Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory

by Caitlin Doughty

Paperback, 254 pages

English language

Published Sept. 28, 2015 by W. W. Norton & Company.

ISBN:: 978-0-393-35190-3
OCLC Number:: 907092947

In this "morbid and illuminating" (Entertainment Weekly) New York Times bestseller that launched the death positive movement, a young mortician goes behind the scenes of her curious profession.

Armed with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre, Caitlin Doughty took a job at a crematory and turned morbid curiosity into her life’s work. She cared for bodies of every color, shape, and affliction, and became an intrepid explorer in the world of the dead. In this best-selling memoir, brimming with gallows humor and vivid characters, she marvels at the gruesome history of undertaking and relates her unique coming-of-age story with bold curiosity and mordant wit. By turns hilarious, dark, and uplifting, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes reveals how the fear of dying warps our society and "will make you reconsider how our culture treats the dead" (San Francisco Chronicle).

In this "morbid and illuminating" (Entertainment Weekly) New York Times bestseller that launched the death positive movement, a young mortician goes behind the scenes of her curious profession.

1 edition

Taylor Drew reviewed Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

Somehow incredibly calming

4 stars

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 …

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.

periwinkleReads reviewed Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

Review of 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Enjoyed this pacing and writing style; glad I tried this book

meeg reviewed Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

Review of 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

A surprisingly calming and reassuring look at death and everything that comes after.

Baltipink reviewed Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

Review of 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

It's hard to describe this as a book I "liked." It is disgusting at points. But it was also surprisingly thoughtful and soothing. Living in denial, letting the dirty jobs be done by hidden workers, privileged ppl trying to extend their lives at any cost - these are not good things. Life is precious, but not my particular life at all costs. Nobody should be shielded from all the pain. That is how we get such inequity in the division of benefits and burdens. If fear of death is one of the greatest fears and actions based in fear are often harmful, isn't facing our fear of death crucial to being better while alive?