Download or read book Smoke Gets in Your Eyes And Other Lessons from the Crematory written by Caitlin Doughty and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2014-09-15 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "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).
Download or read book The Accidental Feminist written by M. G. Lord and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2012-02-12 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Movie stars establish themselves as brands--and Taylor's brand , in its most memorable outings, has repeatedly introduced a broad audience to feminist ideas. In her breakout film, "National Velvet" (1944), Taylor's character challenges gender discrimination,: Forbidden as a girl to ride her beloved horse in an important race, she poses as a male jockey. Her next milestone, "A Place in the Sun" (1951), can be seen as an abortion rights movie--a cautionary tale from a time before women had ready access to birth control. In "Butterfield 8" (1960), for which she won an Oscar, Taylor isn't censured because she's a prostitute, but because she chooses the men: she controls her sexuality, a core tenet of the third-wave feminism that emerged in the 1990s. Even "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1966) depicts the anguish that befalls a woman when the only way she can express herself is through her husband's stalled career and children. The legendary actress has lived her life defiantly in public--undermining post-war reactionary sex roles, helping directors thwart the Hollywood Production Code, which censored film content between 1934 and 1967. Defying death threats she spearheaded fundraising for AIDS research in the first years of the epidemic, and has championed the rights of people to love whom they love, regardless of gender. Yet her powerful feminist impact has been hidden in plain sight. Drawing on unpublished letters and scripts as well as interviews with Kate Burton, Gore Vidal, Austin Pendleton, Kevin McCarthy, Liz Smith, and others, The Accidental Feminist will surprise Taylor and film fans with its originality and will add a startling dimension to the star's enduring mystique.
Download or read book Cremation in America written by Fred Rosen and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2010-10-05 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this captivating review of the history, the practice, and the industry of cremation in America, award-winning former New York Times columnist Fred Rosen provides an authoritative source of information and many revealing facts about an increasingly common, yet still controversial, alternative to burial. Rosen gives an entertaining first person account of his inquiry into the practice of cremation and its roots. He describes the early ancient custom of cremation by funeral pyre and then explores why the rising Church banned the practice as a sacrilege. He then traces the underpinnings of the modern cremation movement in the late 19th century among a colorful group of intellectuals and physicians. This 19th century group endorsed this then illegal practice as a means to improve public health--as a way to prevent seepage of burial grounds from polluting ground water and spreading disease. Rosen goes on to examine, in today''s world, people''s feelings about death and religion as well as their sensitivities to cremation. Given certain abuses, he believes that this industry needs to be regulated. However, he finds much in favor of cremation when firsthand comparing its costs vs. the excesses and extravagances of the burial funeral industry. In an age when over 25 percent of the population is turning to cremation as a preferred funeral arrangement, this book offers much timely, useful, and engrossing information.
Download or read book The Day written by Douglas Hobbie and published by Henry Holt and Company. This book was released on 1993-04-15 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Day, Hobbie continues his exploration of family life and the unending confilct between passion and comfort. It is Thanksgiving, 1991. Fletcher, an architect adrift in the prevailing economic downturn, is the relative outsider at his wife's family gathering. His sense of dislocation is the somewhat distorting lens through which we view the novel's events. Fletcher is haunted by memories of the person at the center of the book, Clare, his sister-in-law and one-time soul mate, whose bewildering death occured exactly one year earlier. Her story provides a powerful counterpoint to the pretenses of holiday conviviality and helps to complete this compelling family portrait.
Download or read book Encyclopedia of Cremation written by Lewis H. Mates and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-29 with total page 517 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Encyclopedia of Cremation is the first major reference resource focused on cremation. Spanning many world cultures it documents regional histories, ideological movements and leading individuals that fostered cremation whilst also presenting cremation as a universal practice. Tracing ancient and classical cremation sites, historical and contemporary cremation processes and procedures of both scientific and legal kind, the encyclopedia also includes sections on specific cremation rituals, architecture, art and text. Features in the volume include: a general introduction and editorial introductions to sub-sections by Douglas Davies, an international specialist in death studies; appendices of world cremation statistics and a chronology of cremation; cross-referencing pathways through the entries via the index; individual entry bibliographies; and illustrations. This major international reference work is also an essential source book for students on the growing number of death-studies courses and wider studies in religion, anthropology or sociology.
