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fallingrocket 's review for:
From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death
by Caitlin Doughty
Caitlin Doughty successfully pulled off the difficult feat of being entertaining but not exploitative, macabre but not revolting. I haven't read her first book, and I was a little afraid the main thesis would just be "look how totally weird and gross other cultures are!" Luckily, it was nothing like that.
The book is short but illuminating, with the perfect amount of jokes to make you smile, but still contains more than enough poignant scenes to tug at your heartstrings. More than that, it makes you take a long, hard look at that thing no one wants to take a long, hard look at: the physicality of your death, and how your loved ones will process it. Also, I was particularly surprised and delighted by her feminist exploration of women in deathcare. (The hand-drawn illustrations were also a special touch that I really enjoyed.)
I couldn't help but compare this book to Mary Roach's Stiff, which was a bit more all-encompassing and, for me at least, impactful. However, this work was still excellent and I look forward to reading more by the author!
The book is short but illuminating, with the perfect amount of jokes to make you smile, but still contains more than enough poignant scenes to tug at your heartstrings. More than that, it makes you take a long, hard look at that thing no one wants to take a long, hard look at: the physicality of your death, and how your loved ones will process it. Also, I was particularly surprised and delighted by her feminist exploration of women in deathcare. (The hand-drawn illustrations were also a special touch that I really enjoyed.)
I couldn't help but compare this book to Mary Roach's Stiff, which was a bit more all-encompassing and, for me at least, impactful. However, this work was still excellent and I look forward to reading more by the author!