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All the Living and the Dead
All the Living and the Dead: From Embalmers to Executioners, an Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life's Work | Hayley Campbell
18 posts | 22 read | 30 to read
A deeply compelling exploration of the death industry and the peoplemorticians, detectives, crime scene cleaners, embalmers, executionerswho work in it and what led them there. We are surrounded by death. It is in our news, our nursery rhymes, our true-crime podcasts. Yet from a young age, we are told that death is something to be feared. How are we supposed to know what were so afraid of, when we are never given the chance to look? Fueled by a childhood fascination with death, journalist Hayley Campbell searches for answers in the people who make a living by working with the dead. Along the way, she encounters mass fatality investigators, embalmers, and a former executioner who is responsible for ending sixty-two lives. She meets gravediggers who have already dug their own graves, visits a cryonics facility in Michigan, goes for late-night Chinese with a homicide detective, and questions a man whose job it is to make crime scenes disappear. Through Campbells incisive and candid interviews with these people who see death every day, she asks: Why would someone choose this kind of life? Does it change you as a person? And are we missing something vital by letting death remain hidden? A dazzling work of cultural criticism, All the Living and the Dead weaves together reportage with memoir, history, and philosophy, to offer readers a fascinating look into the psychology of Western death.
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Kristy_K
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Pickpick

A fascinating look into the lives and careers of those that deal with death and dead bodies. It makes a great companion to Mary Roach‘s Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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JacqMac
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I love this idea @Andrew65
My favourite book read in January 2023.
#12BooksOf2023

Andrew65 A good choice. 4mo
32 likes1 comment
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Addison_Reads
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Pickpick

#NonfictionNovember

Growing up, my parents worked in a funeral home, so I had a different view of death than others around me at the time. Reading about other jobs that deal with death on a daily basis was fascinating, and I thought the author did a great job choosing a varied group of people and jobs to explore in this book.

This book is difficult at times to read. Even the author has trouble at one point, and I appreciated her honesty.

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BeckyWithTheGoodBooks
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Absolutely beautiful book about those that care for us after we‘re gone. Highly recommend! #scarathlonphotochallenge #skeleton #bones #blackcatcrew

Read-y_Picker Sounds really interesting! 7mo
BeckyWithTheGoodBooks @Read-y_Picker One of my favorites of the year so far! 7mo
BookwormAHN Sounds good 🐈‍⬛️ 6mo
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wen4blu
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You aren‘t born knowing you will die.

#firstlinefriday
#firstlinefridays
#currentlyreading

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JoeMo
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this book. Of course it reminded me of Mary Roach‘s Stiff, but it was quieter and more genuine. The author meets people of various professions related to death. I can‘t say I learned a ton, but the profiles and time the author spent interviewing and in some cases observing the job duties being performed captivated me.

#bookspinbingo

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 13mo
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vivastory
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A selection of #truecrime high on my TBR. I only recently found out about the PR Keefe. For some reason I thought that Say Nothing was his debut. #marchmagic @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Eggs These look good 👍🏼📚🤩 13mo
Megabooks Just checked the Egan out of the library today. Are you okay? Miss you. Also you must read this 13mo
64 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Soubhiville
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Pickpick

Campbell grew up hearing about death, as her dad helped write and illustrate a book about Jack the Ripper. She was always curious about the dead, and in this book she talks to people who have made their livings working with the deceased.

She doesn‘t hold back any gruesome details or about her emotional reactions. If you‘re as curious as she was on this topic, I highly recommend this book!

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BC_Dittemore
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Pickpick

An oftentimes graphic, unflinching look at the people who make death their jobs. Campbell‘s writing is so eloquent that you might forget this is a nonfiction book. I would have liked a bit more historical context on these occupations, but ultimately that isn‘t Campbell‘s goal. It‘s more a meditation on our reaction to death, how we as people and a culture often pretend it‘s not a part of our reality. But it is, and the End is quite fascinating.

