Review From cooling boards to cremationists, obituarists to embalmers, Kate Sweeney’s American Afterlife holds a mirror up to human mortality and mortuary praxis and gives us a reading of the vital signs. Her book braces and emboldens our eschatological nerve―a reliable witness and wellwrought litany to last things and final details. (Thomas Lynch author of The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade)At a brisk pace, but with frequent stops to relish the magnificent oddities of the terrain, Kate Sweeney guides readers down the lanes and boulevards of the American way of death. As we look into the grave, she looks at us, with an unflinching gaze that would be the envy of Jessica Mitford. Revelatory and―dare I say it?―terrifically entertaining. (Peter Trachtenberg author of Another Insane Devotion: On the Love of Cats and Persons)American Afterlife is an insightful, warm, and lively tour of how we say goodbye. Kate 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)As radio reporter and producer Sweeney notes in this unsettling, compassionate volume on American mourning customs, death was once a ubiquitous part of American life; the Victorians raised mourning to an art form. . . . Her stories originate mostly in the South, but have universal relevance. Sweeney writes with a deft touch and with empathy for mourners, whose stories she relays with clarity and care. (Publishers Weekly)From WABE reporter-producer Sweeney comes a funny, edifying American road trip that bears witness to our most revealing and eccentric funerary customs. (Gina Webb Atlanta Journal-Constitution)[Sweeney's] enthusiasm . . . makes American Afterlife such an entertaining read. In the face of oblivion, Sweeney doesn't miss the occasional chance to marvel at life. . . . Sweeney makes no pretension of grappling with the totality of death. But through the constellation of her details we begin to see the practical shape, that thing we will only fully understand when we all inevitably meet it. (Wyatt Williams Creative Loafing ("20 People to Watch in 2014"))Respectfully illuminating both the ludicrousness and the significance of mourning and its accompanying memorialization rituals, Sweeney reports the unsavory details alongside the poignancy of grief and sorrow. Written with the grim wit and appreciation of investigative reporter Mary Roach, the author delivers informative history on the murky business of death. A considerate exploration of mourning, just haunting enough to attract those with a penchant for macabre oddities. (Kirkus Reviews)Sweeney's wicked sense of humor renders the topic of death not so scary, and her good-natured affection for the obsessives, the oddballs, and the entrepreneurs in the dismal trade make her a bewitching tour guide. (Teresa Weaver Atlanta Magazine)Immortality? Call it our birthright. With her book, Sweeney has found the sweet spot between a citizenry that never dies and those left to carry the flame when we do. . . . Sweeney writes the perfect story for our time, in the best possible way―with brisk, clear prose, unobtrusive but unflinching. She shepherds us through a strange landscape yet doesn’t linger. How best to mourn is simply, in the end, too personal. (Kevin Hazzard Paste Magazine) Read more Book Description A remarkably touching and humorous narrative about death in America Read more From the Inside Flap Someone dies. What happens next?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 at the spot 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 find themselves personally involved with death: a klatch of obit writers in the desert, a funeral voyage on the Atlantic, a fourth-generation funeral director—even a midwestern museum that takes us back in time to meet our death-obsessed Victorian progenitors. Each story illuminates details in another until something larger is revealed: a landscape that feels at once strange and familiar, one that’s by turns odd, tragic, poignant, and sometimes even funny. Read more From the Back Cover "From cooling boards to cremationists, obituarists to embalmers, Kate Sweeney’sAmerican Afterlife holds a mirror up to human mortality and mortuary praxis and gives us a reading of the vital signs. Her book braces and emboldens our eschatological nerve—a reliable witness and well-wrought litany to last things and final details."—Thomas Lynch, author of The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade“At a brisk pace, but with frequent stops to relish the magnificent oddities of the terrain, Kate Sweeney guides readers down the lanes and boulevards of the American way of death. As we look into the grave, she looks at us, with an unflinching gaze that would be the envy of Jessica Mitford. Revelatory and—dare I say it?—terrifically entertaining.”—Peter Trachtenberg, author of Another Insane Devotion: On the Love of Cats and Persons“American Afterlife is an insightful, warm, and lively tour of how we say good-bye. Kate 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 LossThe University of Georgia PressAthens, Georgia 30602www.ugapress.orgISBN 978-0-8203-4600-7 Read more About the Author KATE SWEENEY is an Atlanta-based writer and public radio storyteller and producer. Sweeney’s radio stories air regularly on Atlanta’s NPR station, and she has won a number of Edward R. Murrow awards and Associated Press awards for her work. Her writing has appeared in Oxford American, Utne Reader, Atlanta Magazine, New South, and elsewhere. Read more
R**N
Only remotely historical and very filled with personal anecdotes
