A review by lailams
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

I didn't think I'd ever describe a book about funerals as "funny" - let alone enjoy it - yet here we are. Caitlin Doughty masterfully crafted the reflective journey of a lifetime (death time?) in my eyes. I picked it up thinking 'huh, I suppose I don't know much about the funeral industry, I'm sure information on it would come in handy' and put it down a changed person, a semi-revolutonist ready to call every person I know and talk about our shamed, silent culture around death. I've talked about death with my mom and sister quite a bit - we've all known forever that we wanted natural burials - but the layers that this book will add to our conversations (and my personal conversations with myself) about our deaths is frankly irreplaceable. I'm thankful to have read this book. I would like to say I've come out of this book comfortable with my mortality, but I don't think that's the case. It'll take me a lot longer to undo the cultural brainwashing that has told me to fear death for so long. But I'm ready to start on the journey. Oddly enough, this book about death has made me excited to live and learn. It's been so long since a book has genuinely, existentially impacted me like this - it's an easy 5 stars. 
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