This book made me cry. Not tears of sadness thinking about death and dying - but tears of joy for the beautiful ways that families have found to care for and memorialize their beloved dead.
Like Jessica Mitford (see previous post), Mark Harris is a journalist who happened upon the subject of the modern American funeral industry and has become something of a spokesman and expert in green alternatives to "traditional" burial practices. His website is amazing source of information on the subject, the blog in particular. I love when authors provide rich websites and blogs to go along with their books. It is wonderful to be able to keep following a subject even after I've sadly finished reading the last page.
Harris takes us on a journey starting in a typical American funeral home and ending in a memorial forest. Along the way we learn about The Memorial Reef, family burial plots, and alternatives to cremation. There is plenty of practical information interwoven with personal stories of the families and the folks in all walks of the funeral industry. The balance of information, even difficult to read descriptions of embalming procedures, with emotional stories of coming to grips with loss was really well done in this book. The tone is affirming and educational in a way that ties death care to the greater environmental movement, showing how you can make a difference for the planet, even as a final act.
I like the sounds of a memorial forest. A lot.
ReplyDeleteMeg, a memorial forest is such a beautiful thing! There is one currently in the Gorge and more in the planning stages. Basically, families provide donations and their beloved dead are buried or ashes scattered in the forest and the money all goes to preserving the spot into perpetuity. The memorial markers are natural elements. The story in this book featuring the memorial forest was my favorite chapter.
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