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Lädt ... The American Way of Death Revisited (Original 1998; 2000. Auflage)von Jessica Mitford
Werk-InformationenThe American Way of Death Revisited von Jessica Mitford (1998)
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Melde dich bei LibraryThing an um herauszufinden, ob du dieses Buch mögen würdest. Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. It seems rather morbid to give a book about the American funeral industry five stars. But it was a very interesting book, and a very eye-opening look into the business end of death. One of the best things about it was how funny it was. Most of this wasn't the author's doing, it was when she directly quoted from trade journals of the funeral industry that the laughs kept coming. I don't think I was supposed to be laughing, though, which made those gems even funnier. “[The funeral director] will do his best to hypnotize the family into believing that the more expensive the casket, the more elaborate the preparations, the greater the love and honor shown the deceased…” so Mitford quotes a 1942 ed. of Etiquette in “The American Way of Death Revisited.” This work is exactly what a reader wants from evidence-based, forthright investigative journalism. Did you know that embalming isn't required? No religion commends it, nor health or sanitation. Yet funeral directors will embalm a body without first consulting the family. It is also unnecessary for an open casket. In fact, this pricey procedure only lasts through the service and burial. The real preservation is for bodies donated to science. But it is claimed as necessary for “grief therapy." In 1996 a $7000+ funeral was not uncommon. Did you know that a casket isn't required for cremation? The costlier grades cannot be burned or reused. They are broken down and scrapped. Cremation is no guarantee against the show room, along with flowers, portraits, escorting services, multiple “coaches” for the funeral train, etc. Even Jacqueline Kennedy faced these "nefarious transactions" during her husband’s funeral, despite the efforts by Robert K. At the time of this book, the top players were: Service Corp. Intl, the Loewen Group and Stewart Enterprises with profits in the billions. Terms like “service”, “preparation room”, “reposing room,” or “grieving room” among many others, are all part of the sales pitch. In the industry, “combos” are cemeteries with integrated undertaking. "It is standard practice to not start construction until at least 1/3 of all burial space has been sold.” So much greed and manipulation! At the end the author was sure to include a directory of non-profit funeral and memorial societies for each U.S. state. I absolutely commend this author for her efforts. keine Rezensionen | Rezension hinzufügen
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Only the scathing wit and searching intelligence of Jessica Mitford could turn an exposé of the American funeral industry into a book that is at once deadly serious and side-splittingly funny. When first published in 1963, this landmark of investigative journalism became a runaway bestseller and resulted in legislation to protect grieving families from the unscrupulous sales practices of those in "the dismal trade." Just before her death in 1996, Mitford thoroughly revised and updated her classic study. The American Way of Death Revisited confronts new trends, including the success of the profession's lobbyists in Washington, inflated cremation costs, the telemarketing of pay-in-advance graves, and the effects of monopolies in a death-care industry now dominated by multinational corporations. With its hard-nosed consumer activism and a satiric vision out of Evelyn Waugh's novel The Loved One, The American Way of Death Revisited will not fail to inform, delight, and disturb. "Brilliant--hilarious. . . . A must-read for anyone planning to throw a funeral in their lifetime."--New York Post "Witty and penetrating--it speaks the truth."--The Washington Post Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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Google Books — Lädt ... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)338.47363750973Social sciences Economics Production Secondary industries and services Services and specific productsKlassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:
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Eye opening, for sure. ( )