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Object Lessons
Grave
Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.
Grave takes a ground-level view of how burial sites have transformed over time and how they continue to change. As a cemetery tour guide, Allison C. Meier has spent more time walking among tombstones than most. Even for her, the grave has largely been invisible, an out of the way and unobtrusive marker of death. However, graves turn out to be not always so subtle, reverent, or permanent.
While the indigent and unidentified have frequently been interred in mass graves, a fate brought into the public eye during the COVID-19 pandemic, the practice today is not unlike burials in the potter's fields of the colonial era. Burial is not the only option, of course, and Meier analyzes the rise of cremation, green burial, and new practices like human composting, investigating what is next for the grave and how existing spaces of death can be returned to community life.
Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.
Grave takes a ground-level view of how burial sites have transformed over time and how they continue to change. As a cemetery tour guide, Allison C. Meier has spent more time walking among tombstones than most. Even for her, the grave has largely been invisible, an out of the way and unobtrusive marker of death. However, graves turn out to be not always so subtle, reverent, or permanent.
While the indigent and unidentified have frequently been interred in mass graves, a fate brought into the public eye during the COVID-19 pandemic, the practice today is not unlike burials in the potter's fields of the colonial era. Burial is not the only option, of course, and Meier analyzes the rise of cremation, green burial, and new practices like human composting, investigating what is next for the grave and how existing spaces of death can be returned to community life.
Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.
- GenresDeathHistoryNonfiction
168 pages, Paperback
Published February 9, 2023
8 people are currently reading
242 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
December 6, 2023
Meier is a cemetery tour guide in Brooklyn, where she lives. She surveys American burial customs in particular, noting the lack of respect for Black and Native American burial grounds, the Civil War-era history of embalming, the increasing popularity of cremation, and the rise of garden cemeteries such as Mount Auburn in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which can serve as wildlife havens. The mass casualties and fear of infection associated with Covid-19 brought back memories of the AIDS epidemic, especially for those in New York City. Meier travels to a wide range of resting places, from potter’s fields for unclaimed bodies to the most manicured cemeteries. She also talks about newer options such as green burial, body composting, and the many memorial objects ashes can be turned into. I’m a dedicated reader of books about death and so found this fascinating, with the perfect respectful and just-shy-of-melancholy tone. It’s political and philosophical in equal measures.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
February 20, 2023
Grave by Allison C. Meier is part of an essay and book series called Object Lessons, published by The Atlantic and Bloomsbury Academic, about the hidden lives of ordinary things, from silence to drones, pregnancy tests to graves, hair to dirt— nothing is off limits! Each work in the series explores a particular object, revealing a multitude of often unexpected nuances to the seemingly ordinary. While I had heard of Object Lessons, Grave was my first foray into this series. Grave begins with a meditation, interweaving the historical, philosophical and romantic, on what the grave is and how it came to be. Meier closes the meditation outlining the intention of her work, “to look at the grave of the past, present, and future,”— “an exploration of the American gave, how we got where we are now, and how the ways we care for the dead are changing.”
In the second chapter, Meier lays the foundation for the grave, historically and contextually, discussing necrogeography, the physical burial ground and cemetery, as well as establishing the concept of a permanent grave as uniquely American. Meier presents the transition, ideological and semantic, from “burial grounds” to “cemeteries” and discusses the erasure of indigenous and minority burial grounds. The chapter closes by outlining the changing sentimentality toward the physical space, visualized through changing iconography on gravemarkers; the transition of burial from intramural to extramural, an analogue to the medicalization or death and its removal from the community; and the shift of the cemetery from a place for the dead to a place for the living.
The next four chapters—The Living and The Dead, The Privilege of Permanence, An Eternal Room of One’s Own, and No Resting Place—discuss privilege, permanence, individual space juxtaposed to the collective, and memorialization. The author uses a variety of examples—from the description and imagery of physical spaces to individual stories—to highlight and reinforce the context and meaning of the topics addressed in each chapter. In this section, Meier brings us face to face with America’s history of colonization and how, even in death, there exists erasure through racism, cultural superiority, classism, health (or lack there of) or by way of some other construct of otherness. These four chapters, while they may appear to some as a break with the intention of the book, are crucial to understanding the American grave as a conceptual whole. These chapters call us to acknowledge the ways in which inequality persists in death, reflecting the inequalities of our lived experiences.
