Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'
All the Living and the Dead: A Personal Investigation Into the Death Trade by Hayley Campbell
20 reviews
jphillips87's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Miscarriage, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Child death, Blood, and Cancer
Minor: Animal death
kmoz's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Death and Medical content
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Blood, Pregnancy, Gun violence, and Terminal illness
mayareadsalittletoomuch's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Child death, Medical content, and Death
rubyhosh's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, and Child death
Moderate: Terminal illness and Death of parent
arayo's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Blood, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, Child death, Body horror, Death of parent, Medical content, and Suicide
kmgard's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Death, Grief, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Animal death and Homophobia
asacco9642's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Genocide, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Body horror, Child death, Terminal illness, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Car accident, Chronic illness, Dementia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Blood, Gun violence, Suicide, Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, War, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts
brucethegirl's review against another edition
5.0
I adored this book. I personally got a little squeamish about the more medical details involved in the embalming and generally preparing a body for viewing. How the mouth is kept closed and the like. But as Campbell says in the afterward, she never assumed what the reader could and could not handle. She let us make that choice for ourselves. The discussions had about death, about care of the body, about the realities every person will one day face, were all compassionate and gave an understanding that I've never had in my life.
"The first dead body you see shouldn't be someone you love. You should first learn how to distinguish between death and loss." It's not an exact quote, but easily the most powerful statement the entire book makes. Because its not wrong. The entire book discusses the difference between the natural end of life, and the grief left behind by the loss of a loved one. She talks about how many people have had a hand in their loved ones after life care because they were first exposed to death outside their loss. Grave diggers who buried their mothers and have already dug their own future graves by way of family plots. Morticians who have bled their parents and pumped in chemicals to bring a false sense of life back to their body in preparation for the funeral. A death midwife who was prepared for a worst possible scenario when she faced a complication in pregnancy. All are able to cope, to a degree, with loss because they understand it as separate from death.
There are some statistics going around recently about why women are the preferred gender for care of a body after death (do not google why). But Campbell mentions a similar statistic but gives an explanation I wasn't expecting. More women are taking courses for this kind of care then men. Ever since the shift in mortuary care went from simply the person with the body to the person handling bereavement. As society becomes less deeply religious, there has been a shift away from the church and towards the people in the business. There is more care involved with a funeral by people. Campbell reasons it might be because of our natural connection with blood, and life, that could lead to a more natural inclination towards that field. Certainly an interesting conclusion.
This book is just beautiful. I honestly feel like I could write an entire breakdown of everything she discusses. From prison executions to cryo-freezing bodies for a possible future. Every topic she discusses is poignant and I had to take mini breaks between each chapter to think about what I had just learned, and the new approach I'd just been shown.
My parents are beginning to age, the knowledge that I have a finite time with them is more clear now than ever. This book might not be for everyone coping with death. But it couldn't hurt to check it out if you are.
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Child death, Miscarriage, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Drug abuse, Cancer, Suicide, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Gore, Death of parent, and Blood
old_man_niemand's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Gore, and Medical content
Minor: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Blood, Cancer, Child death, Genocide, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicide, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Miscarriage, and Terminal illness
elvahn's review against another edition
4.75
I read this book in part because I want to find ways to help process and eliminate mysteries surrounding death, to some degree, especially after these last few years. This book helped, examining the topic through a scientific lens while also highlighting all of the care work that often goes unnoticed. If you're interested in these kinds of conversations, I highly recommend reading this book. ...just remember to take breaks!
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Miscarriage, and Medical content
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Cancer, Murder, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Some chapters were more emotionally challenging to read than others, so readers may want to consider planning gentle 'aftercare' rituals for their reading.