A review by printingbetweenthepages
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.0

I stumbled upon this book as a recommended read from Booktube, although I can’t remember who it was that recommended it, I’m glad that they did! Morbid, but incredibly interesting and educational with a level of intrigue that made this a fast-listen (I chose the audiobook version to read). This first-hand account of experiences working in a mortuary was eye opening and done in a way that respected the dead and the processes that happen once one is deceased. Society, myself included, often skirts around the issue of death and what happens to us after death (not in a religious sense, in a physical sense). Personally, I feel that it’s the unknown that bothers us, and this book answers a lot of those unknowns. I really enjoyed learning about the historical events that took place over time that impacted how the dead where “handled” and how history and the changing beliefs over time have changed the mortuary business. Probably not the book for all, but those with a scientific background or interest in how things work, while being able to handle the subject matter, will find this book an enjoyable peek into the mysteries of death and mortuaries…and I have to say after learning about the topic it’s a lot less terrifying! 
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