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A review by kimreads14
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
5.0
WOOF 5⭐️
It took me a while to get through this book. Not because it was badly written or uninteresting (quite the opposite actually) but because Doughty does not sugarcoat it.
This work was mind-blowing! It highlights how much of a taboo death has become in the West, and how the best way to make the passing of a loved one easier would be to lift the veil surrounding the natural aspect of life.
It's crazy how sometimes you find a book (or a book finds you) at the most perfect time in your life. My dad has been sick for the past 2 years and there have been multiple times when his medical team and I thought it was the end. It put me in a constant state of anxiety and fear. Yet, after reading this book, while not healed from this anxiety, I have to recognize that if tomorrow is the day then it will be easier. It's always the not knowing that plays with your head, but thanks to Caitlin Doughty's work, I'm very much more knowledgeable about the "after", not just for my dad, but also for my other loved ones and me.
Doughty offers so much information on how other non-Western cultures handle death and how it was also handled in the past in the West. I loved how all the information she gave was always linked to a small story of things that happened during her career.
On top of that, Doughty will make you cry (kinda hard not to, seeing the topic of the book 😅), but she will also make you laugh out loud! This book was fascinating. But FYI you might very much need to be kind to yourself and read it in more than one sitting.
It took me a while to get through this book. Not because it was badly written or uninteresting (quite the opposite actually) but because Doughty does not sugarcoat it.
This work was mind-blowing! It highlights how much of a taboo death has become in the West, and how the best way to make the passing of a loved one easier would be to lift the veil surrounding the natural aspect of life.
It's crazy how sometimes you find a book (or a book finds you) at the most perfect time in your life. My dad has been sick for the past 2 years and there have been multiple times when his medical team and I thought it was the end. It put me in a constant state of anxiety and fear. Yet, after reading this book, while not healed from this anxiety, I have to recognize that if tomorrow is the day then it will be easier. It's always the not knowing that plays with your head, but thanks to Caitlin Doughty's work, I'm very much more knowledgeable about the "after", not just for my dad, but also for my other loved ones and me.
Doughty offers so much information on how other non-Western cultures handle death and how it was also handled in the past in the West. I loved how all the information she gave was always linked to a small story of things that happened during her career.
On top of that, Doughty will make you cry (kinda hard not to, seeing the topic of the book 😅), but she will also make you laugh out loud! This book was fascinating. But FYI you might very much need to be kind to yourself and read it in more than one sitting.