Download or read book American Afterlife written by Kate Sweeney and published by University of Georgia Press. This book was released on 2014-03-15 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An award-winning writer explores the patchwork American cultural history of grieving the departed. One family inters their matriarch’s ashes on the floor of the ocean. Another holds a memorial weenie roast each year at a green-burial cemetery. An 1898 ad for embalming fluid promises, “You can make mummies with it!” while a leading contemporary burial vault is touted as impervious to the elements. A grieving mother, 150 years ago, might spend her days tending a garden at her daughter’s grave. Today, she might tend the roadside memorial she erected where her daughter was killed. One mother wears a locket containing her daughter’s hair; the other, a necklace containing her ashes. What happens after someone dies depends on our personal stories and on where those stories fall in a larger tale―that of death in America. It’s a powerful tale that we usually keep hidden from our everyday lives until we have to face it. American Afterlife by Kate Sweeney reveals this world through a collective portrait of Americans past and present who are personally involved with death: obit writers in the desert, an Atlantic funeral voyage, a fourth-generation funeral director―even a midwestern museum that shows us our death-obsessed Victorian progenitors. Each story illuminates details in another, revealing a landscape that feels at once strange and familiar, one that’s by turns odd, tragic, poignant, and sometimes even funny. “Sweeney’s quest for the “why” behind mourning rituals has given us a book in the best tradition of narrative journalism.”—Jessica Handler, author of Braving the Fire: A Guide to Writing about Grief and Loss

Download or read book Atlanta s Oakland Cemetery written by Ren Davis and published by University of Georgia Press. This book was released on 2012 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through engaging narrative, rich photography, archival images and detailed maps, a versatile guide to Atlanta's oldest public cemetery is a great way to tour the cemetery's landscape of remembrance, as well as a unique way to explore Atlanta's history. Original.

Download or read book Hidden History of Old Atlanta written by Mark Pifer and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2021-02-08 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Old Atlanta may conjure images of southern belles and Civil War ruination, but the full story stretches back millennia, even before the first known residents arrived five thousand years ago. From centuries of Native American settlements that ended with the removal of the Creeks to the rough-and-ready pioneer days, the area was rich in history long before it was called Atlanta. Author Mark Pifer unfolds a complex saga, including forgotten details from the struggles of African Americans and new immigrants, while noting modern locations bursting with tales that predate the City in the Forest's rise amid the treetops.

Download or read book In the Cemetery of the Orange Trees written by Jeff Talarigo and published by Etruscan Press. This book was released on 2018-02-13 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "As much a book of poetry as a novel, as much a symphony as a memoir, this is an extraordinary book from a writer at the top of his powers. Reminiscent of Berger and Calvino, Jeff Talarigo manages to capture the breadth and circumference of story-telling, while also giving us a privileged insight into the daily life and dreams of Gaza." —Colum McCann, Thirteen Ways of Looking In the mode of J. M. Coetzee’s Waiting for the Barbarians and Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities, In the Cemetery of the Orange Trees engages poetic language, mythic themes, and childlike perspectives to offer an original approach to a conflict that has become hardened and polarized. These linked stories of an American’s experience in Gaza expose the seven-decade long Palestinian diaspora in a disquieting allegory of the clash between the occupied and the occupier. In a place where political posturing, bloody war, journalistic witness, and even patient negotiation have yielded so little understanding, we enter the cemetery of the orange trees, where urchins kite dead birds, goats utter wisdom, camels and donkeys huddle together, and merchandise magically passes underground through the tunnels of Gaza. But this is no fairy tale or bestiary. In the Cemetery of the Orange Trees is a waking, attentive dream-journal, leading us back to a place where hatred, strife, and even human language itself might sing. Jeff Talarigo is the author of two novels: The Pearl Diver and The Ginseng Hunter. He has lived in Gaza and Japan, and currently resides in Oakland, California.

Download or read book The Historic Oakland Cemetery of Atlanta Speaking Stones written by Cathy J. Kaemmerlen and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2007-10-29 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Approximately seventy thousand souls lay in rest at historic Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia. They are the silent witnesses of what has gone on before. Their stones carry their stories and the history of Atlanta. Cathy Kaemmerlen, renowned storyteller and Georgia author, explores the tales behind many of the cemetery's notable figures, including: " Margaret Mitchell, of Gone with the Wind fame " Bobby Jones, 1930 winner of all four major golf championships " The Rich brothers, founders of Rich's Department Store " Joseph Jacobs, in whose pharmacy the first Coca-Cola was served

Download or read book Sacred Symbols of Oakland written by Richard Waterhouse and published by . This book was released on 2012-07 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From scallop shells and tree stumps to saints, angels, and the anchor and cross, Richard Waterhouse, a longtime Oakland docent and the creator of a popular Oakland symbolism tour, illuminates the symbolism and sacred meanings prevalent in the Victorian era monuments. Historic Oakland Cemetery, founded in 1850 by the City of Atlanta, is nationally cherished for the splendor of its monuments, the breadth of its landscape, and the richness of its history. One of the most beautiful examples in the United States of the rural garden cemetery movement, Oakland's park like expanse still provides an escape for visitor's seeking a return of the antebellum beauty of the South. The history of Atlanta and the cemetery intertwine entreatingly offering the reader the pleasant experience of meandering through the park while reading the book. Dinny Harper Addison's striking photographs carefully capture the elaborate intricacies of the symbols and stand themselves as meditations on the grandeur of Oakland.

