peeps812's review against another edition

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informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

gooseswaggin's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.0

woofwoofwoof's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.75

jade's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

paper_mache_reader's review against another edition

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4.0

Information heavy in the beginning, overall informative. 

jsdana's review against another edition

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adventurous informative reflective fast-paced

4.5

lilnoto's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative medium-paced

4.5

“Mom, thank you for the love,” he said, his voice cracking. “Don’t worry about us now, fly and be free.”

“Everywhere I traveled I saw this death space in action, and I felt what it means to be held. At Ruriden columbarium in Japan, I was held by a sphere of Buddhas glowing soft blue and purple. At the cemetery in Mexico, I was held by a single wrought-iron fence in the light of tens of thousands of flickering amber candles. At the open-air pyre in Colorado, I was held within the elegant bamboo walls, which kept mourners safe as the flames shot high. There was magic to each of these places. There was grief, unimaginable grief. But in that grief there was no shame. These were places to meet despair face to face and say, 'I see you waiting there. And I feel you, strongly. But you do not demean me.”

“Death avoidance is not an individual failing; it's a cultural one. Facing death is not for the faint-hearted. It is far too challenging to expect that each citizen will do so on his or her own.”

“all that surrounds us comes from death—every part of every city and every part of every person.”

roanfrancis's review against another edition

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3.0

I didn’t like this as much as her first book - cultural traditions and rituals written about by outsiders isn’t my favorite.

lanathegardener's review against another edition

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5.0

A great book, and some of the different death rituals were beautiful. Really interesting. Highly recommend.

kidalana's review against another edition

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hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

5.0