Nonfiction

All the Living and the Dead: From Embalmers to Executioners, an Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life's Work

All the Living and the Dead: From Embalmers to Executioners, an Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life's Work

  • Downloads：3839
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-08-18 00:19:38
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Hayley Campbell
  • ISBN：B09GCCJ73Q
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Kelly （accio_books_and_cats） ，

This beautifully written & hands-on researched look into the vocation and lives of death workers is not just a must-read for the morbidly curious like myself， but an important & insightful read for all of us living who will inevitably die one day。 Death workers， the often unseen， reviled， and avoided， are the stars of this book。 Unlike those working the frontlines， these professions （embalmers， crime scene cleaners， funeral directors， grave diggers， etc。） are not given the recognition or appreci This beautifully written & hands-on researched look into the vocation and lives of death workers is not just a must-read for the morbidly curious like myself， but an important & insightful read for all of us living who will inevitably die one day。 Death workers， the often unseen， reviled， and avoided， are the stars of this book。 Unlike those working the frontlines， these professions （embalmers， crime scene cleaners， funeral directors， grave diggers， etc。） are not given the recognition or appreciation for the work they do。 They are relegated to the shadows， not to be seen until the inevitable day when death darkens your doorstep。Each chapter of All the Living and the Dead focuses on a different profession but all， a kin to cogs on a wheel， come together as parts of a larger purpose。 The individuals Hayley interviewed & consulted for this book brought so much to contemplate。Poppy Mardall， a funeral director， speaks of how the first dead body you see shouldn't be of someone you love and how she wishes she could bring children to her mortuary to confront death before they have to。 "You need to be able to separate the shock of seeing death from the shock of grief，" she said。 Terry Regnier， Director of Anatomical Services at the Mayo Clinic， who handles the body donations that go on to help train young doctors & further the field of science asks， "What more can you give back than your whole self？" and so adeptly states， "We needed to learn about ourselves to save ourselves。"The care， thought and tenderness that so many of these incredible people show to the bodies they work with， and the deceased's loved ones， is both astounding and humbling。 The protectiveness they show and the courtesies they perform， even though no one would necessarily notice， simply because it is the right & respectful thing to do。"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐨 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭。" - 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐝 𝐖𝐨𝐣𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐳I give All the Living and the Dead: From Embalmers to Executioners， an Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life's Work by Hayley Campbell 4。5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 （rounded up to 5 stars）Thank you so very much to StMartinsPress and NetGalley for this ARC。 All the Living and the Dead is out NOW！ 。。。more

Petra cyborg with holes & screws in her skull now ，

I ordered this as I like books on death - funeral directors， hospices， embalming， cremation （but I can't get the vision out of my head of fat people's avoirdupois turning into liquid oil and running down the middle of the drain in the crematorium。 I can't remember which book that came from， probably Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory， that was pretty gruesome）。 I don't know why I like these books but they must be quite generally appealing as it's quite a big genre。 Maybe I ordered this as I like books on death - funeral directors， hospices， embalming， cremation （but I can't get the vision out of my head of fat people's avoirdupois turning into liquid oil and running down the middle of the drain in the crematorium。 I can't remember which book that came from， probably Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory， that was pretty gruesome）。 I don't know why I like these books but they must be quite generally appealing as it's quite a big genre。 Maybe it is to allay feelings of my own mortality or to reinforce them。 But I'm with Woody Allen on this one， " don't want to achieve immortality through my work; I want to achieve immortality through not dying。" 。。。more

