not the type to pretend death doesn’t exist, I can’t say I’m not scared of it, but I’m not scared of talking about it. I’ve considered working in the death industry in one way or another. These jobs are so important and I wish that we shone more light on the incredible people behind the scenes doing them! I’m looking forward to reading more of Hayley Campbell’s writing and potentially more books about death once my heart has recovered from this one.
**Content Warning for death, of course. General disclaimer to look up content warnings for specific things in this book as well if it sounds interesting! It covers many heavy topics and triggers.**
“He is not the first person I’ve met in the death industry to make me believe you require a natural level of cheer high enough that the dip, when it comes, doesn’t scrape the bottom of your heart.”
This book is split up into chapters that each introduce you to a new person who works in the death industry, as the cover states, “From embalmers to executioners, an exploration of the people who have made death their life’s work.” While reading about each of these people, it made me feel very lucky to both be in a position where I didn’t even know some of these jobs existed, but also that I am not the person doing them. It is so appealing to me to imagine myself in such a selfless role, to do the incredibly difficult work of taking care of the dead, someone’s loved one. This book reassured me that I am supremely incapable of that <3 and supremely grateful to those of us that are capable!!!
I really appreciated how open and honest Hayley Campbell was in her writings. She managed to perfectly balance being serious and respectful at the same time as being a little witty and funny, much like the interviewees. She was hands-on in a lot of these interviews, there in autopsy rooms, the crematorium, funeral homes, cemeteries, the Mayo Clinic, hospital rooms. Campbell asked questions that she knew could or would be met with irritation or hostility, was straightforward with both the executioner interviewed and the bereavement midwife.
**Content Warning: death of child/baby, miscarriage, birth**
The most fascinating aspect of this book to me was the chapter “Tough Mother,” following an experience the author was haunted by after witnessing the aftermath of the autopsy of a baby. This is a bit graphic, but I’m going to be honest because it stuck with me too. While the baby’s body was being washed after the autopsy, the worker stepped away to grab something and the baby’s head began to slip under the water. Campbell, like probably all us, felt the instinct to save the baby from drowning. As she watched, frozen, debating if intervention was appropriate, I felt like jumping forward with her. This moment stuck with her throughout the rest of the book. She lost the will to work and stayed in bed for weeks. After many chapters of graphic discussions of crime scene clean up, autopsies, and executions, I appreciated the honesty and rawness of Campbell admitting just how much this affected her. She was connected with a bereavement midwife, a woman whose entire job is aiding families in the delivery of children who are not expected to survive birth or long after birth, or have already passed but still need to be delivered. This chapter gutted me. It makes sense, of course, but I had no idea this job existed. I want to send every person in the world who does this a fruit basket. And a million dollars.
Learning about and hearing from all of these people was a little life changing, to be honest. I’m not the type to pretend death doesn’t exist, I can’t say I’m not scared of it, but I’m not scared of talking about it. I’ve considered working in the death industry in one way or another. These jobs are so important and I wish that we shone more light on the incredible people behind the scenes doing them! I’m looking forward to reading more of Hayley Campbell’s writing and potentially more books about death once my heart has recovered from this one.
mcqueby's review against another edition
5.0
Very interesting. Covers a large number of different professions associated with death, those well known, such as executioners and embalmers but also those I had never heard of such as bereavement midwives.
ilhaam's review against another edition
4.0
Really interesting.
Fave outtakes:
1. An avid interest in death is not a flaw or a quirk; it is a natural desire to know more about the final stage of life.
2. The memory of you does not live in your body; it lives in other people's hearts.
3. Interestingly, most people who want to freeze themselves are men. There is a theory that women are more accepting of death because they are more attentive to their bodies and notice much earlier when they start to decline.
- I did not know there are people taking cryogenics seriously!!!!
Fave outtakes:
1. An avid interest in death is not a flaw or a quirk; it is a natural desire to know more about the final stage of life.
2. The memory of you does not live in your body; it lives in other people's hearts.
3. Interestingly, most people who want to freeze themselves are men. There is a theory that women are more accepting of death because they are more attentive to their bodies and notice much earlier when they start to decline.
- I did not know there are people taking cryogenics seriously!!!!
litrallyvibing's review against another edition
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
i talk about this book in conversations more than any others. necessary read imo. beautifully written and reflective
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Abortion