A Life Among the Dead: Stories from an Irish Funeral Director

by David McGowan

When death is a way of life...
In Have You Trouble? Lessons on Life and Death from an Irish Funeral Director, David McGowan takes us through the business, science, and the unexplained elements of death. Sharing stories that are poignant, humorous, and educational in turn, David explores the unique approach of Irish culture when it comes to grief and death and seeks to demystify the process of dying and what happens to the body afterward.

The only certainty when we come into this life is that we are going to leave it, and yet it's something most people are reluctant to discuss or allow themselves to think about. David's mission is to open up conversations and encourage people to have an understanding of their loved ones wishes as well as their own.

Genres: Nonfiction

238 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 12, 2024

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name

Reviews

[Reixma · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️
This was a recommended read.

This book does discuss death, the passing of children, trauma, and suicide, so if these are sensitive subjects to you, just be aware. The author does provide advanced warning and a heads-up in specific chapters so you can skip those areas if you so wish.

I wasn't expecting this to be as good as it was. It was sad in a few places, especially near the middle of the book, and there was fair warning on some chapters, which I really appreciated.

It's a vocation that many of us don't really think about or a service we don't want to think about until we have to, because it means we have lost something close to us.
But the role of a funeral director is a role that David McGowan takes very seriously and respectfully. He tells us of how he came into the vocation and how he studied it to better understand it, and how he seeks to bring a sense of peace and closure to those who are grieving.

This book did help me feel a bit more at peace with those who have passed in recent years, and to remind me that for the passing that will inevitably come, that it will be OK.

[Leanne Devlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t know if I’d necessarily go recommending this book but it was brilliant lol

[Gemma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I expected different things from this book than what was presented which is why my review is only 3🌟

I was expecting this book to be a compilation of funny stories and things that went wrong or unusual happenings. It was more like a story of how David McGowan came to be a funeral director mixed with information on Irish funeral practices.

I found it quite repetitive but I hope that someone, somewhere finds comfort from this book.

[Karen McNamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this after seeing the documentary. A great insight to a subject nobody likes to talk about hearing about his stories, knowledge and pride in his work and for Irish traditions made it an excellent read

[Kendra Chubbuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading for fun and interest. This book was great. I decided to read it after my Dad passed last month. It helped me with my grieving process.

I do wish he spoke more about cremation though. Embalming versus cremation. I also wished he spoke more about more "green ways of disposing of the body.

I wish the US had a service like Ireland does where they post where people have passed. One place where you can go to like rip.ie. Obituaries in the US are wicked expensive to post in newspapers now.

I would really like to see the documentary about The Funeral Director done by Gillian Marsh. I am going to see if it is on uTube.

When I go back to Ireland I would love to go to Enniscrone to visit the Boeing 767 and check out David McGowan's Glamping units. Maybe stay there a few days! It sounds like fun.

My favorite chapters were: Things I have Learned About Grief, Unexplained Happenings and Looking Back.

I highly recommend this book if you have questions about death. I certainly did.

[Paul Moynihan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 22 of 2024 complete! Ireland's favourite funeral director David McGowan takes us through his amazing career which saw him starting off as a teenager in Ballina in the family business, travelling to Chicago to study his craft (where he provided services for some colourful characters in the Mafia) and returning home to Ireland to set up a state-of-the-art funeral home and embalming service. It might sound like fairly morbid stuff but McGowan's story is filled with heartwarming, poignant and often funny moments. The chapter on unexplained happenings is particularly intriguing, as McGowan says he has often experienced strange events while working with the deceased. Nobody does death like us Irish, and McGawon proves that here in one of the best books I read this year.

[Niamh Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent read that moved me to tears several times. McGowan handles such a sensitive subject with great care. His stories and explanations regarding what happens when we die are really insightful. I particularly enjoyed the chapter “unexplained happenings”. I don’t tend to enjoy non fiction books but this was very good.

[Izzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate a book about an unusual topic. I enjoyed the autobiographical bits and the chapter on usual occurrences! Would love to hear more of those... I've seen that some hoped for "a bit of craic" and funny stories but I don't think that would be at all appropriate, David McGowan mentions often how respectful of the grieving families he is and of course it needs to be this way.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

After seeing the Netflix documentary I just had to read this book. David is very respectful of those who have passed on in his personal story. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about his life to date and found this a thoughtful and could say enjoyable read

[Grace Killius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sincere, sweet book. Reading this feels very conversational, as if talking to McGowan himself about his life experiences. While the topic of death is not something I am always drawn to, McGowan writes in a way that is easy to understand, nonjudgmental, and overall is simply kind.

[Marie Pouwels · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone else said, I was expecting some kind of compilation of funny or odd anecdotes and a bit of craic. I wasn't disappointed though as this was more of a memoir but written in a very professional, compassionate and well intentioned way.

[Ciara O · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fantastic, an insightful and empathetic look into death care, grief, and more. I think anyone would be incredibly lucky to have David McGowan taking care of their final send off. It may not be a literary masterpiece, but I do think everyone could benefit from reading this.

[Pádraig McCann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[Sinéad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an important read

Great book with such an interesting insight, there isn't anything more you could add, lovely touches on all aspects of death and dignity in death

[Megan Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sat and read this book in one day, cried on and off throughout. What a lovely read and what an admirable man.

[Merrie121 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and very informative.

[Chelsea ✨️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting read!

[Frances Heneghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating!

[Safra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book so much to the point I also watch the documentary. To me, it’s always fascinating how people pursue the “call”.. a profession where you will put all of your heart into it..

[corvidbonez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was brilliant. David McGowan is a wonderful storyteller. I read this while I was grieving and it helped me a lot. I would really recommend this book.

[Read_by_KAT · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Life Among the Dead was a fascinating and surprisingly compassionate look into a profession that many people rarely think about until they need it.

Before reading this book, I had never really considered the phrase “death care”, but it makes perfect sense. This is not simply about arranging funerals; it is about caring for the deceased and, in doing so, caring for the families left behind. The skill, attention, and compassion involved in preparing someone for their final goodbye was something I found genuinely interesting, particularly the way the author explains reconstruction and presentation using photographs and memories to help families see their loved ones as they remember them.

I enjoy narrative non-fiction and memoirs that take you into a world you know little about, and this book does exactly that. David McGowan’s journey into funeral directing, beginning in rural Ireland where embalming was not yet standard practice, was fascinating. His curiosity about the profession and desire to understand more about the processes behind caring for the dead made for an engaging read.

What I appreciated most was that this book never felt like it was trying to shock the reader. Despite the subject matter, it was not overly graphic or focused on the gruesome side of death. Instead, it highlighted the humanity, responsibility, and compassion involved in the work.

The memoir also covers some incredibly interesting experiences throughout his career, from exploitative practices around placements to his time in Chicago and the connections he encountered there. It is clear that the author has lived an unusual and varied life, and his experiences provide a fascinating insight into a field that is rarely represented in books.

My only reason for not giving this five stars is that while I found it consistently interesting, it didn’t quite reach that level of a book I couldn’t put down. However, it is a thoughtful, informative, and eye-opening memoir that I would recommend to anyone interested in the people and professions surrounding death.

A fascinating look at a hidden world, told with compassion and respect.