Skyler ，

Thank you to Hayley Campbell， Macmillan Audio， and Netgalley for this audioARC in exchange for an honest review。 There is just something about an author narrating their own work that really boosts my enjoyment of a good read。 I believe that it really highlights the blood， sweat， and tears that authors put into their writing， as there is a bit more emotion behind an author's voice rather than an unrelated narrator。I did go into listing to this with a bit of prior knowledge， as I have taken classe Thank you to Hayley Campbell， Macmillan Audio， and Netgalley for this audioARC in exchange for an honest review。 There is just something about an author narrating their own work that really boosts my enjoyment of a good read。 I believe that it really highlights the blood， sweat， and tears that authors put into their writing， as there is a bit more emotion behind an author's voice rather than an unrelated narrator。I did go into listing to this with a bit of prior knowledge， as I have taken classes on death and bereavement in the past。 While I believe that pretty much anyone could enjoy this novel without any prior knowledge or context， I do believe that a quick google search on certain death practices or on other books mentioned （like From Here to Eternity） could certainly help to string everything together。 Overall， I recommend consuming All the Living and the Dead as an audiobook （although I am sure the physical/kindle book is great too！！） in order to get the absolute best front-row seat for a peek into this industry。 。。。more

Melissa ，

Wow。 Sooo Good！ALL THE LIVING AND THE DEAD by Hayley Campbell takes a journalistic extended look at the fields that surround death。This may sound like a macabre dive， but it really is not。 This exploration of those professions dealing with the end of life is full of exceptional descriptions that give honor and distinction to those occupations。 It began with the "current" history of western medicine in the Victorian era with their methods of discovery， and moves to very modern western practices。 Wow。 Sooo Good！ALL THE LIVING AND THE DEAD by Hayley Campbell takes a journalistic extended look at the fields that surround death。This may sound like a macabre dive， but it really is not。 This exploration of those professions dealing with the end of life is full of exceptional descriptions that give honor and distinction to those occupations。 It began with the "current" history of western medicine in the Victorian era with their methods of discovery， and moves to very modern western practices。 （I say Western because I know there are multitudes of cultures， both ancient and modern that also have fascinating customs。）I was enamored by the careful examination that Campbell brought。 I felt like I was being granted a special， personal tour of some of these invisible and important back rooms。 I was especially moved by Campbell's narration and her vulnerability in how a specific episode affected her。 I was also quite affected by that story and by learning how those in these fields deal with the inevitable mental health issues。 Some truly unsung heroes at times。In conclusion， this was a fantastic audiobook that shines a light on vocations from which we need， but rarely contemplate。 It was so well written and narrated。Thank you @NetGalley and @macmillan。audio for this Advanced Listening Copy。 I highly recommend！ This title is available now！ 。。。more

Susan ，

As a fan of Mary Roach （Stiff） and Caitlin Doughty （Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs） this was an easy choice when I saw that the ARC was available。 I wasn't disappointed。 My curiosity about the death industry started at a very early age due to several pathologists in the family。 They would have enjoyed this book。 From morticians， crime scene cleaners， disaster investigators and coroners to bodies donated to science for anatomy classes and so much in between。 this book was hard to put down and I've a As a fan of Mary Roach （Stiff） and Caitlin Doughty （Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs） this was an easy choice when I saw that the ARC was available。 I wasn't disappointed。 My curiosity about the death industry started at a very early age due to several pathologists in the family。 They would have enjoyed this book。 From morticians， crime scene cleaners， disaster investigators and coroners to bodies donated to science for anatomy classes and so much in between。 this book was hard to put down and I've added it to my best read list of 2022。 It's amazing。My thanks to the publisher St。 Martin's and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Tawney ，