The book ends with a discussion— in the last three chapters: To Decay or Not To Decay, New Ideas for the Afterlife, and Dead Space— on the future of the grave, a transformation and re-envisioning of possibility and purpose. Meier calls us to action, to instill new ideas into historical places; to rethink the future of the grave; to move the grave back into our communities and to do and be better about respectfully and meaningfully honoring all the departed—she says, “I want live in a good place to die.” And thereby asks us, Don’t you?
This was a very moving argument to re-envision the purpose and meaning of the grave individually and collectively.
Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader Copy of Grave from NetGalley and Bloomsbury Academic in exchange for an honest review.
In the second chapter, Meier lays the foundation for the grave, historically and contextually, discussing necrogeography, the physical burial ground and cemetery, as well as establishing the concept of a permanent grave as uniquely American. Meier presents the transition, ideological and semantic, from “burial grounds” to “cemeteries” and discusses the erasure of indigenous and minority burial grounds. The chapter closes by outlining the changing sentimentality toward the physical space, visualized through changing iconography on gravemarkers; the transition of burial from intramural to extramural, an analogue to the medicalization or death and its removal from the community; and the shift of the cemetery from a place for the dead to a place for the living.
The next four chapters—The Living and The Dead, The Privilege of Permanence, An Eternal Room of One’s Own, and No Resting Place—discuss privilege, permanence, individual space juxtaposed to the collective, and memorialization. The author uses a variety of examples—from the description and imagery of physical spaces to individual stories—to highlight and reinforce the context and meaning of the topics addressed in each chapter. In this section, Meier brings us face to face with America’s history of colonization and how, even in death, there exists erasure through racism, cultural superiority, classism, health (or lack there of) or by way of some other construct of otherness. These four chapters, while they may appear to some as a break with the intention of the book, are crucial to understanding the American grave as a conceptual whole. These chapters call us to acknowledge the ways in which inequality persists in death, reflecting the inequalities of our lived experiences.
The book ends with a discussion— in the last three chapters: To Decay or Not To Decay, New Ideas for the Afterlife, and Dead Space— on the future of the grave, a transformation and re-envisioning of possibility and purpose. Meier calls us to action, to instill new ideas into historical places; to rethink the future of the grave; to move the grave back into our communities and to do and be better about respectfully and meaningfully honoring all the departed—she says, “I want live in a good place to die.” And thereby asks us, Don’t you?
This was a very moving argument to re-envision the purpose and meaning of the grave individually and collectively.
Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader Copy of Grave from NetGalley and Bloomsbury Academic in exchange for an honest review.
January 15, 2023
I'm a huge taphophile and normally devour any books related to cemeteries, funerals and death. However, this book just didn't grab me.
The authors writing style is rather dry and monotonous and there was a disjointed and awkward flow to the stories being told. Whilst some of these stories were interesting and I did learn a few interesting facts, overall the book (despite being very short) dragged and unfortunately I can't recommend it.
Thanks to Bloomsbury Academic and NetGalley for the ARC.
The authors writing style is rather dry and monotonous and there was a disjointed and awkward flow to the stories being told. Whilst some of these stories were interesting and I did learn a few interesting facts, overall the book (despite being very short) dragged and unfortunately I can't recommend it.
Thanks to Bloomsbury Academic and NetGalley for the ARC.
January 27, 2023
Grave is another winner from the Object Lessons series. I am regularly drawn to meditations on mortality. I appreciate that this title takes a different angle: instead of focusing on the individual experience of dying, Grave focuses on the social history of American mourning and funerary culture. It traces the development of American cemeteries and burial practices, following the shift from churchyards to expansive private cemeteries, the shifting trends in coffin burials, and the rise of cremation and green burial practices. The author weaves throughout a thoughtful analysis of the role of cemeteries as historical sites, places of memory, and the shifting role of these spaces for the living.
