Questions and Answers About Giving Up the Ghost
Death is, while an integral part of the human experience and an important aspect of society and culture, something that is hidden and/or avoided by most folks. Western society especially has a degree of separation that I find unfortunate—thinking about something as permanent as death is scary, especially if you're unfamiliar with the industry that handles it. Death can be tragic, death can be funny, death is an end and a beginning—most of all, death is inevitable. Here's a number of books I've found on my quest for information and understanding, some serious and informative and some downright hilarious. Perhaps they'll be helpful for your journey too.
This book is a fascinating compilation of experiences from morticians across all spectrums of experience, and if you only read one book about death care, let it be this one. By the end, you'll have laughed, cried, and come away with a better appreciation for how weird death care can be.
This particular author analyzes death and the living's relationship with it in a way I have yet to see anyone else do. A worthwhile, densely well-researched, and utterly fascinating read.
Caitlin Doughty is the author that started it all for me. Her efforts on the forefront of the death positivity movement have been an inspiration. Her style is both personable and informative, and I have all her books on my To-Read list (which is already far too long...).
All the weird death-related questions you wanted answers to as a kid but were too afraid to ask!
Although only tangentially related to the others on this list, anthropodermic bibliopegy (the practice of binding books in human skin) has some overlap with death care, at least in spirit. This is a neat read about the dark history of library science and bookmaking, and the ethical choices to be made with human-bound books.
An excellent guide to a process both intimidating and potentially costly. This certainly answered some questions I had (etiquette is so challenging!).
As society evolves, so too does death care. This is an excellent introduction to a newer approach to death care and the process of dying focused on planning, emotional acceptance, guided ritual, and vigils. I was fascinated with the concept from the moment I spotted this book on the shelf!