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BeckyWithTheGoodBooks
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Pickpick

An honest look at the people that work in the death industry, Campbell shines a light on those with us beyond our final moments, and offers an opportunity for introspection around a topic deeply uncomfortable for most. She writes with a reverence for the dead echoed by the care taken in our morgues, cemeteries, hospital wards, and crematoriums, and I find myself less scared of the end knowing who is shepherding me to my final resting place. 5⭐️

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JacqMac
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Pickpick

Super interesting, slightly disturbing, and very well written. Everything I look for. 5/5 ⭐️

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Crazeedi
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Mehso-so

I suggest you dont read if you just experienced a death in your family. For some reason I thought this might be helpful to me as my first book of 2023. It was interesting, but so difficult for me to get through, took much longer than I usually take.

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britt_brooke
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I will never cease to be amazed and disgusted by the death industry. This is a thorough exploration of the the workers behind the scenes: morticians, crime scene cleaners, executioners, and more. Equal parts fascinating and disheartening. Certainly not for the squeamish. Pairs well with any Caitlin Doughty book; of which I highly recommend all. She‘s fantastic!

PS. Please, for the love of Pete, do not embalm me.

CBee I agree 💯 with your P.S. Let‘s just say I toured a funeral home in my 1st semester of nursing school and after that I was just, NOPE. 😩 1y
britt_brooke @CBee OMG, I bet that was a lot to take in in person. 1y
CBee @britt_brooke nursing school is already scary but in the first semester? I guess they‘re trying to weed out the wimps 😂 it was a LOT, for sure. 1y
See All 12 Comments
RainyDayReading I loved this book! Definitely eye opening. I got it through the library but I want to get my own copy to reread eventually. 1y
Rissreads This sounds fascinating! I was one of these people once upon a time….. 1y
britt_brooke @CBee 😂 That‘s right! My mom is an RN - it‘s definitely not for the weak. Sending my appreciation your way!! 🤍 (edited) 1y
britt_brooke @Rissreads Ooh, really?! May I ask in what capacity? It‘s all so interesting. 1y
britt_brooke @RainyDayReading Very eye opening! 1y
Rissreads I was a Crime scene officer in forensics so yes I saw my fair share of dead bodies and part of the job was photographing autopsies if the death was suspicious. 1y
Centique I listened to a great episode of Science Vs about new inroads into composting bodies as a more environmentally friendly method. And doing it in a way that feels respectful to the dead. Really, really interesting… hope it becomes an option for anyone. 1y
britt_brooke @Rissreads That must‘ve been difficult. Thank you for sharing! (edited) 1y
britt_brooke @Centique My hope is that option will become acceptable and available. 1y
76 likes4 stack adds12 comments
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AnnRaz
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Excited to start this one

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Ephemera
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Pickpick

This is a very good book. It‘s all about the different professions that deal with death and dying. I know that sounds morbid, but nothing here is offensive. As I was reading it, so many of the things she wrote jogged my memory. Very well written and very well researched. Five stars.

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EKonrad
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Pickpick

Thought this book was absolutely fascinating! Maybe not everyone's cup of tea but it had a huge impact on me (as good books should!). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #arc

Full review at: https://erinkonrad.com/2022/08/23/all-the-living-and-the-dead-book-review/

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Zuhkeeyah
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Pickpick

Hayley goes on a journey among the caretakers of the dead to learn what happens to our physical selves once the heart has stopped. To this end she interviews embalmers, a former executioner, mass fatality investigators, and so many more. This book opened my eyes to the many people our lives can intersect with after death along with the importance of these individuals in guiding both the living and the dead. Please read the content warnings.

EvieBee This sounds great! Recently checked out a copy from the library. (edited) 2y
18 likes1 comment
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Megabooks
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Pickpick

I‘ve loved Caitlin Doughty‘s books about the funeral industry and death customs around the world, but Campbell‘s look into what she calls “the death industry” is much darker. She speaks to a death penalty executioner, a Weegee-like crime scene photographer, and a person who cleans up death locations. She also talks to anatomists and funeral directors. While I enjoyed this, I prefer Doughty‘s books.

Cinfhen Nope, think I‘ll pass 😟💕😘 2y
Megabooks @Cinfhen 👍🏻😘 2y
96 likes4 stack adds2 comments