I was drawn to the history behind the funerary industrial complex. It truly had not occurred to me that the notion of a permanent grave is a fairly modern and distinctly American concept. I was fascinated by the technological advances within the industry, including trends different casket materials and the development of embalming techniques. There was simply so much I didn't know about the history and practices (and the money to be made) in burying our dead. I fully expected the book's thoughtful meditations on a cemetery as a way to engage with our past and history, but I was most surprised by its relationship to our future. The shift to greener burial / developing alternative burial technologies situate cemeteries in crucial conservation and environmental protection efforts, as do the acts of preserving and reevaluating relationships to historic burial grounds.
Instead of thinking about graves as mere spaces of death, Meier crucially shifts the focus on the relationship of these spaces for the living.I was most moved by the exploration of the role of cemeteries in communities, not just as a site to remember those who are gone, but as a space to serve the people who are here and will come in the future. It was a very moving argument to shift graves from individual expressions of identity to models of community care.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was drawn to the history behind the funerary industrial complex. It truly had not occurred to me that the notion of a permanent grave is a fairly modern and distinctly American concept. I was fascinated by the technological advances within the industry, including trends different casket materials and the development of embalming techniques. There was simply so much I didn't know about the history and practices (and the money to be made) in burying our dead. I fully expected the book's thoughtful meditations on a cemetery as a way to engage with our past and history, but I was most surprised by its relationship to our future. The shift to greener burial / developing alternative burial technologies situate cemeteries in crucial conservation and environmental protection efforts, as do the acts of preserving and reevaluating relationships to historic burial grounds.
Instead of thinking about graves as mere spaces of death, Meier crucially shifts the focus on the relationship of these spaces for the living.I was most moved by the exploration of the role of cemeteries in communities, not just as a site to remember those who are gone, but as a space to serve the people who are here and will come in the future. It was a very moving argument to shift graves from individual expressions of identity to models of community care.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 7, 2025
This only gets two stars instead of one because it is not completely offensive to the reader’s intelligence and has at least been proofread.
However, I’m pretty sure Meier only got this book deal because she had been a senior editor at Atlas Obscura, and not because of any special knowledge she has. The author’s qualifications seem to be that she has led some cemetery tours and has access to Wikipedia.
This book is not about graves, anyway. I thought this series was supposed to be about objects? It’s a pseudo-intellectual quasi-memoir catalog of body disposal methods. There are few interesting facts or new ideas that weren’t done better in Mary Roach’s Stiff. The author’s extremely limited experience and research encompasses NY, Boston, and her hometown in Oklahoma or something. The rest of the world is almost entirely ignored.
The writing is bland, Meier seems unconscious of her naivety at best, and no new ideas are introduced. The main takeaway is that graves take up a bunch of space and we need alternatives. Wow. Groundbreaking.
I also want to note that a ton of the top reviews were from people who received advanced copies. We should stop pretending these have no influence on the rating.
However, I’m pretty sure Meier only got this book deal because she had been a senior editor at Atlas Obscura, and not because of any special knowledge she has. The author’s qualifications seem to be that she has led some cemetery tours and has access to Wikipedia.
This book is not about graves, anyway. I thought this series was supposed to be about objects? It’s a pseudo-intellectual quasi-memoir catalog of body disposal methods. There are few interesting facts or new ideas that weren’t done better in Mary Roach’s Stiff. The author’s extremely limited experience and research encompasses NY, Boston, and her hometown in Oklahoma or something. The rest of the world is almost entirely ignored.
The writing is bland, Meier seems unconscious of her naivety at best, and no new ideas are introduced. The main takeaway is that graves take up a bunch of space and we need alternatives. Wow. Groundbreaking.
I also want to note that a ton of the top reviews were from people who received advanced copies. We should stop pretending these have no influence on the rating.