Download or read book Daffodils in American Gardens 1733 1940 written by Sara L. Van Beck and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A multifaceted history of daffodils and the historic and modern gardens they have called home Since their earliest identification in the mid-1500s, more than twenty-eight thousand hybrid daffodils have been named and registered with the Royal Horticulture Society of England. Daffodils began as wildflowers in the Mediterranean basin, then spread and flourished in Europe's alpine and coastal environments. Sara L. Van Beck, an attentive historian and skilled horticulturist, traces the history of the garden daffodil including its early days in Europe, especially the Netherlands; the importation of flowering bulbs to colonial America; and plant breeding and the dissemination of plants throughout the United States until World War II. Illustrated with nearly two hundred color and black-and-white images, Daffodils in American Gardens examines gardening by era--European beginnings; colonial, federal, antebellum, and Victorian periods; and World War II--with a comprehensive chapter for daffodils in cemetery plantings. Van Beck combines the disparate disciplines of archaeology and plant science to discover and re-create important gardens in the United States. Combining primary research from a variety of rare publications, especially nursery catalogs and seed lists, she integrates old and new scientific botany by correlating older, uncertain scientific terms, common names for the daffodil, and modern taxonomies. Historic and modern botanical illustrations embellish the volume and complement Van Beck's narrative. Case studies of surviving historic gardens from the early Republic era to the twentieth century examine how old daffodils have survived the vagaries of time. Van Beck surveys historic properties in Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. This multifaceted history, examining high style, vernacular, and commercial landscape architecture, is geared toward general gardeners interested in heirloom plants and historic gardens. Moreover, extensive endnotes and a comprehensive bibliography document extensive references for professionals working in historic landscapes preservation and garden restoration.

Download or read book Annual Report to the City Council written by and published by . This book was released on 1913 with total page 602 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book 199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die written by Loren Rhoads and published by Black Dog & Leventhal. This book was released on 2017-10-24 with total page 425 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A hauntingly beautiful travel guide to the world's most visited cemeteries, told through spectacular photography andtheir unique histories and residents. More than 3.5 million tourists flock to Paris's Pè Lachaise cemetery each year.They are lured there, and to many cemeteries around the world, by a combination of natural beauty, ornate tombstones and crypts, notable residents, vivid history, and even wildlife. Many also visit Mount Koya cemetery in Japan, where 10,000 lanterns illuminate the forest setting, or graveside in Oaxaca, Mexico to witness Day of the Dead fiestas. Savannah's Bonaventure Cemetery has gorgeous night tours of the Southern Gothic tombstones under moss-covered trees that is one of the most popular draws of the city. 199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die features these unforgettable cemeteries, along with 196 more, seen in more than 300 photographs. In this bucket list of travel musts, author Loren Rhoads, who hosts the popular Cemetery Travel blog, details the history and features that make each destination unique. Throughout will be profiles of famous people buried there, striking memorials by noted artists, and unusual elements, such as the hand carved wood grave markers in the Merry Cemetery in Romania.

Download or read book Historic Oakland Cemetery written by Tevi Taliaferro and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2001-06-20 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To learn about a communitys past, the city cemetery is the place to visit. As Atlantas oldest permanent landmark, Oakland Cemetery holds the past, present, and future history of the Gateway to the South. Established in 1850 as a small municipal cemetery on the southeastern edge of town, Historic Oakland has evolved into 88 acres of art, history, architecture, gardens, and peaceful green space in the heart of downtown Atlanta. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 as a significant example of an historic Victorian-era cemetery, Oakland is the final resting place of more than 70,000 deceased. People of both statewide and national importance have been buried throughout the cemeterys grounds in the past 150 years, including author Margaret Mitchell, golfing legend Bobby Jones, Confederate generals and soldiers, Georgia governors, Atlanta mayors, and ordinary people known only to their families. Historic Oakland Cemetery explores the history of both the cemetery and the people who were laid to rest there. From the famous to the infamous, the legendary to the ordinary, every person buried in the cemetery has a story to tell. For all of its emphasis on the past, Oakland remains an active cemetery, a public park, and an educational resource in which to study lush landscapes and Georgia history.

Download or read book The Humane Gardener written by Nancy Lawson and published by Chronicle Books. This book was released on 2017-04-18 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this eloquent plea for compassion and respect for all species, journalist and gardener Nancy Lawson describes why and how to welcome wildlife to our backyards. Through engaging anecdotes and inspired advice, profiles of home gardeners throughout the country, and interviews with scientists and horticulturalists, Lawson applies the broader lessons of ecology to our own outdoor spaces. Detailed chapters address planting for wildlife by choosing native species; providing habitats that shelter baby animals, as well as birds, bees, and butterflies; creating safe zones in the garden; cohabiting with creatures often regarded as pests; letting nature be your garden designer; and encouraging natural processes and evolution in the garden. The Humane Gardener fills a unique niche in describing simple principles for both attracting wildlife and peacefully resolving conflicts with all the creatures that share our world.

