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

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

By Caitlin Doughty

  • Release Date: 2014-09-15
  • Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
4.5 Score: 4.5 (From 477 Ratings)

Description

"Morbid and illuminating" (Entertainment Weekly)—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).

Reviews

  • Intriguing!

    5
    By SuzzieQ890!
    I throughly enjoyed reading this book. I learned so many things about cremation and death in general. Death shouldn’t be something taboo to talk about, death is a natural process and I think she explained it very beautifully. This is definitely worth a read!
  • I love the stranger things in life, & this book is one of them💀

    5
    By Cassette Cathedral
    Such an amazing book! I love how Catherine Doughty has such a dark sense of humor about such a taboo subject in American culture.
  • amazing

    5
    By poetelias
    BEST BOOK EVER
  • Love Love Love it!!

    5
    By deniedpoet
    Working in Hospice Care and reading this helped me relate on so many levels!! Beautiful, funny, and brilliant! You nailed it! You took death to a whole new level of humanizing it without the weird awkward pink elephant! Thank you!! I’ll be waiting for more of your work!! â¤ï¸â™¥ï¸â¤ï¸â™¥ï¸ðŸ˜˜ðŸˆâ€â¬›
  • Just ok

    2
    By Mhazen
    The beginning had me captivated with a short story approach to the woes and highs of working in a funeral home. Towards the end it gets very heavy in words and downright boring. I get the message. But. It definitely made me not want to finish. Not as good as will my cat eat my eyeballs.
  • Couldn’t put it down

    5
    By Kirstynmae
    So interesting couldn’t put it down
  • Smoke Gets in your Eyes and other stories in the crematory.,

    5
    By martywell
    I thought I was weird because I have always had a fascination with death, now I know I am and that’s ok. So grateful we have advocates like Caitlin Doughty for decency and respect in the death industry.
  • Grace in Death

    5
    By Roxi S.
    A witty in your face expose on the reality that we have with death; that is is hidden instead of celebrated. This book made me have a serious discussion with my husband on what to do at my death, and made me contemplate it as a whole. An excellent read.
  • One word says it all.

    5
    By Kiwisbox
    Yes.
  • Intriguing

    5
    By Jared7891362589
    This book confirms all of my thoughts about what a crematorium is like. I have always been curious about death as expressed by questioning my Mom in the medical field. Should I be a chemistry major or is death the field I want to lay in for the rest of my life? You did a great job with this book! Thanks for your contributions to the death community. I look forward to your YouTube videos.

Comments