January 23, 2025
★★★★★
Grave | Object Lessons by Bloomsbury (Allison C. Meier - released 2023)
Book Review
✧ Read with me ✧ Instagram ✧ | @haileydianereads
“The grave is the period to a sentence I am still writing. Some of us get whole paragraphs and this last punctuation mark is not as crucial, but for others, it is a vital statement to show that they were here.” 🕳️ ✍️
“There is some irony that, alongside the widespread relocation and desecration of Indigenous burial grounds, the American grave became permanent and forever.” ⚰️⚱️
This book is perfect for readers who enjoy…
- Thanatology
- The intersectionality of history, society and culture from a critical viewpoint
- Fascinating tales from, and about, the grave
- Object Lessons series by Bloomsbury
As a death positive advocate, it’s rare that I find a book about thanatology or death practices that I’ve not already read or added to my TBR. But, as a de[a]dicated (see what I did there?), life-long learner, I am always eager to read a new book on the topic when I find one. If you’ve read any of Caitlin Doughty’s works or Karla F.C. Holloway’s Passed On, you will likely find this book of particular interest.
First, I just want to say that Allison C. Meier is a talented writer. It can be difficult to write non-fiction and make it engaging for the reader throughout the entirety of the book. Meier does a wonderful job. I couldn’t read quickly enough! A new bucket list item - attend one of Meier’s cemetery tours. It’s clear that Meier has a passion for thanatology and presenting it to the masses effectively. Crossing my fingers that we get another book from Meier in the future.
Not only is Meier’s research on the grave engaging, but it also offers a critical perspective of how Americans view death and the inequality that exists in many aspects of death and dying. There are so many notable facts and quotes throughout the book that readers should prepare to keep their highlighters (or pens) nearby. One of my favorite portions of the book is Meier’s explanation of everything a grave is and can represent. What is a grave? What does it represent? How does it function? What has this meant to past and present societies?
The honesty in Meier’s writing cannot be ignored. Not only does Meier call out the disrespect of indigenous burial grounds, but Meier also ensures that readers walk away from this book with an understanding of the racism and classism at play when our American culture chooses which people and grave sites are regarded as “sacred.”
This is the first book I’ve read in Bloomsbury’s Object Lessons series. They offer so many different topics for readers to choose from. I’m already making my list for what to read next!
Gratitude, always.
- H.
Grave | Object Lessons by Bloomsbury (Allison C. Meier - released 2023)
Book Review
✧ Read with me ✧ Instagram ✧ | @haileydianereads
“The grave is the period to a sentence I am still writing. Some of us get whole paragraphs and this last punctuation mark is not as crucial, but for others, it is a vital statement to show that they were here.” 🕳️ ✍️
“There is some irony that, alongside the widespread relocation and desecration of Indigenous burial grounds, the American grave became permanent and forever.” ⚰️⚱️
This book is perfect for readers who enjoy…
- Thanatology
- The intersectionality of history, society and culture from a critical viewpoint
- Fascinating tales from, and about, the grave
- Object Lessons series by Bloomsbury
As a death positive advocate, it’s rare that I find a book about thanatology or death practices that I’ve not already read or added to my TBR. But, as a de[a]dicated (see what I did there?), life-long learner, I am always eager to read a new book on the topic when I find one. If you’ve read any of Caitlin Doughty’s works or Karla F.C. Holloway’s Passed On, you will likely find this book of particular interest.
First, I just want to say that Allison C. Meier is a talented writer. It can be difficult to write non-fiction and make it engaging for the reader throughout the entirety of the book. Meier does a wonderful job. I couldn’t read quickly enough! A new bucket list item - attend one of Meier’s cemetery tours. It’s clear that Meier has a passion for thanatology and presenting it to the masses effectively. Crossing my fingers that we get another book from Meier in the future.
Not only is Meier’s research on the grave engaging, but it also offers a critical perspective of how Americans view death and the inequality that exists in many aspects of death and dying. There are so many notable facts and quotes throughout the book that readers should prepare to keep their highlighters (or pens) nearby. One of my favorite portions of the book is Meier’s explanation of everything a grave is and can represent. What is a grave? What does it represent? How does it function? What has this meant to past and present societies?
