BOOK 1 Autobiographical Memoirs

"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" by Caitlyn Doughty

The book I chose piqued my interest because I would generally never choose this particular subject. I wanted to select something that took me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to see the world from a different perspective. "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is a book that enables me to see through the lens of a young woman wanting to understand the concept of life and death. Twenty-something Caitlyn embarks on a morbid, yet peculiar journey into Westwind Crematory as a new employee. Having zero experience in the profession, she enters a world unbeknownst to her, developing a relationship between death and being a crematorium technician. She begins her journey learning the crematory's daily operations, from shaving facial hair and upkeep to removing pacemakers from the deceased's bodies. The meticulous care seems to become intimate and personal for Caitlyn as new bodies enter her "infinite universe." She develops a special bond, a power of control if you will, as she gets them ready for the next phase of death.

As I delved further into the book, I became more fascinated as Caitlyn discusses how she begins to investigate the concept of death, and though these people's lives were so very different, they come to their final resting place with her as a "UN summit, a roundtable of nonexistence." To many, death is a daunting subject, one I myself find to be nuanced and obscure. However, Caitlyn reveals the strange history of cremation, marveling at bizarre and wonderful funeral practices from different cultures throughout. Furthermore, she helps me understand that death is not something to fear or shy away from but needs to be discussed in more public settings. I found that to be a very fascinating way to interpret death when many people's lives are differentiated between personal biases given religion, race, nationality, etc. This book has definitely grabbed my attention, and I look forward to delving into more of Caitlyn's exploration.

Work Cited 

Doughty, Caitlin. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory. Thorpe, 2016.