Download or read book The Cremation of Sam McGee written by Robert Service and published by Kids Can Press. This book was released on 2013-03-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1986 Kids Can Press published an edition of Robert Service's ?The Cremation of Sam McGee? illustrated by painter Ted Harrison, who used his signature broad brushstrokes and unconventional choice of color to bring this gritty narrative poem to life. Evoking both the spare beauty and the mournful solitude of the Yukon landscape, Harrison's paintings proved the perfect match for Service's masterpiece about a doomed prospector adrift in a harsh land. Harrison's Illustrator's Notes on each page enhanced both poem and illustrations by adding valuable historical background. Upon its original publication, many recognized the book as an innovative approach to illustrating poetry for children. For years The Cremation of Sam McGee has stood out as a publishing landmark, losing none of its appeal both as a read-aloud and as a work of art. Kids Can Press proudly publishes this deluxe hardcover twentieth anniversary edition --- complete with a spot-varnished cover, new cover art and heavy coated stock --- of a book that remains as entrancing as a night sky alive with the vibrant glow of the Northern Lights.
Download or read book The Archaeology of Cremation written by Tim Thompson and published by Oxbow Books. This book was released on 2015-03-31 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Human societies have disposed of their dead in a variety of ways. However, while considerable attention has been paid to bodies that were buried, comparatively little work has been devoted to understanding the nature of cremated remains, despite their visibility through time. It has been argued that this is the result of decades of misunderstanding regarding the potential information that this material holds, combined with properties that make burned bone inherently difficult to analyse. As such, there is a considerable body of knowledge on the concepts and practices of inhumation yet our understanding of cremation ritual and practice is by comparison, woefully inadequate. This timely volume therefore draws together the inventive methodology that has been developed for this material and combines it with a fuller interpretation of the archaeological funerary context. It demonstrates how an innovative methodology, when applied to a challenging material, can produce new and exciting interpretations of archaeological sites and funerary contexts. The reader is introduced to the nature of burned human remains and the destructive effect that fire can have on the body. Subsequent chapters describe important cremation practices and sites from around the world and from the Neolithic period to the modern day. By emphasising the need for a robust methodology combined with a nuanced interpretation, it is possible to begin to appreciate the significance and wide-spread adoption of this practice of dealing with the dead.
Download or read book Forensic Cremation Recovery and Analysis written by Scott I. Fairgrieve and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2007-10-18 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a synopsis of the challenges involved in the recovery and interpretation of cremains from the point of discovery to the end of the analysis. It considers the capacity and mechanism of fire to alter the chemical and physical properties of materials, particularly those of human tissues, and emphasizes a flexible approach to the collection of cremains. A significant portion of the book examines the effects of fire on bone and the ability to determine trauma. It also evaluates the practical use of dental tissue and DNA for identification and as an aid to the investigation.
Download or read book The Day It Finally Happens written by Mike Pearl and published by Scribner. This book was released on 2020-09-22 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From a VICE magazine columnist, “a deeply entertaining—if occasionally horrifying” (Joshua Piven, coauthor of The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook) look at how humanity is likely to weather such happenings as nuclear war, a global internet collapse, antibiotics shortages, and even immortality. If you live on planet Earth you’re probably scared of the future. How could you not be? Some of the world’s most stable democracies are looking pretty shaky. Technology is invading personal relationships and taking over jobs. Relations among the three superpowers—the US, China, and Russia—are growing more complicated and dangerous. A person watching the news has to wonder: is it safe to go out there or not? Taking inspiration from his virally popular VICE column “How Scared Should I Be?,” Mike Pearl games out many of the “could it really happen?” scenarios we’ve all speculated about, assigning a probability rating, and taking us through how it would unfold. He explores what would likely occur in dozens of possible scenarios—among them the final failure of antibiotics, the loss of the world’s marine life, a complete ban on guns in the US, and even contact with extraterrestrial life—and reports back from the future, providing a clear picture of how the world would look, feel, and even smell in each of these instances. For fans of such bestsellers as What If? and The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook, The Day It Finally Happens is about taking future events that we don’t really understand and getting to know them in close detail. Pearl’s “well-researched speculations induce daydreams and nightmares and mark [him] as one of his generation’s most interesting writers” (Alec Ross, New York Times bestselling author).
Download or read book A Long Day at the End of the World written by Brent Hendricks and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2013-03-12 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chronicles the author's journey across the Deep South to the site of the crematory where in February 2002 it was revealed that hundreds of decayed bodies meant for cremation were discovered, including that of the author's father.
