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GRAVE MATTERS by Mark Harris

Precis:People look at having funeral services as the normal thing to do once someone passes away. It's the dominant social practice in our culture , but there are other ways of burying and saying goodbye to the dead. That turn out be more cost effective and a more personal way of letting out. There are many alternatives to funerals that people are now embracing and finding more meaningful.

Quotes:
"In fact, today's typical funeral is but a modern construct,and one that bears little resemblance to the way earlier generations cared for, paid tribute to , and buried the dead."

"Stripped of any meaningful engagement with the corpse, the family was left to assume the passive role of observer and mourner, invited to view its loved one in someone else's "home" at prescribed hours and at a fixed cost." (pg46)

"Today, the cost of a standard funeral may easily run to $10,000, to the shock of families new to the business of funeral-making in the modern age." (pg 47)

" Brian Benson's decision to cremate his mother puts him at odds with an unbroken tradition of burial on both sides of his family. But it's one that other families-and entire cultures-have been making as far back as the Stone Age. " (54)

"But for Ken, that brief sea burial proved cathartic. I was overcome with this huge profound feeling of release.I still felt a loss for my father,but scattering his ashes took away that crushing grief. It was almost like, it's ok now." (72)

The book gives insight to the funeral industry and the processes performed when handling the deceased. Opening people's eyes to more natural and personal alternatives to the traditional and very expensive funeral. Instead stories of people's experiences with cremations,sea burials,etc are shared, making the reader realize that they can be involved in the burial process of their loved ones instead of handing them off into the hands of strangers.Instead of leaving the entire process in the hands of undertakers and embalmers decisions can be made about the disposal of the body that will still ensure the dead are handled with respect and it is still a personal moment. While breaking away from the "tradition" of funerals.