The honesty in Meier’s writing cannot be ignored. Not only does Meier call out the disrespect of indigenous burial grounds, but Meier also ensures that readers walk away from this book with an understanding of the racism and classism at play when our American culture chooses which people and grave sites are regarded as “sacred.”
This is the first book I’ve read in Bloomsbury’s Object Lessons series. They offer so many different topics for readers to choose from. I’m already making my list for what to read next!
Gratitude, always.
- H.
April 1, 2023
In contrast to the rest of the books in this series, looking at many an everyday thing we haven't thought about, much less read a whole book about, comes this – touching on something we will only have in the future, but may well be yet to organise for others. This finds a new flaw for the series – as opposed to the ultra-lefty, woke, race-baiting, pronoun-mangling, and autobiography for the sake of nothing and the benefit of nobody – by being fairly US-centric, but that is excusable given the author's location, expertise, sufferance of covid lockdown and so much more. It doesn't actually make for that much an inferior volume.
This suitably takes us from the original burial sites in the US (well, a mound here or there at least) and shows us some of New York State's places for European settlers to be interred. Gradually we build up in time to the present and beyond, somewhere nobody currently in their grave will likely end up. Here is the slow switch to cremation, the green, eco, tree-feeding funeral, the shooting into space – and even the manner in which the decomposition of a body can power a street lamp or something. Let's face it, you may well want to be buried in a city you love, and find the nearest plot miles from its centre unless you have some major renown, so how best to keep the light of your life shining for your kin than with a LED light here or there?
This is friendly, amenable, thoroughly academic yet entirely readable. It is the most positive volume to mention death this much that you could ever hope for. I do insist it being thought of for North Americans only, despite its trips to the Paris catacombs and talk of future death experts at Bath University – I am British and I really don't recognise the concept of the home funeral, unless you count that time I dug a hole for a rabbit outside the back garden. (Oh, and the cradle grave certainly does not look at all British – looking more like a flipping bath tub than a grave.) But again, this is more than able to make you consider the unspoken, spot the unimagined thought coming into your mind, and engage with the death and consequences of us all – and boy do deaths have consequences (just ask early AIDS sufferers). I wouldn't be at all surprised if the creator of this felt like including it in her interment, for even to a layman such as I this smacks of being a fine achievement.
This suitably takes us from the original burial sites in the US (well, a mound here or there at least) and shows us some of New York State's places for European settlers to be interred. Gradually we build up in time to the present and beyond, somewhere nobody currently in their grave will likely end up. Here is the slow switch to cremation, the green, eco, tree-feeding funeral, the shooting into space – and even the manner in which the decomposition of a body can power a street lamp or something. Let's face it, you may well want to be buried in a city you love, and find the nearest plot miles from its centre unless you have some major renown, so how best to keep the light of your life shining for your kin than with a LED light here or there?
This is friendly, amenable, thoroughly academic yet entirely readable. It is the most positive volume to mention death this much that you could ever hope for. I do insist it being thought of for North Americans only, despite its trips to the Paris catacombs and talk of future death experts at Bath University – I am British and I really don't recognise the concept of the home funeral, unless you count that time I dug a hole for a rabbit outside the back garden. (Oh, and the cradle grave certainly does not look at all British – looking more like a flipping bath tub than a grave.) But again, this is more than able to make you consider the unspoken, spot the unimagined thought coming into your mind, and engage with the death and consequences of us all – and boy do deaths have consequences (just ask early AIDS sufferers). I wouldn't be at all surprised if the creator of this felt like including it in her interment, for even to a layman such as I this smacks of being a fine achievement.
June 6, 2023
I have had a very up and down relationship with the Object Lessons series, short books that focus on the hidden history of everyday objects; it seems that I alternate between “very interesting” and “not at all”. My last book was the very enjoyable “Alarm” by Alice Bennett, which means that I approached “Grave” by Allison C. Meier with a bit of trepidation. But this is the one that broke the pattern, an enjoyable look into how we prepare and remember our loved ones on their final journey.