Download or read book It Sucks to Know Me written by Glenn Allen and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2011-03 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here's a once in a lifetime opportunity (at least that's what my critics are hoping for) to read my third book. If you already know me, you fully understand the full import as enshrined in the title of what I mean when I say "It Sucks To Know Me". For those causal acquaintances, here's your last warning: run, don't walk, before it's too late. For once you open this book, your psyche will never be the same. Your mind might explode as you try to reconcile the concept that Karl Marx had a number of good sayings while you're cheering loudly at a Tea Party rally. As I said to my sister after she hadn't spoken to me for six months after reading my first book, I didn't kill any people in my book, they were just lawyers. I was fortunate to have another six months of peace until her brain finally was reset and she forgot why she was no longer speaking to me. For my part, my brain edit function is still out for repair (by court order). I invite all of you to contemplate this as you read this book: Do you consider it to be a worthy addition to the world's literature or would it have been better if I was never born? Send you votes to my mom who's agreed to tally them for me.
Download or read book Modern Loss written by Rebecca Soffer and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2018-01-23 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inspired by the website that the New York Times hailed as "redefining mourning," this book is a fresh and irreverent examination into navigating grief and resilience in the age of social media, offering comfort and community for coping with the mess of loss through candid original essays from a variety of voices, accompanied by gorgeous two-color illustrations and wry infographics. At a time when we mourn public figures and national tragedies with hashtags, where intimate posts about loss go viral and we receive automated birthday reminders for dead friends, it’s clear we are navigating new terrain without a road map. Let’s face it: most of us have always had a difficult time talking about death and sharing our grief. We’re awkward and uncertain; we avoid, ignore, or even deny feelings of sadness; we offer platitudes; we send sympathy bouquets whittled out of fruit. Enter Rebecca Soffer and Gabrielle Birkner, who can help us do better. Each having lost parents as young adults, they co-founded Modern Loss, responding to a need to change the dialogue around the messy experience of grief. Now, in this wise and often funny book, they offer the insights of the Modern Loss community to help us cry, laugh, grieve, identify, and—above all—empathize. Soffer and Birkner, along with forty guest contributors including Lucy Kalanithi, singer Amanda Palmer, and CNN’s Brian Stelter, reveal their own stories on a wide range of topics including triggers, sex, secrets, and inheritance. Accompanied by beautiful hand-drawn illustrations and witty "how to" cartoons, each contribution provides a unique perspective on loss as well as a remarkable life-affirming message. Brutally honest and inspiring, Modern Loss invites us to talk intimately and humorously about grief, helping us confront the humanity (and mortality) we all share. Beginners welcome.
Download or read book A Word A Day written by Anu Garg and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2010-12-21 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Anu Garg's many readers await their A Word A Day rations hungrily. Now at last here's a feast for them and other verbivores. Eat up!" -Barbara Wallraff Senior Editor at The Atlantic Monthly and author of Word Court Praise for A Word a Day "AWADies will be familiar with Anu Garg's refreshing approach to words: words are fun and they have fascinating histories. The people who use them have curious stories to tell too, and this collection incorporates some of the correspondence received by the editors at the AWAD site, from advice on how to outsmart your opponent in a duel (or even a truel) to a cluster of your favorite mondegreens." -John Simpson, Chief Editor, Oxford English Dictionary "A banquet of words! Feast and be nourished!" -Richard Lederer, author of The Miracle of Language Written by the founder of the wildly popular A Word A Day Web site (www.wordsmith.org), this collection of unusual, obscure, and exotic English words will delight writers, scholars, crossword puzzlers, and word buffs of every ilk. The words are grouped in intriguing categories that range from "Portmanteaux" to "Words That Make the Spell-Checker Ineffective." each entry includes a concise definition, etymology, and usage example-and many feature fascinating and hilarious commentaries by A Word A Day subscribers and the authors.
