Smoke gets in your eyes

& other lessons from the crematory

363 pages

English language

Published Nov. 12, 2015

ISBN:
978-1-4104-7518-3
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
891186023

View on OpenLibrary

Most people want to avoid thinking about death, but Caitlin Doughty -- a twenty-something with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre -- took a job at a crematory, turning morbid curiosity into her life's work. Thrown into a profession of gallows humor and vivid characters (both living and very dead), Caitlin learned to navigate the secretive culture of those who care for the deceased. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes tells an unusual coming-of-age story full of bizarre encounters and unforgettable scenes. Caring for dead bodies of every color, shape, and affliction, Caitlin soon becomes an intrepid explorer in the world of the dead.

8 editions

Somehow incredibly calming

I'm not really sure what about listening to a book focused on death and full of descriptions of dead bodies and decomposition and whatnot was calming, but it somehow was. I think in my case it helped that I listen to the book narrated by the author, so I could have all of her personality while I was experiencing everything, but I'm still impressed by how compelling this book was.

And I'm even prouder that I only gagged and had to pause so that I didn't throw up a few times! Descriptions about embalming are disgusting.

Anyway this was a great book that had a lot of nice tidbits of information from various cultures and regions across the world, along with a pretty critical view of how people deal with death in North America these days. I think the author's on to something with her thesis of the …

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Subjects

  • Undertakers and undertaking
  • Biography
  • Anecdotes

Places

  • United States