Smoke Gets in your Eyes cover art

Smoke Gets in your Eyes

And Other Lessons from the Crematorium

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Smoke Gets in your Eyes

By: Caitlin Doughty
Narrated by: Caitlin Doughty
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About this listen

From her first day at Westwind Cremation & Burial, 23-year-old Caitlin Doughty threw herself into her curious new profession. Coming face-to-face with the very thing we go to great lengths to avoid thinking about, she started to wonder about the lives of those she cremated and the mourning families they left behind, and found herself confounded by people's erratic reactions to death.

Exploring our death rituals - and those of other cultures - she pleads the case for healthier attitudes around death and dying. Full of bizarre encounters, gallows humour and vivid characters (both living and very dead), this illuminating account makes this otherwise terrifying subject inviting and fascinating.

©2016 Caitlin Doughty (P)2016 Audible, Ltd Customs & Traditions Death & Dying Social Sciences Sociology Tradition Funny Inspiring Witty Thought-Provoking Scary

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Critic reviews

"Unforgettable...a hilarious, poignant and impassioned plea to revolutionise our attitudes to death."(Gavin Francis, Guardian)
"A zingy, fresh and possibly even important book about death...This book might change your life." ( Evening Standard)
"Upbeat, brave and brilliantly, morbidly curious...Important and timely." ( Sunday Times)
All stars
Most relevant
loved this so much I binged on it one go. I will definitely go back and listen again.

Death Becomes us

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For someone who only got round to writing a will not too long ago because of my fear of death, or just the fear of jinxing it, I would never have thought in a million years that I’d listen to this book to the end. I got this book as part of the 2 for 1 deal so didn’t know what I was getting into 😂.

First 20mins into the book was a shocker & quite creepy! However, I have to say that if you’re one to seek enlightenment of any sort, I absolutely recommend this book. It’s brilliant. The narration was superb with strategically placed anecdotes. It expertly approaches an artificially negative subject with an authority that gives you permission to laugh at mass ignorance whilst equipping you to not only view the subject of death differently, but to disarm your own irrational apprehension.

Absolutely Enlightening

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I have been a fan of Ask a Mortician for only a year now but it has radically changed the way I think about death. Listening to this book was a further challenge to my death phobia and the relatable and interesting stories, the fascinating facts and the gentle and funny narration by Caitlin Doughty made the whole experience a real pleasure.

Education can take the obsessive fear out of death.

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I first came across Caitlin’s work through her YouTube channels. I somehow stumbled across her videos which were filled with exciting and gruesome details about the dead. It may sound off-putting for some, but I found her work truly fascinating. Her book follows her personal account of life as a young woman working in a mortuary. She uses humour and wit to challenge many of society’s prejudices about death and lifts the curtain on what happens behind the mortuary doors. If you want to experience something different and get an insight into the life of the dead, definitely give this book a go. You won’t regret it!

Quirky and witty stories from the crematorium

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Such an incredible, raw story of discovery. Caitlin's voice is wonderful. So much to digest and so many challenging but vital things to think about. Moving and hilarious. Everyone should read this book!

Never wanted it to end!

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