First published 2018
Mortician Caitlin Doughty travels the world, from Indonesia to Bolivia, to investigate how diverse cultures care for their dead. She watches a man clean and dress his mummified grandfather, encounters cigarette-smoking human skulls, and witnesses rituals like the Japanese kotsuage. Doughty vividly describes decomposing bodies and contrasts the American funeral industry's impersonal practices with more personal traditions that allow mourners to engage with the deceased. She argues that our costly, clinical system fosters a fear of death that hinders grieving. At its core, this is a story about mortality, and how attending to the dead can transform our approach to our own demise.
Genres: death, non-fiction, biography-memoir, cultural
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, personal-journey
Setting: Indonesia, Bolivia, Japan, United States of America, Los Angeles, Mexico
288 pages · Paperback · W. W. Norton & Company
Content warnings: death