Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Other Lessons From the Crematory; Caitlin Doughty

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes; Caitlin Doughty

W.W. Norton - 2014

While many people choose not to think about death and dying, 20-something author Caitlin Doughty was obsessed by it at an early age.  At the age of eight she performed a ritual the she believed would help keep death at bay. After growing up in Hawaii and a college degree in medieval history, she briefly considered a career in academia, but quickly decided it just wasn't for her.  Instead she took a job as a crematory operator at Westward Cremation & Burial in California and later went to mortuary school.

Her story is an eye-opener and certain words will stick in my mind forever when I think about a body being prepared for viewing --- eye-caps, mouth-closing gun, super glue and even sometimes saran wrapped arms when clothing on the deceased is a bit too tight.

She even talks about what is required when embalming a body that has been autopsied, and describes what human decomposition smells like ---ugh --ugh (I'd quote it, but you really need to read it for yourself if your curious).

Fortunately, given some of the details that she shares, much tactful humor is infused throughout.  It was interesting to learn about death practices and customs in this country and other cultures as well (where death is less feared because of customs and attitudes). Here in the US we tend to avoid talking about death and even spending time with the dying, We also tend to have this fear or aging gracefully and accepting that death is one thing no of us can avoid.  I felt like I learned a lot as I read. The biggest message that came across overall is that once we understand more about death and become more accepting of the end of life process, the fear some individuals experience when they think about death won't seem as frightening.

I'm happy I gave this memoir a try and, in many ways it reminded me of another memoir I read and enjoyed in the past year on the same subject more or less -- The Removers, by Andrew Meredith.  I would recommend both of these books to readers who are curious about the funeral business, what happens to the body after we die, as well as various methods and processes used for the preparation and the disposition of the body.  Overall, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, is told in a candid manner that makes the subject of death anything but dry or matter-of-fact. It's honest, at times gritty, but very very good.

4.5/5 stars
(library)

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Smoke Get's in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory; Caitlin Doughty

Every Tuesday I host First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros where I share the first paragraph sometimes two from a book I am reading or thinking about reading soon.  Here's my pick for this week, I've already started this one and the writing is terrific.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Other Lessons from the Crematory

Caitlin Doughty - W.W. Norton 2014

Shaving Byron

"A girl always remembers the first corpse she shaves.  It is the only event in her life more awkward than her first kiss or the loss of her virginity.  The hands of time will never move quite so slowly as when you are standing over the dead body of an elderly man with a pink plastic razor in your hand."

What do you think -- keep reading or pass?  (I'm at the 30% mark and so far this book is fantastic.)

(Feel free to join in this week by posting your intro  link below)

Best Boy; Eli Gottlieb

Best Boy; Eli Gottlieb

W.W. Norton - 2015

The "Best Boy" in this novel is Todd Aaron who is autistic.  For the last 40 years he has made his home at the Payton Living Center for individuals on the autism spectrum.  Todd was just 11 years old when his mother dropped him off there telling him to be, "the best boy ever."  Todd always thought he'd be going home, but that never happened.  His mother has since passed away and he has infrequent phone calls from his brother and even less frequent visits from him since he lives 700 miles away.

Now called the "old fox" since he's been at Payton the longest. Todd's life is best when routines are followed. He is obsessed with reading the encyclopedia, follows rules well and has never been a problem for the staff there. He works around the facility as well, Except for a disruptive roommate who had a way of setting him off, a one-eyed female who is interested in Todd and a new caretaker called Mike the Apron, who Todd takes an instant dislike to his life at Payton has been pretty good. 

Through this story readers get a good picture of what life is like for an adult with autism, and how sights, sounds and change of most any kind can really set the individual off.  The story is told in the first person voice of Todd which took some getting used to, especially when his mind and emotions were racing or jumbled. At times Todd seemed like a sympathetic character, but at other times he seemed stereotypical.  The story jumps around a bit from Todd's early years at home with his mother, an abusive father and vindictive younger brother and then his time living with other individuals with autism.

I liked this book well enough but the writing style made me read this one a few chapters at a time over a period of a few weeks.  I think this novel will  have the greatest appeal to readers interested in stories about individuals with autism, 

3.5/5 stars

(review copy)

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Best Boy; Eli Gotlieb

Every Tuesday I host First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where I share the first paragraph or (a few) of a book I am reading or thinking about reading soon.

Best Boy; Eli Gottlieb

Liveright - W.W. Norton - 2015

Part ONE

ONE

"PAYTON LIVING CENTER WAS THE SIXTH PLACE IN a row Momma had taken me but neither of us knew it was the one where I'd stay forever and ever.

My darling manzipan, I'm just so sure you're going to be happy here, she said that day with her red mouth that never stopped talking.

Then she started crying.  It was raining, We were sitting in the parked car and I touched the glass of the window that was clear as air.  Rain was exploding silently on the other side and this scared me."

What do you think -- keep reading or pass?
(feel free to join in by posting your link below0

Coming Soon to a Bookstore Near You - Best Boy; Eli Gottlieb

I read about this book the other day, and I just love the sound of it. Sure hope it measures up to the description.

Best Boy; Eli Gottlieb

Liveright - W.W. Norton - AUgust 2015

(Description)

For fans of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time comes this landmark novel about autism, memory, and, ultimately, redemption.

Sent to a “therapeutic community” for autism at the age of eleven, Todd Aaron, now in his fifties, is the “Old Fox” of Payton LivingCenter. A joyous man who rereads the encyclopedia compulsively, he is unnerved by the sudden arrivals of a menacing new staffer and a disruptive, brain-injured roommate. His equilibrium is further worsened by Martine, a one-eyed new resident who has romantic intentions and convinces him to go off his meds to feel “normal” again. Undone by these pressures, Todd attempts an escape to return “home” to his younger brother and to a childhood that now inhabits only his dreams. Written astonishingly in the first-person voice of an autistic, adult man, Best Boy―with its unforgettable portraits of Todd’s beloved mother, whose sweet voice still sings from the grave, and a staffer named Raykene, who says that Todd “reflects the beauty of His creation”―is a piercing, achingly funny, finally shattering novel no reader can ever forget.