Confessions of a Funeral Director: How the Business of Death Saved My Life
By Caleb Wilde
3.5/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
The blogger behind Confessions of a Funeral Director—what Time magazine called a "must read"—reflects on mortality and the powerful lessons death holds for every one of us in this compassionate and thoughtful spiritual memoir that combines the humor and insight of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes with the poignancy and brevity of When Breath Becomes Air.
We are a people who deeply fear death. While humans are biologically wired to evade death for as long as possible, we have become too adept at hiding from it, vilifying it, and—when it can be avoided no longer—letting the professionals take over.
Sixth-generation funeral director Caleb Wilde understands this reticence and fear. He had planned to get as far away from the family business as possible. He wanted to make a difference in the world, and how could he do that if all the people he worked with were . . . dead? Slowly, he discovered that caring for the deceased and their loved ones was making a difference—in other people’s lives to be sure, but it also seemed to be saving his own. A spirituality of death began to emerge as he observed:
- The family who lovingly dressed their deceased father for his burial
- The act of embalming a little girl that offered a gift back to her grieving family
- The nursing home that honored a woman’s life by standing in procession as her body was taken away
- The funeral that united a conflicted community
Through stories like these, told with equal parts humor and poignancy, Wilde offers an intimate look into the business and a new perspective on living and dying
Editor's Note
Death positive…
Whether you’re a fan of funeral director Caleb Wilde’s popular blog or not, you definitely need to read his “death positive” book. It will give you a deeper, more spiritual perspective on death that will dispel your fears and help you live your best life.
Caleb Wilde
Caleb Wilde is a partner at his family’s business, Wilde Funeral Home, in Parkesburg, Pennsylvania. He writes the popular blog Confessions of a Funeral Director and recently completed postgraduate work at Winchester University, England, in the program, “Death, Religion and Culture.” He has been featured in top media outlets, including The Huntington Post, The Atlantic, and TIME magazine, and on NPR, NBC, and ABC’s 20/20.
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Reviews for Confessions of a Funeral Director
47 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Amazing Read and understanding of Death, Grieving, Beauty and much more. Caleb speaks of every aspect of death we are often afraid to speak of. His experience told in the book will be an eye opener for the reader. This is a must read!!!
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Pensavo fosse più incentrato sul business e sulle procedure tecniche, ma è molto religioso. In alcuni capitoli Dio viene nominato ogni 2/3 parole. I capitoli sono ripetitivi.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Such compassion and insight. A real look at life and death.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/58 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 great insights