Reviews with content warning for Death - All the Living and the Dead

Reviews tagging 'Death'

All the Living and the Dead by Hayley Campbell

83 reviews

carliethompsonwriting's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

5.0

“Now I see all of it: death shows us what is buried in the living.”

Like many, I am afraid of death. I avoid discussions about grief, and avoid thinking about the death of my loved ones. I bought this book out of morbid curiosity, and i’m so grateful.

For a book about death, this is extremely comforting, and warm.

Campbell travels the world interviewing people who work in death, dying and bereavement. Although she describes their day to day work in unflinching detail (tw: it may make you squeamish), it never becomes gratuitous. At one point in the book, Campbell sees something that she cannot forget, and this experience haunts the rest of the book. She walks the reader through her emotions, and by the end, you may feel enlightened.

The people that Campbell interviews have lives filled with the grief of others, but they never lose their humanity. This is a book about death, and the people who care for our bodies. While reading it, and hearing the voices of the nameless and faceless figures, I felt warm and comforted. They care, and hold great respect for the people and families that they serve. Knowing that many folks working with death care about the little things, is extremely comforting.

Campbell’s prose is beautiful, and she asks questions that you may be afraid to ask. It’s a poignant, and touching book. This may be one of my favourite books of 2024, and instantly my favourite non-fiction of all time.

Content Warnings

biblio_lore's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This is a thoroughly challenging read, but one that I found extremely empathetic and respectful of the topics and the people that the author interviews. It will provoke emotional responses that can be difficult, but it is worth it to explore them. The warnings I included are more meant for anyone on the fence about what they might encounter. Again, this is a book that might trigger some emotional responses and while I think this is a good thing for someone to reflect on if they are in a healthy state of mind and ready to confront some heavy topics, this can be really hard and potentially really upsetting to someone who isn't emotionally ready for it. Recommended still.

Content Warnings

idun_aurora's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

An insightful read, is how I would describe the experience. The chapter describing the author's meeting and interview with the bereavement midwife left me teary-eyed.

Content Warnings