Every once in a while I actually pay money for a book and in this case I rather wish I hadn't. Usually I go into a "positives vs negatives" analysis on books but in this case I think I'll opt for more of a "this is what this book is" concept.Firstly, what I expected was hard non-fiction. I wanted a tightly-connected book that described the history of funeral practices in some level of detail. Instead what this book gives you is a rather loose cobbling together of a few historical tidbits and a surprising amount of memoir. Imagine something of the form, "roadside memorials have become increasingly popular; Steve built a roadside memorial in 1976 when his wife died in a terrible accident. She was blonde-haired and blue-eyed and stood 5'8 with a wispy figure and a penchant for pancakes that would make any man weak in the knees." OK, I'm making all that up but that's the general form we're talking about. The book seems to be about 15% history, 15% current day practices and 70% personal anecdote from the author's time writing the book. It's well-written certainly and entertaining in some ways but it's completely not what I expected when I plunked hit the 'buy' button.The second important thing to know is that the book is not really terribly historical. The first chapter talks about funeral practices of days gone by from hair jewelry to cooling boards but the second chapter is about memorial tattoos and from there we're very much stuck in the present day. So this is a book about TODAY and only remotely historical.In summary, it's entirely possible that you'll love this book. The author is a good writer and entertaining in a certain sense of the word but you should not buy this book with the idea that it's going to teach you much about the history of the mourning process. It contains a plethora of anecdotes both relevant and not; some entertaining and some not but if you, like I was, are just looking for an exploration of the morbid history of how we deal with those most final of destinations.... this isn't that book. Mary Roach's "Stiff" is probably more your cup of tea.--It's my endeavor to write reviews that are, above all, helpful to you as you make a buying decision. If I've accomplished that then great! If I've failed you in some way then please leave a comment letting me know what you would want to know. I'm always ready to improve my reviews and your feedback is a key component of that. thanks for reading this far!
P**E
Enlightening without morbidity
Kate has written a very informative book about how Americans have responded to death in the past, and how some of us deal with it in the present. Customs following death during the Victorian age, how they were adapted through the Industrial period, and on into our highly technological society of today are explored. The people written about within these pages are earnestly seeking ways to honor and remember their loved ones, employing ways that mean the most to them. Some need to memorialize their dead loved ones, some need to feel pain in a different way, and others find very creative ways in the disposition of the remains. Kate explores the choices of each family here without judgment or inappropriate intrusion upon another's grief. Funeral customs and the evolution of undertakers into the funeral directors of today are particularly interesting as well.American Afterlife is not morbid in any way, but rather enlightening, and really entertaining to read. It will be reread specifically because it IS entertaining.
P**N
Fascinating and fun book about death!
According to the author, I am like most Americans in my avoidance of death and my hopeful belief that it is something I will not have to personally address until much late in life. What is fantastic about Sweeny's book is that it ushers us into the world of death gently, with a guide who is just as nervous as we are about the "foreign" customs taking place. It also forces one to think about death in a productive way...How would I like to be memorialized? How would I react when faced with the death of a loved one? And presents us with the full range of quirky and fascinating subcultures that are hidden just out of our view. This is a very funny and moving book, and also one of those engaging non-fiction books that presents fun facts and opinions that you instantly want to share a passage with the person next to you. A wonderful piece of journalism about a topic you might not expect to enjoy reading about. Also features gorgeous cover art to show off on your coffee table. 5 1/2 stars!
S**A
Witty, entertaining, informative, and compassionate
How can a tour of American mourning and burial customs be witty, entertaining, informative and compassionate, all in 213 pages? Kate Sweeney has managed it. She strikes just the right tone, exploring our funereal history as well as new and inventive ways of saying good-bye. We are introduced to several people engaged in the business of death and memorials, and left with the feeling that we have met them first hand. We know these folks. And we are left knowing ourselves a little better, re-examining our thoughts about what constitutes a good send-off. - Sara DeLuca
W**R
really makes you think
This author does an excellent overview of many mourning practices in a very easy and inviting writing style. I found the book to be a very enjoyable read. I think the most important point of this book comes in one of the final chapters, when the point is made that, ultimately each of us must be true to ourselves and grieve in our own way. There is no one way that is right for everyone.
J**E
Curiosity is rewarded.
I work in the hospice environment with children and their families. This book was a clear and well written glimpse into the world of "saying goodbye". Enjoyed it and will explore the topic further now.
M**M
A good read
a light and humorous read, with some unexpected insights as to how people deal with death and grieving. nicely done. can be a little wordy at times but worth it overall.
T**B
Don't leave earth without (reading) it!
I strongly encourage anyone who may have to make "final arrangements" for someone (loved, or not) and/or for themselves, to read this book. The historical perpective and current insight combined with individual stories told with style, grace, and sensitivity prompts understanding and awareness of a topic we Americans too frequently avoid and suppress. Ms Sweeney has done us all a great service by providing these stories and great commentary.
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