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bettyreads's review
4.0
Appreciate reading and discussing this book during book club tonight especially during this time we find ourselves in. Where we're either grappling with the death of a loved one, national death news and just the death of what we once knew. This book made me grapple with what I would want to be said about me after I died and how our host said 'how death makes you reckon with life, have to think about my life more when i think about death' and the truth of that like what effect are your actions having, do you want to change because you realize there is more you could be doing or less because screw being productive just for productivity sake. I'm grateful to have this book to allow me to think about my grandfather's death and how while it was in the midst of this collective moment and morning, it still feels so private and like the grief just comes and goes in waves. Danticat did an amazing job of making want to go and read all the books she touched on to see how they cover death and now going forward I think I'll definitely be more aware of the role of death in a story since it is so embedded in our society and just not as openly spoken about in some cultures. I appreciated how this look at other authors' ways of covering death allowed her to grapple with her mother's death. Just beautifully done.
bookishcori's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
dickh's review against another edition
4.0
I not only enjoyed the book but I got several other ideas of books to read.
ginkgotree's review against another edition
4.0
This is sort of a guide to writing about death, but it's also beautifully written in its own right. It is a good source of breadcrumbs to find more things to read.
katherinevarga's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
Danticat frames this book with chapters about her mother's death, and uses the chapters in between to discuss various angles of death (including mass deaths, suicide, capital punishment, and near-death experiences) as seen in literature. Much of the book is close readings of excerpts from either authors I admire (like Toni Morrison) or authors I've never heard of who sound intriguing (like Chitra Divakaruni). It's a HEAVY read, but when taken in small doses, quite interesting and moving.
She mentions Tolstoy, Ars Moriendi, and watching a parent undergo a terminal illness, all of which appear in Atul Gawande's Being Mortal. I think these books should be friends.
Danticat frames this book with chapters about her mother's death, and uses the chapters in between to discuss various angles of death (including mass deaths, suicide, capital punishment, and near-death experiences) as seen in literature. Much of the book is close readings of excerpts from either authors I admire (like Toni Morrison) or authors I've never heard of who sound intriguing (like Chitra Divakaruni). It's a HEAVY read, but when taken in small doses, quite interesting and moving.
She mentions Tolstoy, Ars Moriendi, and watching a parent undergo a terminal illness, all of which appear in Atul Gawande's Being Mortal. I think these books should be friends.
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