Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

And Other Lessons from the Crematory

By: Caitlin Doughty

Narrated by: Caitlin Doughty

Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Most people want to avoid thinking about death, but Caitlin Doughty - a 20-something with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre - took a job at a crematory, turning morbid curiosity into her life’s work. With an original voice that combines fearless curiosity and mordant wit, Caitlin tells an unusual coming-of-age story full of bizarre encounters, gallows humor, and vivid characters (both living and very dead). Describing how she swept ashes from the machines (and sometimes onto her clothes), and cared for bodies of all shapes and sizes, Caitlin becomes an intrepid explorer in the world of the deceased. Her eye-opening memoir shows how our fear of dying warps our culture and society, and she calls for better ways of dealing with death (and our dead). In the spirit of her popular Web series, "Ask a Mortician", Caitlin’s engaging narrative style makes this otherwise scary topic both approachable and profound.

Caitlin Doughty, the host and creator of the "Ask a Mortician" Web series and the collective Order of the Good Death, is on a mission to change the way we think about death.

©2014 Caitlin Doughty (P)2014 Recorded Books

Great book

A wonderful memoir and a great/interesting/disturbing look into the business of death in this country.

If you have ever wondered what it would be like to work in a crematorium, this is the book for you! But it is also a deep dive into what our society does with its dead, and traditional funerals--with their costs, toxins, and formalized grief--don't come off well (as they should not). So if you are making end-of-life decisions, you may also want to read this book.

But it is also a memoir of a young woman in her first job. She observes the different cultural practices of the dead's families, she ruminates on suicide and mental illness, the men she works with, and her youth in Hawaii.

All in all, if you like memoirs, as I do, and enjoy learning when you read, I think you will enjoy this book.

I'm So Glad I Read This

I am so glad I read this book.

I have been fascinated with death for a very long time. I love cemeteries and I've wanted to work in a funeral home for ages but frankly I don't want to work in sales. Caring for a person's body and, in some ways their memory, has always been held in a really divine place in my mind.

I am subscribed to AskAMortician and I love the channel. Caitlin does great work there so I knew I had to check out her books. I think I delayed it because I know she has a fondness for cremation. I'm not against it at all but it is important to me to be buried so I was concerned that this wouldn't strike home as hard.

It did further cement my desire to be buried but this book also let me know what pitfalls I would prefer to specify or navigate for my loved ones before I die. I don't want them to feel burdened into a fancy casket or whatever and I would prefer to pick my cemetery and headstone.

I feel like this book had a lot of impactful and important information. I'm impressed with the content and because I got to listen to it on Audible, I also got to listen to Caitlin tell the stories as she wanted them heard.

Seriously, if she ever has downtime or something and still wants to make a little money, she should narrate books. Her voice is PERFECT for it.

I'd recommend this book to anyone. If I have kids some day, this might be a good one for a roadtrip with a teenager that is curious about these things. Who knows. I loved it though and it deserves a 5/5 star review.

Interesting. Intriguing. Overall great!

I really enjoyed listening to this book. I have had it on my reading list for a few years and finally decided it would just be easier to listen to it. Having watched many of Caitlin's videos on YouTube, this book was exactly what I had hoped for. It was interesting. Not at all scary as I wondered if it would be. And the fact the Caitlin is the one that also reads it makes it even better!

Well Written and Informative

What did you love best about Smoke Gets in Your Eyes?

I loved the writing and how thoroughly the author examined the subject of death. As Caitlin Doughty mentions in her book our culture doesn't want to discuss or deal with death if at all possible instead we take an avoidance approach to the process. Doughty shows that death, while difficult to deal with for the family left behind, is indeed a natural and inevitable part of life.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the author's personal experience and the stories that she shares about her career in the funeral and crematory industry. I appreciate her tasteful use of humor to lighten the subject matter.

What about Caitlin Doughty’s performance did you like?

I thought she gave a great vocal performance and was the perfect voice to read this book. Sometimes when the author reads their own work the results aren't good, this was far from the case with Caitlin Doughty's reading she had just the right cadence and vocal inflection for the subject matter.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

It was interesting to hear some of the alternatives to the typical embalming and casket burials.

Any additional comments?

I'm interested in checking out her blog and website for additional information. I look forward to more books from this author in the future. Great read, intriguing, well researched and intelligent.

Just goes to show you can't judge a book...

What did you love best about Smoke Gets in Your Eyes?

The fact that it was an eye opener and a learning experience. You hear so many things but you never really know what it's like until someone like Doughty comes along and takes you by the hand. Fascinating.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

No sugar coating here, good or bad you get the facts.

Which scene was your favorite?

Couldn't choose just one.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I am always moved when children are involved. How can you be human and not be moved by the death of a child?

Any additional comments?

I felt like I was facing South when I got this book on a whim. I was facing North when I finished it. Thank you for that Caitlin Doughty.

Caitlin Doughty Fangirl!

I love Caitlin Doughty's book, Ask A Mortician series, and The Order of the Good Death webpage. I want to be apart of this movement in my home state of Michigan.

Refreshing perspective on mortality

I love Doughty's writing. It makes the subject of death approachable - even desirable to approach. Her perspective on death is unique and deserves a place in any full consideration of how humans approach mortality. Her research is wonderfully thorough which when combined with her personal experiences creates a compelling, hard-to-put-down narrative. Throughout the book there is a note of self-awareness and honesty which comes from the author herself reading her own words. I recommend this book for anyone who has ever had questions about death, dying, cremation, or what it's like to stand at the sidelines of other people's grief.

Such an AMAZING book!

I've followed Caitlin for many years! She has helped me understand death and break the negative stigma associated with it. This book is phenomenal!

Absolutely Fantastic

Wow. Just incredible. So glad I read this before I die, before my parents die, before I've had to lay a loved one to rest. I think the book is life changing. Thank you, Caitlin.

So good!

I was curious and hoping for juicy details... and I got more than I paid for! She is so bubbly and adorable and I was only nauseated for like 3 chapters in the middle