In present day America we hide the dead。 It takes a surprising assortment of people to make that happen。 Hayley Campbell decided to find out about some of them and it has resulted in this excellent book。 Her research wasn't limited to interviews。 It included observation and some participation which adds depth to her narrative。 The interviewed are as varied as the jobs。 There are the obvious funeral directors， embalmers， assistant medical examiners。 And the seldom seen gravediggers and crematory In present day America we hide the dead。 It takes a surprising assortment of people to make that happen。 Hayley Campbell decided to find out about some of them and it has resulted in this excellent book。 Her research wasn't limited to interviews。 It included observation and some participation which adds depth to her narrative。 The interviewed are as varied as the jobs。 There are the obvious funeral directors， embalmers， assistant medical examiners。 And the seldom seen gravediggers and crematory worker。 Some work is more unusual， like dealing with the bodies donated for scientific study or those killed in disasters like airplane crashes。 A friend of mine from seventh grade to graduation wanted to be a mortician。 I don't remember her ever explaining why， but she was quietly steadfast about it， unlike several of the people in this book who never set out to do what they do。 Others followed their fathers， some moved sideways from caring for the living to caring for the dead。 They do their jobs with competence and great respect for the bodies and those who loved and cared for them。 And， in turn， they are very deserving of our respect as is Hayley Campbell for introducing us to them。 I received an advanced digital copy of this book compliments of St。 Martin's and NetGalley。 。。。more

Julie ，

Journalist and author Hayley Campbell offers a compelling exploration of the death industry in her new book， ALL THE LIVING AND THE DEAD。 Her interviews with morticians， detectives， embalmers， executioners， and others who work in the death industry are fascinating。 Highly recommend it！ https://read。macmillan。com/lp/all-the。。。@stmartinspress #AllTheLivingAndTheDead Journalist and author Hayley Campbell offers a compelling exploration of the death industry in her new book， ALL THE LIVING AND THE DEAD。 Her interviews with morticians， detectives， embalmers， executioners， and others who work in the death industry are fascinating。 Highly recommend it！ https://read。macmillan。com/lp/all-the。。。@stmartinspress #AllTheLivingAndTheDead 。。。more

Lonnie ，

This book is at times confronting， deeply saddening， and can be very uncomfortable， yet it is a very interesting exploration of death。 Some parts made me cry， others made me rethink what I want to happen to my body once I die。 The people who deal with bodies after death are all heroes in their own right。 An amazingly emotional and enlightening read。

Dawn Michelle ，

This was a really amazing read。 If you have read [and loved] Stiff by Mary Roach， this is a perfect companion to that [also] amazing book。 While trying to figure out just how to review this， I saw another review by a reader and it simply said [paraphrasing here] "Don't read reviews， just read the book" and I have to agree。 This is a book that is best going in "blind"。 To let it fully play out without any previous knowledge or anyone else's preconceived notions about death and dying and what they This was a really amazing read。 If you have read [and loved] Stiff by Mary Roach， this is a perfect companion to that [also] amazing book。 While trying to figure out just how to review this， I saw another review by a reader and it simply said [paraphrasing here] "Don't read reviews， just read the book" and I have to agree。 This is a book that is best going in "blind"。 To let it fully play out without any previous knowledge or anyone else's preconceived notions about death and dying and what they TRULY thought about this book [and the author]。 One needs to experience this without all that baggage， without anyone else's opinions ringing in their ears [including mine]。 I will say I highly recommend this book - if you have every wondered about death and dying and those who are there when it happens and in the aftermath， then this book is for you。 Once I started reading it， I absolutely didn't want to stop [in fact， making myself move on to other reads was supremely difficult， I was just swept in completely] and I wish it could have been just a little bit longer。 ;-） I was lucky to also receive the audiobook for this and WOW。 I don't always love when an author chooses to narrate their own books。 Quite often， they are just not a good narrator and you find that it completely ruins the book experience that you might have otherwise loved。 Thankfully [ ;-） ]， this was not the case here。 In fact， I would listen to anything this author reads [yes， she is that good]。 The emotions she felt at different times in this journey come through in many different ways and I will say that there were several moments where I was crying [as I imagine she had been at the time]。 I highly recommend listening to this audiobook！！！ ♥Thank you to NetGalley， Haley Campbell [also the narrator]， St。 Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for providing both the book and audiobook ARCS in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Lindsey Fitzharris ，

