bookdrunkard78's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
marginaliant's review against another edition
4.0
I had fun with this book. For starters, it is beautiful. Lovely naked hardback, pretty edges that are patterned like wrought iron, and nice photographs. Each cemetery is listed by location and includes relevant information--history of the cemetery, notable occupants or monuments, protocol (only open on some days, for example), etc. It was a joy to flip through to read about some of the cemeteries I already knew and love, and find new ones. By the time I was done mine was full of page flags for places I want to research and visit. Only knocked off one star because I wish it had been more evenly distributed geographically--about half of the cemeteries are in the United States. Africa only gets a handful of pages, and Asia only slightly more than that. It just seems very short sighted.
krwriter8's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a fascinating look at cemeteries around the world and why they're worth seeing on your world travels.
colstada's review against another edition
4.0
I love to travel, and one thing I don't shy away from is visiting cemeteries. If you are the same, or just interested in history, this book is for you! Take a round-the-world journey and read about different cemeteries, why they are notable, and appreciate their unique characteristics. The layout of this book is great as it provides pictures with accompanying text about each of the 199 cemeteries included in this book. My only qualm was that half of the book was dedicated to American only cemeteries. I would have liked to read more about the international ones, as that is what I am most interested in. The information is fascinating and definitely worth the read (or visit).
goldentortoisebeetle's review against another edition
I have a lot of thoughts about this book. Mainly it's a great example of how topics that try to present themselves neutrally often do a bad job.
First, let's break down who gets the most coverage and number of entries. I'm rounding up the percentages.
95/199 United States =48%
5/199 Canada = .03%
11/199 Central America, South America, and the Caribbean = .06%
45/199 Europe = 23%
10/199 Eastern Europe = .05%
10/199 Middle East = .05%
6/199 Africa = .03%
14/199 Asia = .07%
3/199 Australia = .01%
So....these numbers are embarrassing! The author should probably have dedicated the book just to the United States, as it dominated with almost half the entries. If I'm being generous, I would say she could have done the United States and Western Europe. Making it seem like this is a guide for the world is disingenuous. Asia is home to 60% of The world's population, but you could only dedicate .07% of the entries to it? So, prepare for the centering of white settlers, white colonization, white Americans, white confederacy, and white history.
The book is factually incorrect in some places and revisionist/denialist in others. The cemetery it claims as the second largest in the United States and the woman it claims as the first to run for president are both incorrect. It categorizes Kansas, Missouri, and North and South Dakota as in "the Midwest". Often when discussing Native Americans, the author chooses not to mention the nation or tribe. During the invasion of North America and subsequent genocide, it uses passive language like "this tribe was moved", or says things like "Native Americans fought settlers and attacked forts" but does not give a reason, leaving it up to interpretation that perhaps Native American people were unnecessarily aggressive instead of the truth of they were being encroached upon.
I also have a personal beef with the entry for my hometown cemetery. It devotes a whole paragraph to talking about the Confederate Rest plot and some random woman who decided to maintain it. I live in Madison, WI. Why would this be the most interesting or relevant information to include? Wish they'd update it to note the monument to the soldiers was recently removed...It also talks about the Effigy Moundbuilders. I think it should use less passive language to talk about how they were desecrated and partially ruined by white settlers.
Things I learned:
- I learned about the African Burial Ground National Monument in New York. As I remarked to my partner, I'm used to historical graves being discovered due to construction in London, Paris, etc - I forget it can happen in the states, too. The trend of paving over burial grounds of Black folks continues. I just saw a news article about the same phenomenon on Florida.
- I want to visit garden cemetaries. I like horticulture and arboretums and interesting monuments, but not really celebrities or famous people.
- New words: dishabille, mullions, cenotaph, tumulus.
I have a few other thoughts about specific entries, but I think I'm going to leave this as is. what started off as a mildly interesting book disappointed me with errors and an aggressive focus on settler colonial history.
First, let's break down who gets the most coverage and number of entries. I'm rounding up the percentages.
95/199 United States =48%
5/199 Canada = .03%
11/199 Central America, South America, and the Caribbean = .06%
45/199 Europe = 23%
10/199 Eastern Europe = .05%
10/199 Middle East = .05%
6/199 Africa = .03%
14/199 Asia = .07%
3/199 Australia = .01%
So....these numbers are embarrassing! The author should probably have dedicated the book just to the United States, as it dominated with almost half the entries. If I'm being generous, I would say she could have done the United States and Western Europe. Making it seem like this is a guide for the world is disingenuous. Asia is home to 60% of The world's population, but you could only dedicate .07% of the entries to it? So, prepare for the centering of white settlers, white colonization, white Americans, white confederacy, and white history.
