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From Here to Eternity

Travelling the World to Find the Good Death

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From Here to Eternity

By: Caitlin Doughty
Narrated by: Caitlin Doughty
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About this listen

As a practising mortician, Caitlin Doughty has long been fascinated by our pervasive terror of dead bodies. In From Here to Eternity, she sets out in search of cultures unburdened by such fears.

In rural Indonesia, she observes a man clean and dress his grandfather's mummified body. She meets Bolivian ñatitas (cigarette-smoking, wish-granting human skulls) and introduces us to the Japanese ritual of kotsuage, in which relatives use chopsticks to pluck their loved ones' bones from cremation ashes.

With curiosity and morbid humour, Doughty introduces us to inspiring death-care innovators, participates in powerful death practices almost entirely unknown in the West and explores new spaces for mourning - including a futuristic glowing-Buddha columbarium in Japan, a candlelit Mexican cemetery and America's only open-air pyre. In doing so she expands our sense of what it means to treat the dead with dignity and reveals unexpected possibilities for our own death rituals.

Read by Caitlin Doughty.

©2018 Caitlin Doughty (P)2018 Orion Publishing Group Death & Dying Physical Illness & Disease Sociology Tobacco Smoking Scary Thought-Provoking Indonesia
All stars
Most relevant
absolutely awesome inspiring. we need to change the way we look at death in the West. Caitlyn is a fantastic pioneer for this movement.

fabulous

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It's very interesting to see the different ways in which death has been, and in many cases still is approached in countries across the globe. As before, the author's narration is pitch perfect. My only quibble is that there aren't clear distinction or transitional moves between the segments in different cultures - at least not that I picked up on - and this was confusing for me. Overall, though, I enjoyed this.

Interesting and very, very good!

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you will not be disappointed with this buy. Caitlin has such a way with her words. she captivates you with her bold descriptions and given the nature of the content she gets to the point while opening your eyes, we could all learn alot from her example

fabulous

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captivating story about the culture on death from all over the world. great pacing. wonderful listen.

Good Book

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Caitlin is completely right, in the West we hide or ignore death when we should be death positive and want to be involved with the remains of our loved ones. This book has really challenged my thinking and attitudes towards death an incredible book!

a book you will never forget!

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