The American way of death revisited

282 pages

English language

Published 1998 by Virago.

ISBN:
978-1-86049-588-5
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5 stars (1 review)

2 editions

Review of 'The American way of death revisited' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

Read it in high school.

Hysterically funny and sad at different times. Mitford's discussions on how funeral parlors "upsell" grieving families is muckraking at its finest. Her description of how to build a cheap coffin for yourself verge on Dave Barry type humor, especially when she documents the "funeral industry" making clumsy attempts to keep her quiet.

That being said, this is clearly a pre-Internet book. You couldn't hide such a thing now. 2 minutes googling on an iPhone would tell you that you were being scammed. It's worth reading anyway, just because.

Subjects

  • Undertakers and undertaking -- United States.
  • Funeral rites and ceremonies -- Economic aspects -- United States.