T.E. W. (terez93) reviewed Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory on + 323 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Smoke gets in your eyes... and people get in your nose, apparently, and all over your clothes, and in your hair, all in the form of a fine particulate dust, remnants of a human body rendered into carbon. Cheery thought, but, if someone has to do it, it may as well be a highly introspective, compassionate, and even passionate death doula like Caitlin who makes it all seem very natural, if not necessarily pleasant.
Her first book chronicles her journey into the Order of the Good Death, starting with her first day at the crematorium, replete with enigmatic, hardened and humorous characters who guided her on her way. I was unaware that Caitlin's journey began with a tragedy: she witnessed the horrific death of a six-year-old child who fell to her death over the railing at a shopping mall in Hawai'i, an event in Caitlin's youth that profoundly affected her and shaped her conceptions of death for the rest of her life.
Apparently, the event affected her so deeply that in childhood she developed a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder, resulting from PTSD, but as she matured, she directed her energies into other pursuits, specifically becoming a crematory employee and later, a funeral director. As such, this first book chronicles her journey with death, events which led her to embrace death as an instrumental part of life.
Much of the current "death positivity" movement is attributable to persons like Caitlin, who attempt to reintroduced death as a part of everyday life, an experience which needs to be embraced by the living in order to come to terms with the loss and to remind us of the value of life. She argues ceaselessly, and correctly, that the "death phobia" encountered in modern society is currently being mitigated by opportunistic industrialists who up-sell the accoutrements of death in the guise of "dignity," which, as she notes, more often than not means "silence."
Caitlin's other books address these issues in more detail, but this book specifically notes her disdain with the current industry and a desire to improve. She always dreamed of opening her own business, emphasizing "natural burial" and services which involve the family in the personalized rituals of laying loved ones to rest. I highly recommend this book, and her others, as well as the highly informative and fascinating videos featured on her YouTube channel.
Her first book chronicles her journey into the Order of the Good Death, starting with her first day at the crematorium, replete with enigmatic, hardened and humorous characters who guided her on her way. I was unaware that Caitlin's journey began with a tragedy: she witnessed the horrific death of a six-year-old child who fell to her death over the railing at a shopping mall in Hawai'i, an event in Caitlin's youth that profoundly affected her and shaped her conceptions of death for the rest of her life.
Apparently, the event affected her so deeply that in childhood she developed a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder, resulting from PTSD, but as she matured, she directed her energies into other pursuits, specifically becoming a crematory employee and later, a funeral director. As such, this first book chronicles her journey with death, events which led her to embrace death as an instrumental part of life.
Much of the current "death positivity" movement is attributable to persons like Caitlin, who attempt to reintroduced death as a part of everyday life, an experience which needs to be embraced by the living in order to come to terms with the loss and to remind us of the value of life. She argues ceaselessly, and correctly, that the "death phobia" encountered in modern society is currently being mitigated by opportunistic industrialists who up-sell the accoutrements of death in the guise of "dignity," which, as she notes, more often than not means "silence."
Caitlin's other books address these issues in more detail, but this book specifically notes her disdain with the current industry and a desire to improve. She always dreamed of opening her own business, emphasizing "natural burial" and services which involve the family in the personalized rituals of laying loved ones to rest. I highly recommend this book, and her others, as well as the highly informative and fascinating videos featured on her YouTube channel.
Richard G. (ralegh) -
Helpful Score: 1
An extremely informative book, which is also touching. Ms. Doughty, who has a popular YouTube site "Ask a Mortician," provides an autobiographical account of her beginnings in the mortuary business. She provides a behind-the-scenes look at a controversial industry. You may disagree with her opinions, but she provides you with information that you can use to form your own. She's witty, funny, and thoughtful. Enjoy!