An intriguing， candid， and frequently poignant book that asks what the business of death can teach all of us in the midst of life。 Readers will form a connection with Campbell's voice as intimate as her own relationship with mortality。 Highly recommend。 An intriguing， candid， and frequently poignant book that asks what the business of death can teach all of us in the midst of life。 Readers will form a connection with Campbell's voice as intimate as her own relationship with mortality。 Highly recommend。 。。。more

Anna C ，

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ARC， in exchange for an honest review。 All the Living and the Dead by Hayley Campbell explores the experiences of those who work in death industry， and those who are often forgotten or unseen there。 I thought the book was phenomenal and the audiobook narration was fantastic。 I am a huge fan of Caitlin Doughty’s books on the death industry， and I was very excited to see this ARC on NetGalley。 I loved how Campbell’s book does not assume any previous knowledge o Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ARC， in exchange for an honest review。 All the Living and the Dead by Hayley Campbell explores the experiences of those who work in death industry， and those who are often forgotten or unseen there。 I thought the book was phenomenal and the audiobook narration was fantastic。 I am a huge fan of Caitlin Doughty’s books on the death industry， and I was very excited to see this ARC on NetGalley。 I loved how Campbell’s book does not assume any previous knowledge of the death industry， does not overlap very much content-wise with Doughty’s books， and how she also treats the material with respect， dignity， and honesty。 I especially enjoyed the Campbell’s interviews and experiences with those who work in medical donations， mass casualties， executions， and bereavement midwifery。 I highly recommend this book！ （It comes out August 16th！） 。。。more

Heather Adores Books ，

4。45⭐ for the audiobook。I have read many books revolving around fictional death， but never one about the people that work closely with death。 Some professionals that Hayley interviews are morticians， detectives， crime scene cleaners， embalmers， and executioners。I found this to be well researched， somewhat graphic and eye opening。 I must admit I never really thought about who is behind the scenes cleaning up crime scenes， performing autopsies and those getting bodies ready for funeral viewings， a 4。45⭐ for the audiobook。I have read many books revolving around fictional death， but never one about the people that work closely with death。 Some professionals that Hayley interviews are morticians， detectives， crime scene cleaners， embalmers， and executioners。I found this to be well researched， somewhat graphic and eye opening。 I must admit I never really thought about who is behind the scenes cleaning up crime scenes， performing autopsies and those getting bodies ready for funeral viewings， as well as gravediggers。 It was， also， interesting to me that executions are listed as homicides on the death certificate ~ I mean it makes sense and I don't know what I thought it would be， well actually I never really thought about it。 But then is the executioner considered the murderer？It was narrated by Hayley Campbell， the author， for 8 hours and 57 minutes， easy to follow at 2x。 She made it sound just like she wrote the words herself 😂Non-fiction is not my usual genre， but I like to expand my horizons once in a while and I am glad I chose this book to do so。 It's very well written and fascinating。 I really liked that she took a hands on approach during some of the interviews。TW ~ death of a baby*Thanks to Macmillan Audio， Hayley Campbell and NetGalley for the advance audiobook。 I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*Check out my blog here ➡ Heather Adores Books 。。。more

