Smoke Gets In Your Eyes: and Other Lessons from the Crematory

This is such a fascinating memoir! The “death industry” is huge but we so rarely hear about the grim details, even though death is the one thing that we all have in common (as Doughty reminds us). I would especially recommend this book to anyone who wants to read more nonfiction/memoir, but doesn’t know where to start. – Viktoria

Armed with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre, Caitlin Doughty took a job at a crematory and turned morbid curiosity into her life’s work. She cared for bodies of every color, shape, and affliction, and became an intrepid explorer in the world of the dead. In this best-selling memoir, brimming with gallows humor and vivid characters, she marvels at the gruesome history of undertaking and relates her unique coming-of-age story with bold curiosity and mordant wit. (Publisher summary)