Category: Non Fiction
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A is for Arsenic
Chris Woodyard very kindly sent a copy of the book A is for Arsenic: an ABC for Victorian Death, a book that is perfect to read during the spooky month, when the boundaries between the dead and the living are thinner. The book is not really ‘spooky’ at all, unless you are afraid of Victorian…
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Death Glitch
Digital remains are a challenge in terms of whether they can be passed on, or whether ownership solely lies with the deceased owner. Recently a judge in the Netherlands denied a widower access to his late wife’s Facebook private messages; it was argued that the people who were chatting with his wife were entitled to…
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Thunderclap
As a child growing up in Amsterdam, primary school included museum classes in local museums. These included trips to the Rijksmuseum, home to a selection of Dutch Masters from the 17th Century. Rembrandt’s De Nachtwacht inspires visitors far and wide to visit. I might alienate readers very quickly, very soon as I have never really…
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All the Living and the Dead
In All the living and the dead journalist Hayley Campbell shines a light on death-related jobs that often stay hidden in the margins. The book lifts the lid on the behind-the-scenes of the people that (sometimes quite literally) do the groundwork. Some jobs, like funeral directors and celebrants, might be considered obvious death work, but…
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The Archaeology of Loss
Welcome to my first blog of 2024! After a bit of a hiatus I am back to scribble down my thoughts on books on death, dying and the dead. I have quite the stack of books waiting to be read, or already read, and waiting to be written about. This year will see reviews on…
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Ashes to Admin
I just finished the pages of Evie King’s Ashes To Admin: Tales from the Caseload of a Council Funeral Officer for a second time this year. I read it earlier this year in preparation for a Dead Good Conversation with the author. I occasionally organise online conversations with authors, and the one with Evie was…
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Aftermath
In November 2019 Usman Khan travelled to London to attend a prison education conference at Fishmongers’ Hall. Khan had been convicted of terrorism-related offences when he was just 20, and spent 8 years in a high-security prison. His temporary release license did not allow for travel to London, he had to be given special permission…
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What Remains? Life, Death and the Human Art of Undertaking
In What remains? Life, Death and the Human Art of Undertaking Rupert – Ru for short- Callender has written a polemic against the funeral industry. Not being part of his father’s funeral, who died when he was just seven years old, and being sent to boarding school that same year has left a bitter taste….
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A Flat Place
I have made many a faux pas when it come to hilly places. Mountainous terrains. When I was 18 I solo-travelled around New Zealand for three months, and upon my arrival in Christchurch I was admiring the mountains, only to be scolded with a “those are hills”. When I came to Bath in 2013 to…
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Wired For Love
Neuroscientist Stephanie Cacioppo works in the field of romantic love and loneliness. In Wired for love: a neuroscientist’s journey through romance, loss and the essence of human connection Cacioppo takes us on a journey to explore the academic field of social neuroscience. Despite having studied the neuroscience of romantic love academically for years, Cacioppo found…
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All that was not her
All that was not her by anthropologist Todd Meyers is unlike any other ethnographic account I have ever read. The text provides a wonderful blend of creative and poetic writing. The writing is playful yet thought-provoking, akin thoughts written out in fieldnotes. The fragmented writing style underscores the notion that researchers never really fully understand…
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The Butchering Art
The history of medicine is fascinating. Theories and ideas that are currently accepted, or even taken for granted, can take a long time to become mainstream, or even accepted. The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister’s Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine by Lindsey Fitzharris provides an insightful account into the history of infection,…
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All The Young Men
December 1 marks World AIDS Day. It’s an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness. Founded in 1988, World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day. The covid-pandemic has shown…
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Good Mourning: a memoir
In Good Mourning, Elizabeth Meyer takes us to the world of funerals of the rich and famous on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It does not matter how wealthy you are: no one can escape death. It must be said that a book that has a pun in the title always sparks joy, and…
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The Day I Die: the untold story of assisted dying in America
Assisted dying is a topic that has always fascinated me, for various reasons. Firstly, the language used and the phrases to describe ‘assisted’ deaths reveal a lot of moral assumptions: euthanasia, assisted dying, assisted suicide, death with dignity are but a few. None of these are neutral terms. The term I use myself, euthanasia, betrays…
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Wave
I have always found the seaside to be very peaceful. Summer days spent at the beach, reading books and going for a dip every now and again. One of my last holidays pre-pandemic was to the island of Madeira, and staring into the water, watching the seemingly never-ending ocean was really soothing, and something I…
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In Control: Dangerous Relationships and How They End in Murder
In March 2022, English labour MP Jess Philips read out a list in parliament that consisted of the names of 128 women killed by men in the last year. This list is based on the work of Karen Ingala Smith, who started Counting Dead Women, and Philips has been reading out the names of murdered…
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Stiff: the curious lives of human cadavers
This will be a problem many book lovers have, but despite having plenty to read, I sometimes find it hard to choose my next book. To solve this ‘problem’, I recently shared a photo with selected titles on Twitter, to ask the public which book they would pick. Overwhelmingly, the vote went to Mary Roach’s…
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Still Life With Bones
In Still Life With Bones: Field Notes on Forensics and Loss social anthropologist Alexa Hagerty reflects on her fieldwork and research in Guatemala and Argentina. She unpacks and, quite literally, uncovers the long-lasting impact of the violent atrocities that took place in both countries. During Guatemala’s 30-year conflict over 200.000 people were killed. In Argentina…
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When the Dust Settles
The opening of When The Dust Settles gives the atmosphere of a Nordic Noir. It rains. A taxi driver is taking a woman to the location of a plane crash. She could be a detective. A forensic anthropologist. A private investigator on her way to the scene. Lucy Easthope is none of these things, but…