Over My Dead Body: Unearthing the Hidden History of America's Cemeteries

What an incredible and approachable book! I loved the personal touches of humour throughout and the structure of the book, moving chronologically with each chapter covering a different topic, drew me in and made me want to keep reading. Plus the final chapter about green burials and the future of cemeteries was so thought provoking. I've always loved cemeteries and this book renewed that love and makes me want to go exploring!

This rambling tour through American cemeteries might seem at first glance to be a rather unique kind of travelogue, but its real approach is to treat them as mirrors of national history and culture. It works pretty well as such a microhistory, using this deceptively narrow lens to explore everything from social trends to architectural design and even urban planning. Which isn’t to say that it feels academic. Melville’s tone does stick more to that of a travelogue, for the most part—complete with random asides, reactions from family & friends, etc. I suppose there’s some charm there, that might be attractive to folks who don’t prefer the density of nonfiction. I mostly found such instances distracting. They don’t derail the book, but they do wear thin by the end. What I was much more interested in (and impressed with) were the connections Melville draws between burial grounds and larger cultural shifts—how cemeteries reflect attitudes toward race, religion, and class, and even how they influenced artistic movements (especially in architecture & urban design, as I mentioned above). Some of his claims felt a bit overstated, but they were interesting enough to keep me thinking critically. I wouldn’t say I found it vastly informative or eye-opening, but it was engaging.

4 stars - It was really good This book takes you through eighteen different historical cemeteries and discusses how they shaped the funeral industry. It also discusses how the funeral industry has changed over time, including current changes that are happening, and what the future of death might include. This was a very interesting look at the history of these cemeteries and how each one changed future cemeteries. Most of these cemeteries I had never heard of so it was very interesting learning all about their history. My two favorite cemeteries discussed in this were The Chapel of the Chimes and Nature’s Sanctuary, both of which I had never heard of before this. They are completely different ways of being buried and brought up a lot of questions about what I want to do with my body. What I found most impactful about this book was the portions discussing racism around cemeteries and burial. I knew racism impacted how black people were buried, but I didn’t realize the depth of it or how it was still influencing some cemeteries. Not only does he go into the racism aspect of funerals, but he also discusses how it impacts the poor and homeless populations who can’t actually afford to be cremated or buried. It just really made me question all the inequalities around burial and cemeteries there are and how it will affect my own decisions. Overall, this was a very informative and well researched book about some very interesting cemeteries. I really enjoyed it and learned a lot about a bunch of places I hadn’t heard of before.

I enjoyed this on Audible and it kept my attention. It was quite an eye opener looking at history from a cemetery’s point of view. How the dead were cared for.. or not. A lot of great facts woven into a captivating story.

I’ve never stayed up irresponsibly late to finish a book until I found this one! I loved how the author tied in culture and history and social issues. Well rounded and wide ranging.