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Book Review of Remember Me: A Lively Tour of the New American Way of Death

Remember Me: A Lively Tour of the New American Way of Death


I wrote this review for Amazon:

As other reviewers have mentioned, this book will undoubtedly be compared with "Stiff" (Mary Roach praised this book and truth be told, that's why I decided to read it) and "The American Way of Death." While it's in the same genre it shouldn't be compared to either because this is a cultural study of the way Baby Boomers are handling death and not an expose or an investigative work.

I found this book fascinating. I loved her writing style and the way she respectfully recounted people's stories/lives. I had tears come to my eyes on several occasions because the way she wrote about lives lost was so moving. While she stated her opinion occasionally, she never seemed to pass judgment.

She brought to my attention something I had never considered; obesity is changing the way caskets are made - that never occurred to me and I thought it was great that she would point that out. Also, she mentioned that soon-to-be mortuary science students could take their computerized exams in a local H & R Block. I nearly burst out laughing when I read this and was puzzled because she didn't take the opportunity to make a quip about Death and Taxes.

I would recommend this book to everyone, especially those who can't bring themselves to think about their own deaths and plan ahead.