The book is factually incorrect in some places and revisionist/denialist in others. The cemetery it claims as the second largest in the United States and the woman it claims as the first to run for president are both incorrect. It categorizes Kansas, Missouri, and North and South Dakota as in "the Midwest". Often when discussing Native Americans, the author chooses not to mention the nation or tribe. During the invasion of North America and subsequent genocide, it uses passive language like "this tribe was moved", or says things like "Native Americans fought settlers and attacked forts" but does not give a reason, leaving it up to interpretation that perhaps Native American people were unnecessarily aggressive instead of the truth of they were being encroached upon.
I also have a personal beef with the entry for my hometown cemetery. It devotes a whole paragraph to talking about the Confederate Rest plot and some random woman who decided to maintain it. I live in Madison, WI. Why would this be the most interesting or relevant information to include? Wish they'd update it to note the monument to the soldiers was recently removed...It also talks about the Effigy Moundbuilders. I think it should use less passive language to talk about how they were desecrated and partially ruined by white settlers.
Things I learned:
- I learned about the African Burial Ground National Monument in New York. As I remarked to my partner, I'm used to historical graves being discovered due to construction in London, Paris, etc - I forget it can happen in the states, too. The trend of paving over burial grounds of Black folks continues. I just saw a news article about the same phenomenon on Florida.
- I want to visit garden cemetaries. I like horticulture and arboretums and interesting monuments, but not really celebrities or famous people.
- New words: dishabille, mullions, cenotaph, tumulus.
I have a few other thoughts about specific entries, but I think I'm going to leave this as is. what started off as a mildly interesting book disappointed me with errors and an aggressive focus on settler colonial history.
tempscire's review against another edition
informative
4.5
Excellent. Obviously with 199 cemeteries covered, you're not getting an extensive deep dive on any of them, but the content provided did enough to establish what was interesting about each and to pique your curiosity to learn more. One color photo per cemetery was included.
The selected cemeteries are quite diverse. North America does get the lion's share, but cemeteries from all inhabited continents are included. Some surprising but sensible choices impressed me, like Hiroshima, the USS Arizona, and Pompeii. There are ancient tombs and burial mounds as well as more modern (relatively) grounds. Where race and religion affected the layout or availability of graves in a cemetery, the author noted it.
Cemeteries are organized geographically, which threw me off a bit at first, since at first glance they clearly weren't alphabetical nor chronological. E.g. in the US you start on the east coast and gradually move westward, ending with three Hawaiian cemeteries (!).
The book itself is simple but rather lovely -- bronzey end pages are slightly metallic, and there's a matching design on the edge of all the pages reminiscent of a wrought iron fence. The paper isn't glossy, so the book is lighter to hold.
The selected cemeteries are quite diverse. North America does get the lion's share, but cemeteries from all inhabited continents are included. Some surprising but sensible choices impressed me, like Hiroshima, the USS Arizona, and Pompeii. There are ancient tombs and burial mounds as well as more modern (relatively) grounds. Where race and religion affected the layout or availability of graves in a cemetery, the author noted it.
Cemeteries are organized geographically, which threw me off a bit at first, since at first glance they clearly weren't alphabetical nor chronological. E.g. in the US you start on the east coast and gradually move westward, ending with three Hawaiian cemeteries (!).
The book itself is simple but rather lovely -- bronzey end pages are slightly metallic, and there's a matching design on the edge of all the pages reminiscent of a wrought iron fence. The paper isn't glossy, so the book is lighter to hold.
debumere's review against another edition
5.0
I love a good cemetery and the best for me (that I've seen in real life) had to be Highgate. I didn't get to the Eastern side as its tour only but spent hours wandering the West Side. Very calm, serene and so many of the graves were incredibly personal.
A couple of the English ones were weak though..... I can think of many that should have been in the book. Milltown in Belfast is steeped in history.
Definitely one for the coffee table (and to read).
A couple of the English ones were weak though..... I can think of many that should have been in the book. Milltown in Belfast is steeped in history.
Definitely one for the coffee table (and to read).