Download or read book Astro Turf written by M. G. Lord and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2009-05-26 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A daughter's journey to rediscover her father and understand the culture of space engineers During the late 1960s, while M. G. Lord was becoming a teenager in Southern California and her mother was dying of cancer, Lord's father-an archetypal, remote, rocket engineer- disappeared into his work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, building the space probes of the Mariner Mars 69 mission. Thirty years later, Lord found herself reporting on the JPL, triggering childhood memories and a desire to revisit her past as a way of understanding the ethos of rocket science. Astro Turf is the brilliant result of her journey of discovery. Remembering her pain at her father's absence, yet intrigued by what he did, Lord captures him on the page as she recalls her own youthful, eccentric fascination with science and space exploration. Into her family's saga she weaves the story of the legendary JPL- examining the complexities of its cultural history, from its start in 1936 to the triumphant Mars landings in 2004. She illuminates its founder, Frank Malina, whose brilliance in rocketry was shadowed by a flirtation with communism, driving him from the country even as we welcomed Wernher von Braun and his Nazi colleagues. Lord's own love of science fiction becomes a lens through which she views a profound cultural shift in the male-dominated world of space. And in pursuing the cause of her father's absence she stumbles on a hidden guilt, understanding "the anguish his proud silence caused both him and me, and how rooted that silence was in the culture of engineering."
Download or read book Parnell Hall Presents Malice Domestic Mystery Most Edible written by Verena Rose and published by Wildside Press LLC. This book was released on 2019-05-16 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Malice Domestic anthology series returns with a new take on mysteries in the Agatha Christie tradition -- 36 original tales with a culinary bent! Included are: A Cup of Tea, by Parnell Hall Brown Recluse, by Marcia Adair A Slice of Heaven,, by Laura Brennan The Extra Ingredient, by Joan Long A Death in Yelapa, by Leslie Budewitz The Pie Sisters, by Richard Cass Too Many Cooks Almost Spoil the Murder, by Lynne Ewing Pig Lickin’ Good, by Debra H. Goldstein Quiche Alain, by Marni Graff Diet of Death, by Ang Pompano Death at the Willard Hotel, by Verena Rose Dining Out, by Rosemary McCracken Snowbirding, by Kristin Kisska Up Day Down Day Deadly Day, by Ellen Larson The Secret Blend, by Stacy Woodson First of the Year, by Gabriel Valjan Sticky Fingers, by LD Masterson The Cremains of the Day, by Josh Pachter Honor Thy Father, by Harriette Sackler Killer Chocolate Chips, by Ruth McCarty Sushi Lessons, by Edith Maxwell The Missing Ingredient for Murderous Intent, by Elizabeth Perona It’s Canning Season, by Adele Polomski The Gourmand, by Nancy Cole Silverman The Blue Ribbon, by Cynthia Kuhn The Last Word, by Shawn Reilly Simmons Murder Takes the Cupcake, by Kate Willett Bull Dog Gravy, by Mark Thielman Morsels of the Gods, by Victoria Thompson Mrs. Beeton’s Sausage Stuffing, by Christine Trent Bring It, by Terry Shames Gutbombs ’n’ Guinness, by Lisa Preston Deadly In-Flight Dining, by Sara Rosett Carne Diem, by Sharon Lynn Turn the Sage, by Stephen D. Rogers Bad Ju-Ju, by M.A. Monnin
Download or read book Cremation and the Archaeology of Death written by Jessica Cerezo-Román and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The fiery transformation of the dead is replete in our popular culture and Western modernity's death ways, and yet it is increasingly evident how little this disposal method is understood by archaeologists and students of cognate disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. In this regard, the archaeological study of cremation has much to offer. Cremation is a fascinating and widespread theme and entry-point in the exploration of the variability of mortuary practices among past societies. Seeking to challenge simplistic narratives of cremation in the past and present, the studies in this volume seek to confront and explore the challenges of interpreting the variability of cremation by contending with complex networks of modern allusions and imaginings of cremations past and present and ongoing debates regarding how we identify and interpret cremation in the archaeological record. Using a series of original case studies, the book investigates the archaeological traces of cremation in a varied selection of prehistoric and historic contexts from the Mesolithic to the present in order to explore cremation from a practice-oriented and historically situated perspective.
Download or read book Stones written by Michael Aaron Rockland and published by Hansen Publishing Group LLC. This book was released on 2010-10 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: STONES is a novel simultaneously serious and comic. It takes place in one day as its protagonist, Jack Berke, accompanies his aged mother Rachel to visit the family graves in Brooklyn, Queens, and further out on Long Island. As Jack negotiates the congested expressways from cemetery to cemetery, he contemplates the tombstones, the lives of family members who lie under them, the stones that, according to Jewish custom, he places on those tombstones, and the stone that has for a lifetime resided in his own heart.
