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From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to find the Good Death
From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to find the Good Death
From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to find the Good Death
Audiobook5 hours

From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to find the Good Death

Written by Caitlin Doughty

Narrated by Caitlin Doughty

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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About this audiobook

The best-selling author of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes expands our sense of what it means to treat the dead with "dignity." Fascinated by our pervasive terror of dead bodies, mortician Caitlin Doughty set out to discover how other cultures care for their dead. In rural Indonesia, she observes a man clean and dress his grandfather's mummified body. Grandpa's mummy has lived in the family home for two years, where the family has maintained a warm and respectful relationship. She meets Bolivian natitas (cigarette- smoking, wish- granting human skulls), and introduces us to a Japanese kotsuage, in which relatives use chopsticks to pluck their loved- ones' bones from cremation ashes. With curiosity and morbid humor, Doughty encounters vividly decomposed bodies and participates in compelling, powerful death practices almost entirely unknown in America. Featuring Gorey-esque illustrations by artist Landis Blair, From Here to Eternity introduces death-care innovators researching green burial and body composting, explores new spaces for mourning- including a glowing- Buddha columbarium in Japan and America's only open-air pyre- and reveals unexpected new possibilities for our own death rituals. Author bio: Mortician Caitlin Doughty--host and creator of "Ask a Mortician" and the New York Times best-selling author of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes--founded the death acceptance collective The Order of the Good Death and co-founded Death Salon. She lives in Los Angeles, where she runs her nonprofit funeral home, Undertaking LA.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateOct 3, 2017
ISBN9781501974083
From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to find the Good Death
Author

Caitlin Doughty

Tanatopractora, activista y agitadora de la industria funeraria. En 2011 fundó el colectivo The Order of the Good Death, que ha impulsado el movimiento de muerte positiva. Su primer libro, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, fue un best-seller del New York Times. Descontenta con la situación y la oferta existente en la industria funeraria estadounidense, en 2015 abrió su propia funeraria alternativa, sin ánimo de lucro. La webserie de Caitlin «Pregúntele a un funerario» y su trabajo para cambiar la industria de la muerte, le han permitido colaborar con muchos y muy diversos medios.

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Reviews for From Here to Eternity

Rating: 4.472179231684699 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

647 ratings40 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Really interesting! I had no idea there are this many different ways to bury people.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Caitlin is a brilliant writer, taking readers across the globe, exploring cultures and practices and showing the beauty of death. This is my second read and will not be the last, like an old friend I return to it when I need to laugh, cry or simply feel held I’m whatever space I find myself in
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I’m Mexican, so I’ve always been around death. It’s normal, it’s loved, it’s celebrated. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dressed up as a Catrina for Halloween or Día de Muertos. I’m not necessarily scared or disgusted by death, I’m morbidly into the subject so Caitlin’s Youtube videos have been fascinating and educational for years in my life.

    I’ve always believed that because of the country I was born in and their celebration of death, it was the only and superior way to see it so I wasn’t interested in seeing how other cultures saw it. This was beyond beautiful. The thought of accepting the natural course of life, appreciating the people that were before and knowing that they will live far longer than their vessels is simply beautiful. We all want to one day be at peace with death and all that it entails. Reading and hearing about how others grieve and respect it is a good way to start educating yourself and thinking about what you want for your own funeral.

