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thebibbs23 's review for:
From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death
by Caitlin Doughty
(3.5/5)
I arguably waited too long to write this review so I don't remember enough to make meaningful commentary, BUT this book was great! not as good as her other book, which literally changed my life, but still good! I found her other memoir to be more meaningful because it focused on her personal history, her motivations to join the death industry, and the problems that western countries have facing death; the content was more eye-opening.
this book, however, was more of an objective exploration of death practices around the world. objectivity is great; that was kind of her whole point writing the book, that we shouldn't judge the practices of others. still, it felt much more informative and "hey look at this" (neutral-- it felt neutral) than her other work, which was more "this is why this industry is important, and these are the gut-wrenching things I've experienced while realizing its importance." I'd say it had a more powerful message, but the difference is so big it's almost not worth comparing.
"from here to eternity" helped me find a couple more places to add my tourist bucket list, and it did a good job highlighting things that could fill the deficit of meaning that Americans struggle to attribute to end-of-life rituals. caitlin did a great job (as per usual) handling death and its subjects with all the tact and humor of a veteran mortician. I felt re-inspired to make sure I'm prepared emotionally, physically, and even legally for the eventual deaths of myself and those I know. still-- despite the fact that she probably wasn't trying to do the same thing twice-- I was comparing this to her memoir too much to really enjoy it. solid read nonetheless!
I arguably waited too long to write this review so I don't remember enough to make meaningful commentary, BUT this book was great! not as good as her other book, which literally changed my life, but still good! I found her other memoir to be more meaningful because it focused on her personal history, her motivations to join the death industry, and the problems that western countries have facing death; the content was more eye-opening.
this book, however, was more of an objective exploration of death practices around the world. objectivity is great; that was kind of her whole point writing the book, that we shouldn't judge the practices of others. still, it felt much more informative and "hey look at this" (neutral-- it felt neutral) than her other work, which was more "this is why this industry is important, and these are the gut-wrenching things I've experienced while realizing its importance." I'd say it had a more powerful message, but the difference is so big it's almost not worth comparing.
"from here to eternity" helped me find a couple more places to add my tourist bucket list, and it did a good job highlighting things that could fill the deficit of meaning that Americans struggle to attribute to end-of-life rituals. caitlin did a great job (as per usual) handling death and its subjects with all the tact and humor of a veteran mortician. I felt re-inspired to make sure I'm prepared emotionally, physically, and even legally for the eventual deaths of myself and those I know. still-- despite the fact that she probably wasn't trying to do the same thing twice-- I was comparing this to her memoir too much to really enjoy it. solid read nonetheless!