Ashleah ，

（4。5 rounded up to a 5）All the Living and the Dead is a non-fiction book by journalist Hayley Campbell。 The ebook version is 288 pages。 I listened to the audiobook， which clocks in at just under nine hours and is narrated by the author。 The extended title of the book is a pretty apt description of what it entails: From Embalmers to Executioners， an Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life's Work。 The author interviews various people in that spectrum， including mass fatality inves （4。5 rounded up to a 5）All the Living and the Dead is a non-fiction book by journalist Hayley Campbell。 The ebook version is 288 pages。 I listened to the audiobook， which clocks in at just under nine hours and is narrated by the author。 The extended title of the book is a pretty apt description of what it entails: From Embalmers to Executioners， an Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life's Work。 The author interviews various people in that spectrum， including mass fatality investigators， embalmers， former executioners， gravediggers， cryonics facility operators， crime scene cleaners， bereavement midwives， and homicide detectives。 This book was fascinating， and I learned a lot。 I have been part of Death Positive DC， a group that promotes conversations about death， so this book was right up my alley。 I felt so many emotions while reading this; I laughed out loud quite a few times， but there are also moments that I felt morose or sad。 I've already preordered a finished copy for my bookshelf。 This is one of those rare moments where the US cover is better than the UK cover！This would be a great book for fans of Caitlin Doughty or Mary Roach。 Additionally， if you're in the Death Café scene， this should absolutely be your next book club read。 It mainly focuses on the Western side of how we deal with death， though there are a few brief mentions of what some other cultures do。Special thanks to Macmillan， Macmillan Audio， St。 Martin's Press， and NetGalley for providing an audio galley of this book for me to review。 All opinions contained herein are my own。All the Living and the Dead releases on Tuesday， August 16th， 2022。 。。。more

Anxious Bibliophile Jacqueline ，

“We are the survivors of an era defined by death。。。”This book was a fantastic deep dive into the people who work with death daily。 I thought it was great journalism。 Hayley Campbell interviews and asks hard questions， as she navigates her own curiosity with what happens to a body after death。Some of it entertaining and many times brutal， but you can feel the compassion each person has for the once living in their care。 Campbell emphasizes throughout that each person has their own way of coping， “We are the survivors of an era defined by death。。。”This book was a fantastic deep dive into the people who work with death daily。 I thought it was great journalism。 Hayley Campbell interviews and asks hard questions， as she navigates her own curiosity with what happens to a body after death。Some of it entertaining and many times brutal， but you can feel the compassion each person has for the once living in their care。 Campbell emphasizes throughout that each person has their own way of coping， and no one person does the whole thing。 It’s a collection of people working in the shadows together giving dignity to the dead， for the sake of the living。Read by the author， I really enjoyed this audiobook， and recommend it to anyone who who wants to know the details about Western funeral and death culture。 There were moments I had to stop and really think about my relationship with death。 I have a huge family and have been going to funerals my whole life。 I've lost people through cancer， age， suicide， accident， overdose。 I've touched the cold body of the person I loved most in the world， and returned his body to the earth as ash。 More than once I touched my daughter's sleeping back， just to feel her breathing。Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for giving me the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review！ 。。。more

Kiara ，

I've always been fascinated with death。 As a result， I've read my fair share of books about the death industry。 But one book I've never come across is one that dealt with not only the death-related jobs we don't consider that often but with the people behind the jobs。 In All the Living and the Dead， Hayley Campbell introduces us to both， and it was one of the most heartwrenching and well-written books I've read in a long time。Campbell doesn't just introduce us to the jobs and the people， she tri I've always been fascinated with death。 As a result， I've read my fair share of books about the death industry。 But one book I've never come across is one that dealt with not only the death-related jobs we don't consider that often but with the people behind the jobs。 In All the Living and the Dead， Hayley Campbell introduces us to both， and it was one of the most heartwrenching and well-written books I've read in a long time。Campbell doesn't just introduce us to the jobs and the people， she tries to get inside their heads and understand why they do the jobs they do and how they deal with the trauma they face every day。 Campbell puts faces to the invisible hands that hold our bodies after death: gravediggers， crime scene cleaners， executioners， bereavement midwives， and a company that deals with the cleanup and organization after natural disasters and plane crashes。 Although these people have some of the most gruesome jobs in the world， they seem to have great outlooks--all of the people she interviewed wanted to show care and gentleness to people at the very last step of their lives; wanted to make sure things were done right and the bodies were respected。 I found myself tearing up while reading because along with the facts there was just so much heart behind not just the workers and their intentions， but Campbell as well。 Campbell handled each person and their story beautifully and with empathy， and she was candid about her own feelings， too。 This book is truly one of a kind， and I enjoyed reading every bit of it。 It also really got me thinking about what I want to be done with my body when I die， and that's something that a lot of people are hesitant to think about。 If this book will teach us anything， it is to be open to thinking about difficult things。 。。。more

