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

 

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty is a nonfiction book that's been in my 'to be read' pile since either last year or earlier this year. 

I've read/heard great things about Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory and this book didn't disappoint! I listened to the unabridged audio version of this nonfiction book, which is wonderfully narrated by the author.

I love nonfiction books in general and read widely on diverse topics such as Doughty's book. I enjoyed learning about the author's time working at a crematory in San Francisco's East Bay and about her mortuary career in general. I also enjoyed hearing Doughty's thoughts regarding the death industry and her views (along with various cultural views) on death in general.

Below is the publisher's summary for Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty from Chirp's website:

Most people want to avoid thinking about death, but Caitlin Doughty - a twenty-something with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre - took a job at a crematory, turning morbid curiosity into her life’s work. With an original voice that combines fearless curiosity and mordant wit, Caitlin tells an unusual coming-of-age story full of bizarre encounters, gallows humor, and vivid characters (both living and very dead). Describing how she swept ashes from the machines (and sometimes onto her clothes), and cared for bodies of all shapes and sizes, Caitlin becomes an intrepid explorer in the world of the deceased. Her eye-opening memoir shows how our fear of dying warps our culture and society, and she calls for better ways of dealing with death (and our dead). In the spirit of her popular Web series, “Ask a Mortician,” Caitlin’s engaging narrative style makes this otherwise scary topic both approachable and profound. “America’s (kinda dark) sweetheart” (Huffington Post) Caitlin Doughty, the host and creator of the “Ask a Mortician” Web series and the collective Order of the Good Death, is on a mission to change the way we think about death.

I am giving Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!