Caitlin Doughty | LibraryReads Author

Caitlin Doughty
Photo by Mara Zehler

Caitlin Doughty’s Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory (Norton, Sept.) is a memoir that will take readers by surprise. It starts with Doughty beginning a job as a crematory operator in Oakland and describes her sometimes funny, more often sad, and at times shocking experiences in the death industry. Along the way, Doughty reveals some of the business’s secrets and encourages readers to reexamine how they think about dying, death, and the disposal of bodies. Self-described death theorist Doughty (author of the blog the Order of the Good Death, ow.ly/AuYbm) recently responded to some questions by email.

Your book is a wonderful combination of memoir, science, and manifesto. Is that what you set out to do?

Thank you! That’s absolutely what the plan was. I knew the stories would make it fun, the history/science lent it authority, and the manifesto was my true passion. In a way, the memoir is the vehicle that allows me to share the manifesto aspect with a wider audience that might not be interested ­otherwise.

When I saw you at the American Library Association conference in Las Vegas, we talked about it not being ideal to discuss stomach-content removal at a breakfast book talk. How are audiences receiving the details of, say, “bubblating”?

Many of the comments fall along the lines of “I love all the gory details, but I’m not sure other people will be able to handle it.” I think we need to admit that, as a group, as humans, we are all drawn to the gory details. When reality is hidden from us, we crave it.

The average person knows almost nothing about your industry and, as your book points out, can be prey to a lot of nonsense regarding what should and can be done with human remains. What’s the most important thing for us to know?

Start with the assumption that the dead person is your dead person. That you have the power over what happens to that body. Don’t let anyone, funeral home, hospital, coroner, etc., pressure you into making a quick decision you might regret. Take the time to do your research and understand your options. The dead person will still be dead in 24 hours; you have time to make the right decision for you.

Tell us what you’re working on next.

I’m starting a series of seminars about DIY death in California called Undertaking LA. It’s about educating people about what they’re legally allowed to do with dead bodies and empowering them to take death back into their own hands.—Henrietta Verma, LJ

Created by a group of librarians, LibraryReads offers a monthly list of ten current titles culled from nominations made by librarians nationwide as their favorites. See the September 2014 list at ow.ly/AmYTD and contact libraryreads.org/for-library-staff/ to make your own nomination.