Smoke Gets in Your Eyes- And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
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Web ID: 2431700Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty
Caitlin Doughty is a mortician and advocate of the death industry and has authored a thought-provoking and darkly humorous book entitled Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory. The book, which was published in 2014, provides an intriguing and honest account of Doughty's experiences working in a crematory and examines how society views death and dying. Doughty recalls her early obsession with death and her desire to seek a career in the funeral business at the start of the book. She takes the reader on a journey through her early years as a worker at a crematory, describing in graphic detail the cremation process and the realities of the funeral industry behind closed doors. Doughty's writing style is both educational and interesting, offering a special insider's perspective into a frequently mysterious world. One of the main themes of the book is Doughty's critique of the funeral industry's marketing and the "death denial" that is seen in some western culture. She makes a point of the pressure put on mourning families to spend extravagant sums of money on extravagant funerals and makes the case for a return to more natural and individualized views of death. Doughty encourages readers to have honest dialogues about death and to accept the idea that death is a normal part of life by forcing them to face their own mortality. This can sometimes get a little confusing for people because death is a touchy subjuct, but Doughty makes sure the readers know that, “Accepting death doesnt mean that you wont be devastated when someone you love dies. It means you will be able to focus on your grief, unburdened by bigger existential questions like ‘Why do people die?’ and ‘Why is this happening to me?’ death isnt happening to you. It is happening to us all” (Doughty 232). This is important to think about and stuck with me throughout the book because I have always been a little scared of the idea of death and this helped me think about it in a healthier way. It helps show people that you can mourn and greif and still think about death in an unharmful way. Doughty incorporates philosophical musings on the purpose of life, the nature of death, and the place of the funeral business in modern society in addition to the narrative portion where she talks about her personal experience with death. My favorite part of the book is when she talked about her personal experiences because I feel it was very relatable and a good way to connect with the reader. All in all, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes is a generally interesting and thought-provoking exploration of death and the funeral industry. Caitlin Doughty's hilarious and straightforward storytelling challenges societal customs and challenges readers to reconsider their own perspective on mortality. It provides informative details on how we can do so with more acceptance, compassion, and empathy while serving as a helpful reminder that death is an inevitable aspect of life. I would recommend this book to anyone who is intreaged by the idea of death or cultural differences. I think it is a great book that helps people view death from a different perspective.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fun
It was a fun read and learned some things. :)
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Wow
After watching her YouTube series “ask a mortician”, I had to pick up one of her books and it did not disappoint! Her memoir was equally tender hearted and eye opening as much as it was raw and unapologetic. This book completely changed my view on death and dying and inspired some conversations with loved ones about my wishes once I am gone. Changing the death narrative is needed now more than ever and Caitlin is certainly on the right track.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Morbid, fascinating, and hilarious
A must-read for anyone with a morbid sense of humor who has curiosities about death, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is as educational and entertaining as it is just plain interesting. Ever wondered if there’s an order to who gets cremated when (there is)? Or how embalming began (with advertisements, like any good business)? Or what a dead body smells like (sweet, yet disgusting)? Caitlin Doughty is here to help, as long as you’re willing to listen to the nitty-gritty details. Narrated perfectly by the author herself, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" explores Caitlin Doughty’s time working in a crematory in San Francisco and her journey to discover the secrets of the death industry…and maybe even change it once she does. This book was unafraid, completely fascinating, and actually downright funny at times. Doughty’s sense of humor (not just about death, but the outrageousness of life experiences in general), mixed with her clearly complete knowledge of the death industry was incredibly intriguing. So much so that, even as a harsh audiobook critic, I found it hard not to consume the entire story in one sitting. That being said, the beginning chapters, which followed a more vignette-style as they each explored a different crematory adventure (or, often mishap) interwoven with historical context as they revealed parts of the industry, were much more interesting to me than the ones at the end. As the novel goes on, the overall tone of the story moves away from lighthearted education and awareness into a pretty strong call for action. As Doughty searches for greater heights and meaning in her death-industry journey, she begins to repeat what becomes clear is her platform: that a change to the death industry is necessary. The sheer saturation of this in the ending chapters is jarring in comparison to its total lack thereof in the beginning three-quarters of the book and became somewhat unnecessarily repetitive (not to mention, much less entertaining), which ends up leading to a rather abrupt ending to the memoir overall. That being said, I loved this book and what it taught me and will, without a doubt, be exploring Doughty’s other work. I rated "Smoke Gets in Your eyes" 4.5 out of 5 stars. Fans of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed should consider this for their next read.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com