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janisa20's review against another edition
3.0
very cool and educational, but everything has left my brain since then
dianita246's review against another edition
5.0
Great book! I had such a great time listening to this book. I learned so much about how different cultures understand and deal with death. Yet, among the differences you can find a common thread of ritual and people needing to honor their love ones after death. Also, some of the story are very beautiful.
I would recommend this to everyone!
I would recommend this to everyone!
christina09's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
indiarosey's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
torrie_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Thoughts
"In America, where I live, death has been big business since the turn of the twentieth century. A century has proven the perfect amount of time for its citizens to forget what funerals once were: family- and community-run affairs... In an impressively short time, America’s funeral industry has become more expensive, more corporate, and more bureaucratic than any other funeral industry on Earth."
This was such an interesting look at different burial and funeral practices not only here in the United States but in other parts of the world as well.
Some interesting ones were some in Spain choose to bury their loved ones in glass cases with no embalming so they can watch the natural progression of death as it was intended and to pay respect to the cycle of life. Some in India choose to have their bodies put in a high tower to be eaten by vultures to give back to the earth and animals. In Japan after cremation the family uses chopsticks to help pick out the larger bone pieces that didn’t turn to ash.
The author goes into detail about these and how it helps bring closure to the families but also its traditions and beliefs about the cycles of life.
I thought this book was interesting and I would have loved for it to be longer with more information.
"Adults who are racked with death anxiety are not odd birds who have contracted some exotic disease, but men and women whose family and culture have failed to knit the proper protective clothing for them to withstand the icy chill of mortality."
"In America, where I live, death has been big business since the turn of the twentieth century. A century has proven the perfect amount of time for its citizens to forget what funerals once were: family- and community-run affairs... In an impressively short time, America’s funeral industry has become more expensive, more corporate, and more bureaucratic than any other funeral industry on Earth."
This was such an interesting look at different burial and funeral practices not only here in the United States but in other parts of the world as well.
Some interesting ones were some in Spain choose to bury their loved ones in glass cases with no embalming so they can watch the natural progression of death as it was intended and to pay respect to the cycle of life. Some in India choose to have their bodies put in a high tower to be eaten by vultures to give back to the earth and animals. In Japan after cremation the family uses chopsticks to help pick out the larger bone pieces that didn’t turn to ash.
The author goes into detail about these and how it helps bring closure to the families but also its traditions and beliefs about the cycles of life.
I thought this book was interesting and I would have loved for it to be longer with more information.
"Adults who are racked with death anxiety are not odd birds who have contracted some exotic disease, but men and women whose family and culture have failed to knit the proper protective clothing for them to withstand the icy chill of mortality."
ashleyrich3825's review against another edition
3.0
I've enjoyed Caitlin Doughty's other books, but this one didn't hit as well for me.
It was interesting, don't get me wrong, I think I just read it at the wrong time. It's basically exactly what it says on the tin: an overview of different death rituals across the world and the ways that they allow people to have a healthier relationship with death.
If the different ways that cultural groups deal with death interests you, this will probably be a great read for you.
It was interesting, don't get me wrong, I think I just read it at the wrong time. It's basically exactly what it says on the tin: an overview of different death rituals across the world and the ways that they allow people to have a healthier relationship with death.
If the different ways that cultural groups deal with death interests you, this will probably be a great read for you.
ghostlight's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
casebounder's review against another edition
3.0
What purpose does nonfiction serve for you? I’m often trying to teach myself a little something, to keep the growth and self-improvement alive. And sometimes that’s about a very specific, personal issue — for instance, say, an anxiety/fear/worry about death.
I’ve had Caitlin Doughty’s books on my radar for quite a while, and I finally got around to reading one last month. As an American mortician, she’s written across several mediums about her everyday relationship with death. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY chronicles her travels around the world, and the burial rites and beliefs Doughty witnessed in many different cultures. (And it’s also about the shortcomings of the American funeral industry.)
I find expanding my worldview beyond my engrained beliefs and superstitions so helpful with that death anxiety. Even though this is really a three-star read for me, I think I’m going to pick up SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES at some point, just to keep that conversation going. Has anyone read it?
I’ve had Caitlin Doughty’s books on my radar for quite a while, and I finally got around to reading one last month. As an American mortician, she’s written across several mediums about her everyday relationship with death. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY chronicles her travels around the world, and the burial rites and beliefs Doughty witnessed in many different cultures. (And it’s also about the shortcomings of the American funeral industry.)
I find expanding my worldview beyond my engrained beliefs and superstitions so helpful with that death anxiety. Even though this is really a three-star read for me, I think I’m going to pick up SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES at some point, just to keep that conversation going. Has anyone read it?