    I love it. The book felt like a warm hug from a skeleton that often made me laugh.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is very informative about how the world handles death vs the Western civilization. There is a corrupt business in the death industry and I appreciate Caitlin being honest and bringing awareness to what's done outside of the US bubble. Death is a touchy subject for people to talk about, but Caitlin brings the discussion to the dinner table with this book that's both very educational and witty. I recommend this and her first book "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" to everyone so you can understand the rights you have to your dead, because the funeral homes with my experience, keep the affordable and eco friendlier options hidden away for obvious reasons. I have yet to read Caitlin's third book, but going by the track record here, I'd say it's just as informative as the other two. Please take the time out to read her books and to check out her YouTube channel "Ask A Mortician". There is a stigma around death. It's a raw and touchy subject, but we don't have to be afraid of our dead. I wish I had the knowledge that I do now when dealing with my loved ones who have passed.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Wonderful!! She is fantastic
    The natural way she speaks about death makes us not fear at all, very respectful.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was so interesting! I feel like I learned so much about other cultures death ritual and the impact of funeral homes on the environment
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was amazing. Once I started listening, I couldn't put it down!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Just discovered Caitlin Doughty's Youtube channel recently & it's been the highlight of my 2020. Be it in the form of Youtube or nonfiction books, I always have great respect for her works. Her writing is humorous while remain respectful & insightful. It's interesting how a book about various death ritual become one of the most calming read that I encountered on 2020 but oh well...
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book is beautifully written and compiled. I read it at work and instantly regretted it because I cried like a baby. I would give all of Caitlyn’s books five stars (they all deserve it), but this one is my favorite by far.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    From the United States, Indonesia, Japan, and Bolivia (to name a few) Caitlin Doughty drives us to look beyond the Western “norm” surrounding death rituals (or a lack thereof). From Here to Eternity gives us a glimpse at the beautiful and sacred routines implemented by various cultures around the world in order to honor their dead with dignity and mourn shamelessly. For death or cultural enthusiasts or those with a deep fear of death, this is definitely a book you will want to add to your reading list!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    amazing! I love Caitlin's work, she has really helped shift my feelings surrounding death and dying.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Insightful, educating, even fun! Helped me understand the rituals of death, and to face my mortality
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved it! I cried and laughed together with the author, contemplating my own, and my loved one's, death. If you haven't read anything by her yet, this will sound weird. But have faith and go for the book. At the end, it will all sound normal.
    Can't wait to read her next book
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I found it interesting. I think it's for the people that aren't grossed out by the idea of death and reading/hearing about how dead people are cared for. It's not your usual book and i definitely don't recommend it to read it while you eat.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A beautiful survey of international traditions surrounding death and morning. How are other countries dealing with the rising costs of funeral arrangements and limited space for burial? How are other cultures memorializing their dead? Are they breaking new cultural ground or are they lovingly maintaining centuries old rituals?I found this collections of essays very illuminating and it gave me lots of food for thought about my own death wishes and my thoughts concerning death. The traditions of other cultures are rich in ways that my culture is stunted or underdeveloped. I enjoyed thinking about the practices developed by other peoples to act out their grief and to examine Western culture's death phobias. Why do our taboos exist and what about our death culture would offend others?
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The author was quirky and interesting, and I really agreed with much of what she had to say against the big-buisness funeral industry that is more interested in the bottom line than what's best for a grieving family. I didn't really appreciate her seeming disdain for Christianity. In many parts (despite her generous and impartial treatment of eastern religions, Islam, and Judiasm), she criticized the rituals, beliefs, and desires of Christian people. It just seemed irrelevant to the subject at hand and as a Christian, I found this attitude abbrasive. She talks disdainfully about the Christian rejection of cremation, without ever addressing why-- it's because Christians believe their bodies will be resurrected one day, that our burial represents the death, burial, and ressurection of Christ. Cremation for a Christian would symbolize the opposite--dying and going to the fire furnace of hell. I think that the author should consider the symbology of rituals in future work. Death rituals are not just useful but empty signifiers for many, but articulations of their most sacred beliefs.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Excellent Audio book, I can see why the author has a successful YouTube channel.

    2 people found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Informative and told in an informal yet respectful way. I loved it! Presents us with a new look on the word "dignified". I've been a long-time deathling and I am proud to call myself a supporter of the death-positive movement!

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Around the world in a fascinating study of the death and funerary practices in an assortment of cultures including the differences and new developments in the United States. Great book! There is so much to learn in it that it is best to just recommend and mention that it has so much fun in it (author loves to poke fun at herself).I have the audio narrated by the author. It doesn't get any better than that!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is one of those very few books that I would describe as life-changing for me. As I listened to this, there were many times I simply had to stop the playback and ponder what I'd just heard.

    Doughty takes the reader through many ways of handling our dead, the various ways and means of saying goodbye (or not) to them, and considerations on what it means to respect the dead and treat both those that have passed, and those that remain, with dignity.

    Everyone's got their own views on this, and I'll be damned if I'm going to foist mine on anyone. I'll just say that this is a really interesting book to read before considering what you would like done with your mortal remains.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Honestly, I didn't enjoy this *as* much as Smoke, but it was still absolutely wonderful. I especially liked the chapters on alternative death practices and rituals here in the US...even though we're still heavily mired in the commercialization of the funeral industry and puritanical view of death, these few examples give me hope and definitely pique my curiosity into what else is out there (and will hopefully become available eventually...). Blair's sketches were quite a nice addition to the text. (Pro-tip: you can also follow Doughty on IG and see her own footage!)

    These books (and now a whole new reading list thanks to Doughty's The Order of the Good Death website) have made a profound impact on me, and I'm looking forward to how my ongoing exploration will help me become more comfortable with death. I'm already contemplating how I can get more involved. Yeah yeah, I am a total Doughty fangirl now.