Sarah-Hope ，

My experience with All the Living and the Dead was similar to many reviewers'—I was impressed by the amount and range of information provided， but felt a bit uneasy with the joy the author seemed to take in death-related activities。 Occasionally I felt almost a bit guilty while reading it。 If this topic interests you and you can see beyond some of the usual social conventions， you'll enjoy All the Living and the Dead。 The author's prose voice is friendly and her writing is specific and clear。I r My experience with All the Living and the Dead was similar to many reviewers'—I was impressed by the amount and range of information provided， but felt a bit uneasy with the joy the author seemed to take in death-related activities。 Occasionally I felt almost a bit guilty while reading it。 If this topic interests you and you can see beyond some of the usual social conventions， you'll enjoy All the Living and the Dead。 The author's prose voice is friendly and her writing is specific and clear。I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own。 。。。more

Lauren ，

An eye-opening and fascinating read for curious and morbidly curious people alike， All the Living and the Dead follows journalist Hayley Campbell's journey to connect with people who work closely with death。 She meets so many people with unique professions - some of these people include: a bereavement midwife， a cryonics scientist， the owner of a crime scene cleanup business， a death mask maker， a crematorium operator， the head of the Mayo Clinic department that receives bodies "donated to scien An eye-opening and fascinating read for curious and morbidly curious people alike， All the Living and the Dead follows journalist Hayley Campbell's journey to connect with people who work closely with death。 She meets so many people with unique professions - some of these people include: a bereavement midwife， a cryonics scientist， the owner of a crime scene cleanup business， a death mask maker， a crematorium operator， the head of the Mayo Clinic department that receives bodies "donated to science，" a gravedigger， an anatomical pathology technician， and， most interestingly， a real， modern-day executioner who worked in Virginia's state prisons。 Campbell brings together an excellent lineup of people who not only have fascinating stories， but also bring genuinely deep， profound， and beautiful reflections of how their professions have impacted their outlook on life。 She is consistently struck by the little things that people bring to their jobs that show respect for the dead - even though few people， if anyone， would even recognize those actions。 Moreover， she discovers the boundaries that some people refuse to cross - like an autopsy technician who refuses to read suicide notes of self-inflicted death cases - finding that death is not really something that one can be desensitized to， no matter how often you encounter it。 Throughout， Campbell reflects on her own experience of learning about， accepting， and confronting death as she meets more and more people who have made this their life's work。 In experiencing their professions， she becomes one of them - someone who has seen far more death than the average person， and will always be haunted by some of the things she has witnessed。 I found her writing to be compelling， relatable， insightful， and beautiful。 Overall， this was an excellent read for fans of Caitlin Doughty and Mary Roach， or anyone interested in connecting more with a part of life that we rarely spend time thinking about。 Thank you to the publisher and Macmillan Audio for the ARC via Netgalley。 。。。more

Jobyrne ，

An absolutely fascinating and frank book about the process of corpses and the people who deal with death as part of their job。 The subject matter feels like you should be shocked or horrified by it， but the entire book opened my eyes to how expansive the industry behind death is。 Death is something that we will all take part in whether we like it or not。 Hayley Campbell tells these stories in a caring and practical way which I am grateful for。

