Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty

Our story begins on Caitlin Doughty's first day of work at Westwind Cremation & Burial, her official entry into the death industry that has become her career. We watch her learn about embalming and cremation, she tells us the stories of how her fascination with death started long before that job she got at 23, and we learn how she wants to change how people feel about death, starting with us. Most people are afraid of death, nervous about what comes after, worried about what will happen to our bodies once we are no longer in them, and otherwise stressed about the whole ordeal. And few of us know where to go for comfort when considering these fears, which is why Doughty started the web series "Ask a Mortician" and founded The Order of the Good Death. Doughty's writing is engrossing, she deals beautifully with many topics that are often considered taboo but are only made worse by the fact that we never talk about them. I am glad that Doughty's work has started to create a space for us to talk about them.

I would absolutely recommend this book. It was a quick read and I learned so much. But this is also not the first nonfiction book about death I've read and loved so feel free to take this recommendation with a grain of salt if the subject doesn't entirely appeal to you. But if you do decide to read it I would love to know what you thought!

XO, Ellen