Caring for the Dead: Your Final Act of Love

Rating:
Summary: Good handbook-style reference
Review: I had the earlier edition of this book, "Caring For Your Own Dead," as well as the most recent. Over the years, I've given both copies away to others.

The revised edition has a few extra essays by Carlson and others, but its bulk, and most important part, remains its state-by-state breakdown of mortuary laws. You may never again have to listen with a straight face while a Funeral Director tells you that the embalming and vaults are required by state law. She also lists cremation and burial societies in most states.

Rating:
Summary: Good handbook-style reference
Review: I had the earlier edition of this book, "Caring For Your Own Dead," as well as the most recent. Over the years, I've given both copies away to others.

The revised edition has a few extra essays by Carlson and others, but its bulk, and most important part, remains its state-by-state breakdown of mortuary laws. You may never again have to listen with a straight face while a Funeral Director tells you that the embalming and vaults are required by state law. She also lists cremation and burial societies in most states.

Rating:
Summary: Read it before you die!
Review: This book is a must-read before you pre-buy your funeral and accoutrements. Caught planning someone else's funeral? Take time to read this book. This book has a load of legal information and practical advice to keep you from being scammed by those who are pros and have a ready audience in grieving people.

Not all funeral homes are devious. Some, no doubt, are very ethical and take the time to be fair with clients. But a time of grief isn't the time to seriously look into whether a home is trustworthy or not.

What you have been lead to believe about funerals and the law may not be accurate. This book is a real eye-opener!

Rating:
Summary: Most excellent, and highly reoommended.
Review: This book is clearly writtten, and details what is and what is NOT needed to bury one's own.

Our father was buried simply, no flowers, or any of what he would have called 'that show stuff'.

He would have approved of the no nonsense and guilt free approach of 'Caring for the Dead'.

Rating:
Summary: Gets 10 Stars from Me
Review: This is the update version of her original Caring For Your Own Dead and what I said about that book applies here. Lost count of the number of copies of this book I have bought, but I love giving it as a gift, and have used it myself actually when helping friends build plain pine burial boxes and oak burial boxes for loved ones.

It is a subject that needs to be discussed more, since so many people assume that ONLY a funeral home that charges thru the nose in prices, can legally handle a body or a funeral and burial. Fact is nothing could be further from the truth. The book discusses each states laws, along with what family and loved ones need to know about getting tansport permits to get the body of a loved one either home from the hospital, and prepared for a service and burial or to a local cemetary or cremation facility for handling. And the new edition has updated info on state to state laws.

Fact is my Grandma Katy who grew up in rural Montana knew all about washing and dressing family members and the whole life to death process and that death and burial need NOT be a scary and uneasy thing to take part in. The author discusses all the myths of handling the dead, and all the misconceptions people have about death and dying. Personally I cannot think of a more loving gift than welcoming a new life into the world and helping a loved on who has exited this world.

This book and the classic The American Way Of Death by Jessica Mitford are MUST reads for anyone who is mature, thoughtful and not so easy swayed to handing all their personal needs over to strangers. Ceasar Chavez' family made his plain pine burial boxes. The Amish make all their own burial boxes and have for centuries. Locally we made our friends Bea Brickeys plain pine box per her wishes.

Bill Cosbys family buried their beloved son who had been murdered, at their home. And the Amish, some Quakers and a number of Sierra Club members I know have all done the "home funeral", so the idea that you the average citizen cannot do what the Amish and the wealthy do for their own loved ones, is just not true. Read the book if for no other reason that to learn something new.