Kit Ledvina ，

I found this book almost impossible to put down despite its dark and graphic content。 Campbell does a wonderful job taking the reader behind the scenes with folks in a variety of death related industries。 From a crime scene cleaner to a death doula， Campbell’s writing treats every situation with honesty and care。 Ultimately， I found this to be a hopeful book， and I’d recommend this investigative work to those who are interested and brave enough to uncover the secrets of what happens to us after I found this book almost impossible to put down despite its dark and graphic content。 Campbell does a wonderful job taking the reader behind the scenes with folks in a variety of death related industries。 From a crime scene cleaner to a death doula， Campbell’s writing treats every situation with honesty and care。 Ultimately， I found this to be a hopeful book， and I’d recommend this investigative work to those who are interested and brave enough to uncover the secrets of what happens to us after we die。 Thank you to the publisher， author and NetGalley for this ALC！Content Warnings: DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU ARE GRIEVING， ANXIOUS， DEPRESSED OR SQUEAMISH。 Death （all kinds， all ages）， Gore， Violence， Grief， Miscarriage 。。。more

Ashley ❤️ ，

This was quite an interesting read。 “Death” has never been a topic I’ve gravitated towards but the synopsis of this book pulled me in。 Reading about death in journalistic form from those directly in cahoots with it was rather intriguing。 I learned a lot that I did not know。 Death is more than just one person dying。 There is so much more that goes on behind the scenes and this book is the “behind the scenes”。 Quite an interesting read。

Gemma Williams ，

This is an outstandingly good and beautifully written book about the death industry and death workers， from grave diggers， ATPs， embalmers， funeral directors and executioners to cryonics operatives， crematory staff， detectives and crime scene cleaners， among others。 It's full of fascinating and sometimes horrifying detail ，written thoughtfully and with compassion and no glibness。 The chapter on bereavement midwives - I never knew this even existed - is stunning， heart breaking。 Highly recommende This is an outstandingly good and beautifully written book about the death industry and death workers， from grave diggers， ATPs， embalmers， funeral directors and executioners to cryonics operatives， crematory staff， detectives and crime scene cleaners， among others。 It's full of fascinating and sometimes horrifying detail ，written thoughtfully and with compassion and no glibness。 The chapter on bereavement midwives - I never knew this even existed - is stunning， heart breaking。 Highly recommended （ but approach with caution if you're squeamish ） 。。。more

Craig Thomson ，

Absolutely fascinating and wonderfully written。 Quite a morbid subject， but written with care and a nice injection of humour。 Highly recommend。

Kaitlin ，

I absolutely loved this。 Equal parts fascinating， insightful， sad， and hopeful。 I recommend it unreservedly to anyone even remotely interested in the subject。

Alicia ，

I have been intrigued by death and the death industry since I was a weird little child。 Whether it be crime shows， books， movies， stories from my police officer family members， etc。 Let me tell you that this is probably my favorite death related book that I have ever read。 Hayley Campbell approached all topics with kindness that most people don't approach this subject with。 The amount of topics covered by the author was more vast than I could have imagined。 From death masks， to executioners， to I have been intrigued by death and the death industry since I was a weird little child。 Whether it be crime shows， books， movies， stories from my police officer family members， etc。 Let me tell you that this is probably my favorite death related book that I have ever read。 Hayley Campbell approached all topics with kindness that most people don't approach this subject with。 The amount of topics covered by the author was more vast than I could have imagined。 From death masks， to executioners， to bereavement midwifes， funeral homes， embalmers， and much more。 I found the more detailed parts （gory bits） of this were done in a professional and technical way。 I didn't once feel like Campbell was disrespectful or that she was overly dramatic for views。 I also want to say that she narrates her own book and she does FANTASTIC。 I honestly want her to narrate all my books。 Her voice is deep， comforting， and speaks at a pace that is easy to follow。 I think her narration is a large part as to why I love this book so much。I preordered a physical copy because I wanted to support this book。 I really loved it and highly recommend it to anyone curious or weirdly obsessed like me。Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the chance to review this。 。。。more