Download or read book Every Root an Anchor written by R. Bruce Allison and published by Wisconsin Historical Society. This book was released on 2005-04-13 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Every Root an Anchor, writer and arborist R. Bruce Allison celebrates Wisconsin's most significant, unusual, and historic trees. More than one hundred tales introduce us to trees across the state, some remarkable for their size or age, others for their intriguing histories. From magnificent elms to beloved pines to Frank Lloyd Wright's oaks, these trees are woven into our history, contributing to our sense of place. They are anchors for time-honored customs, manifestations of our ideals, and reminders of our lives' most significant events. For this updated edition, Allison revisits the trees' histories and tells us which of these unique landmarks are still standing. He sets forth an environmental message as well, reminding us to recognize our connectedness to trees and to manage our tree resources wisely. As early Wisconsin conservationist Increase Lapham said, "Tree histories increase our love of home and improve our hearts. They deserve to be told and remembered."

Download or read book Here Lies Linc written by Delia Ray and published by Knopf Books for Young Readers. This book was released on 2011-08-23 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When 12-year-old Linc Crenshaw decides he wants to go to public school, his professor mom isn't so happy with the idea. He's convinced it will be the ticket to a new social life. Instead, it's a disaster when his mom shows up at their field trip to the local cemetery to lecture them on gravestones, and Linc sees her through his fellow-students' eyes. He's convinced his chances at a social life are over until a cemetery-related project makes him sought-after by fellow students he's not so sure he wants as friends, helps him make a new, genuine friend, and brings to light some information about his family that upends his world. Delia Ray has written a funny, heartfelt story about a lonely kid and his mother as they ultimately cope with the grief left behind from his dad's death, and along the journey find new ways to connect with each other, and their community.

Download or read book Growing Up in the Civil War 1861 to 1865 written by Duane Damon and published by Lerner Publications. This book was released on 2002-09-01 with total page 74 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents details of daily life of American children during the period from 1860 to 1865.

Download or read book The Land of Open Graves written by Jason De Leon and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2015-10-23 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this gripping and provocative “ethnography of death,” anthropologist and MacArthur "Genius" Fellow Jason De León sheds light on one of the most pressing political issues of our time—the human consequences of US immigration and border policy. The Land of Open Graves reveals the suffering and deaths that occur daily in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona as thousands of undocumented migrants attempt to cross the border from Mexico into the United States. Drawing on the four major fields of anthropology, De León uses an innovative combination of ethnography, archaeology, linguistics, and forensic science to produce a scathing critique of “Prevention through Deterrence,” the federal border enforcement policy that encourages migrants to cross in areas characterized by extreme environmental conditions and high risk of death. For two decades, systematic violence has failed to deter border crossers while successfully turning the rugged terrain of southern Arizona into a killing field. Featuring stark photography by Michael Wells, this book examines the weaponization of natural terrain as a border wall: first-person stories from survivors underscore this fundamental threat to human rights, and the very lives, of non-citizens as they are subjected to the most insidious and intangible form of American policing as institutional violence. In harrowing detail, De León chronicles the journeys of people who have made dozens of attempts to cross the border and uncovers the stories of the objects and bodies left behind in the desert. The Land of Open Graves will spark debate and controversy.

Download or read book Green Wood Cemetery written by Alexandra Kathryn Mosca and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2008 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For generations, Green-Wood Cemetery has played an integral part in New York City's cultural history, serving as a gathering place and a cultural repository. Situated in the historic borough of Brooklyn, the thousands of graves and mausoleums within the cemetery's 478 acres are tangible links and reminders to key events and people who made New York City and America what it is today. The monuments read like a who's who of American greatness and include the names of Leonard Bernstein, F. A. O. Schwarz, Charles L. Tiffany, Samuel Morse, and DeWitt Clinton, among others. A national historic landmark since 2006, Green-Wood is considered one of the preeminent cemeteries in the country and is a living display of the evolving funeral traditions of the city and America as a whole. The cemetery was and remains one of the city's largest open green spaces and a century ago was a social venue for picnics, outings, and political events. Through vintage photographs, Green-Wood Cemetery chronicles the cemetery's rich history and documents how its tradition as a park and a popular tourist attraction continues, drawing 300,000 visitors annually.

Download or read book Women in Atlanta written by Staci Catron-Sullivan and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2005-02-02 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although Southern women are often portrayed as belles, the photographic record suggests the true diversity, complexity, and richness of their lives. In their roles as wives, mothers, teachers, pilots, businesswomen, and reformers, among others, women contributed greatly to the growth and development of the region. In Atlanta, they helped remake a small railroad hub into the thriving capital of the New South. The photographs in this book, drawn from the collections of the James G. Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center, depict Atlanta women at work and at play from the mid-19th century to the 1970s. In addition to illustrating womens dramatically changing roles during this period, the volume situates these women within the emerging regional and national contexts of their time.