    Many thanks to Goodreads and the publisher for providing me with this ARC.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Look at me finishing books I started over a year ago. I AM SO FAST. Anyway, this is good and I liked it quite a bit, I just lost it in a pile of other things and recently found it again.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    As always Caitlin Doughty brings real humanity and a respectful touch of humor to death.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    An eye-opening look at something we spend our lives attempting to avoid.
    Traveling the world with Caitlin, we discover that the James Bond film Spectre inspired The Dias de los Muertos (The day of the dead) parade in Mexico, that the fear surrounding death and the dead doesn't hold true throughout the world, and that we in the west have so sterilized the natural process of death that we have replaced both intimacy and rituals with distance and shame. This book is an heartfelt offering that sheds light on a dark topic with ease, humor and hope.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    From Here to EternityTraveling the World to Find the Good DeathBy: Caitlin DoughtyNarrated by: Caitlin DoughtyThe author traveled around various countries and described the countries way of treating their dead, their thoughts on death, and how it may have changed. She compares these countries to the US. It was very interesting, a little strange from the view from an American. I do see how we have lost sight of the respect of the ritual of death and the big business of funeral homes have made it impersonal and costly. I love her books. I have read all three now and love her website. She did a remarkable job with the narration.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was such an interesting listen! I have been wanting to read this book since I learned of its existence. I find the way that we handle death as humans to be a topic that I never tire from. When I first picked up Caitlin Doughty's debut novel, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, I had my doubts but decided to read a few pages just to see what I thought. I couldn't put it down and it is a book that I frequently recommend to others today. I went into this audiobook with pretty high expectations and I am thrilled that the book was able to meet them. In this book, the author travels the world to see how death is handled in a variety of cultures. It was a very eye-opening journey for me. I had no idea how little I actually knew about this topic. I thought that in the United States the options for dealing with a loved one's remains consisted of a choice between burial and cremation. I had no idea that in one community, residents have the option of an open-air pyre. Why don't we have this everywhere? I was amazed by the variety of customs associated with dying. In this book, we see communities that keep the corpses of loved ones with them for rather long periods of time continuing their relationship with the deceased. There were a variety of rituals from around the world explained. Some of the scenes were quite vivid. While I don't think that I want to rush to practice some of the traditions explained in this book, I really liked being able to see how variations of how people around the world look at the process of death. In some ways, I think that a lot of cultures have a much healthier relationship with the dead. They prepare the bodies and care for the dead while in the United States, we are removed from the process leaving it to the professionals. This book is narrated by the author. I think that she did a great job with the reading of this book. The book covers things and events that the author has seen so I think that she was able to deliver the story in a manner that nobody else would have been able to do. I thought that she had a very pleasant voice and I found it easy to listen to this book for long periods of time. I ended up listening to the entire book in a single day and found that I liked the narration more and more as I made my way through the book. I would recommend this book to others. I love the way that this author is able to educate others on the process of death and dying in an entertaining manner. I found this book to be quite thought-provoking and I feel like I learned a thing or two. I could easily see myself reading this book again at some point in the future and I can't wait to check out some of the author's other works.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    “In an impressively short time, America’s funeral industry has become more expensive, more corporate, and more bureaucratic than any other funeral industry on Earth.”I picked this up because I thought it was a graphic novel drawn by Landis Blair, who’s art I very much enjoy. It turns out that it is a book book, with illustrations by Blair. And, it turned out to be a good book, on an interesting topic I’ve never spent much time considering! So, I came for the art, and stayed for the story!Very interesting read on a topic I hadn't given much thought to! Doughty travels around the world and describes, sometimes in nauseating detail, the rituals that come from the event of death. She gives us stories in the U.S., Indonesia, Mexico, Spain, Japan, and Bolivia. We read about glass caskets, outdoor cremations, bones picked up by chopsticks, natural burials, composting bodies, and sky burial by vultures. It's a little morbid, but it's fascinating, and it really has me thinking about what I'd like to have happen when I die. Like the author, I think being put in a metal casket in the ground does not sound like my cup of tea at all. But thanks to the author, now I have a whole set of things to contemplate! A good read!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Los Angeles mortician Caitlin Doughty takes on a trip that spans the globe in search of death customs from other places. We go to Indonesia, Japan, Belize, Mexico, the United States, and Spain. At some points in the book, I admired the way some cultures handle death. At others, I was repulsed. The book is about a serious subject, but is written with a touch of humor to keep things light. I appreciated that immensely, otherwise it might have been a heavy book to read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Entertaining travelogue of funerary practices of the world with lovely illustrations.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book made me cry and it made me think about death and mourning a completely new way. It was also a surprisingly short read!