Kendra Mills （kendrabetweenthelines） ，

An advanced copy was generously provided by the publisher @macmillanusa @macmillan。audio via @netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 Overall， this was a fascinating and informative journey into the industry of death。 I've previously loved similar books， including Caitlin Doughty's work， so I was eager to dive into the lives of those who make a living from death。 From the first pages， it is obvious that Campbell is deeply passionate about this topic as well as being a skilled writer。 She exp An advanced copy was generously provided by the publisher @macmillanusa @macmillan。audio via @netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 Overall， this was a fascinating and informative journey into the industry of death。 I've previously loved similar books， including Caitlin Doughty's work， so I was eager to dive into the lives of those who make a living from death。 From the first pages， it is obvious that Campbell is deeply passionate about this topic as well as being a skilled writer。 She expertly recounts her experiences shadowing various death professionals in their daily lives。 I found the chapter about the executioner absolutely fascinating and heartbreaking。I found certain comments repetitive， especially how often the author states that our first experience with death shouldn't be with someone we love。 This is an important takeaway from the book， but mentioning it in every chapter was too heavy-handed。 。。。more

Carin ，

Ms。 Campbell has always been interested in the dead。 As a child， her father， a renowned graphic illustrator， was working on a book about Jack the Ripper， and she found the book fascinating， and occasionally brought inappropriate photos to school。 Now， as a writer， she wanted to explore the many different people who work with the dead in a variety of ways， and ask them why and how they got into their lines of work， and how it affects them。 For those of us who love reading books about death， from Ms。 Campbell has always been interested in the dead。 As a child， her father， a renowned graphic illustrator， was working on a book about Jack the Ripper， and she found the book fascinating， and occasionally brought inappropriate photos to school。 Now， as a writer， she wanted to explore the many different people who work with the dead in a variety of ways， and ask them why and how they got into their lines of work， and how it affects them。 For those of us who love reading books about death， from Stiff to the many books of Caitlin Doughty， these are questions that have occurred to all of us at some point。She is respectful， but has a light touch。 She interviews people with very disparate jobs。 Some you expect， such as mortician， gravedigger， and assistant medical examiner。 Some are quite unexpected like a maker of death masks， an executioner， and cryonics employees。 Each of them has a different perspective， a different way of coping， and a unique tale to tell。 I found the man who runs the Mayo Clinic’s body donation center the most fascinating。 But all of the stories were riveting， and despite reading this late at night with the lights off， it’s not at all scary or creepy。 It’s always thoughtful and conscientious。 You even see how this affects Ms。 Campbell herself， who is very profoundly impacted by seeing an infant in the morgue who has been autopsied。If you too are a reader of books on these morbid subjects， this is a very welcome addition。 It’s an all-new topic although it covers many areas already well-plumbed。 The new areas are refreshing， and for me at least， it makes death less scary， less gross， and more a part of life。 It’s a really interesting book and I learned a lot。 。。。more

Darren Richman ，

A genuine honour to be acknowledged in a book as brilliant as this one。

Jess | dapper。reads ，

This was incredibly informative on the topic of death。 It’s a huge deep dive into the processes of death from the death itself to the autopsy and funeral processes including the burial or cremation。 This is not set in the US and apparently the processes and regulations differ here so I found this even more interesting。 Knowing the differences is something that I’m not completely sure about but some of them were mentioned in this book。 It’s heavy， it deals with a lot of loss and there are heavy t This was incredibly informative on the topic of death。 It’s a huge deep dive into the processes of death from the death itself to the autopsy and funeral processes including the burial or cremation。 This is not set in the US and apparently the processes and regulations differ here so I found this even more interesting。 Knowing the differences is something that I’m not completely sure about but some of them were mentioned in this book。 It’s heavy， it deals with a lot of loss and there are heavy triggers especially surrounding infant loss。 If you’re curious about the parts of the world that deal with death daily， this is a great place to start。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 。。。more

Elijah Lais ，

Empathetic， gentle， funny， practical， profound， and thoughtful。 This one had a bit of everything。 Excellent read。

Connie B ，

As someone who has toyed with the idea of working within the death industry， this was an informative， honest look into the many facets that takes。 I was very invested in this book， and the snapshots into lives （and deaths） that it offered。