As a cemetery tour guide in New York, Ms. Meier is exceptionally qualified to provide a perspective on her topic. We start with the concept of graves, of our attempts to have a place to remember our departed. As societies grew, we progressed from burial grounds attached to a place of worship to free standing cemeteries, a place set aside to bury the dead. Here in the US, the concept of permanent resting place was created (in general), but mostly for the well-to-do, the poor were either in mass graves or were moved on after a set time elapsed. The Native Americans and slaves were also treated poorly from the start, social status still dictated your geography even after your death. Ms. Meier also provides a bit of history around the grave robbers who stole cadavers for medical schools and experiments, a practice which continued much more recently than one would imagine.
We then move to current practices and changing viewpoints on what the future may look like. Some cemeteries now focus more on the living than the dead, with the cemetery being treated more as a park than a monument. Cremation is an option that is getting more and more popular, but we also explore the future which may include “green” burials and even human composting(!).
Ms. Meier does a great job blending wide viewpoints of history with personal anecdotes and visits to make her point, with the treatment of AIDS victims in New York a poignant reminder of how people can be cruel even in recent memory. Be aware that this book comes from a perspective which is uniquely American in nature, with very little about how other countries and cultures treat their dead. Overall this object lesson is a great approach to a topic most of us avoid thinking about until it’s too late.
I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Bloomsbury Academic via NetGalley. Thank you!
As a cemetery tour guide in New York, Ms. Meier is exceptionally qualified to provide a perspective on her topic. We start with the concept of graves, of our attempts to have a place to remember our departed. As societies grew, we progressed from burial grounds attached to a place of worship to free standing cemeteries, a place set aside to bury the dead. Here in the US, the concept of permanent resting place was created (in general), but mostly for the well-to-do, the poor were either in mass graves or were moved on after a set time elapsed. The Native Americans and slaves were also treated poorly from the start, social status still dictated your geography even after your death. Ms. Meier also provides a bit of history around the grave robbers who stole cadavers for medical schools and experiments, a practice which continued much more recently than one would imagine.
We then move to current practices and changing viewpoints on what the future may look like. Some cemeteries now focus more on the living than the dead, with the cemetery being treated more as a park than a monument. Cremation is an option that is getting more and more popular, but we also explore the future which may include “green” burials and even human composting(!).
Ms. Meier does a great job blending wide viewpoints of history with personal anecdotes and visits to make her point, with the treatment of AIDS victims in New York a poignant reminder of how people can be cruel even in recent memory. Be aware that this book comes from a perspective which is uniquely American in nature, with very little about how other countries and cultures treat their dead. Overall this object lesson is a great approach to a topic most of us avoid thinking about until it’s too late.
I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Bloomsbury Academic via NetGalley. Thank you!
August 9, 2024
As a taphophile, this is clearly a book that I would add to my list. And I'm curious about the series (Object Lessons) overall. In this short book, Meier takes on the grave and provides an overview- brief and by no means comprehensive- about graves. Meier details the burial, green burial, cremation, human composting and everything in between. There are mentions of cemeteries and their purposes which have morphed over time. She uses examples from the United States most often with mentions of cemeteries and death culture around the world.
And since this is a newer title, she connects the burials during the COVID pandemic to other tragedies from history by highlighting Potter's Field and how people mourn and view death and burial.
Super fascinating with backmatter notes and an index.
"Even as the grave's rituals and shape have changed, it endures as something that makes us human. Unlike the universal emotion of grief, however, the grave is cultural and informed by beliefs, such as whether the corpse is an empty vessel to be discarded or to be attended to with love, and if death is the end or a transition."
"If the estimated 107 billion people who ever lived had a grave in perpetuity, their tombs would outnumber us at least 15 to one."
"This navigation by nacrogeography- or how a place has organized space for the dead- reveals how the grave changed in the time Marsh described."
"The oldest surviving headstone in Manhattan is in Trinity Churchyard, part of the island's first Anglican church. It is a grim two-sided marker for Richard Churcher, who died at fives years old on August 5, 1681."
"Behold and see as you pass by / As you are now so once was I / As I am now you soon shall be / Prepare for death & follow me."
"Decay! Decay! 'tis stamped on all! / All bloom, in flower and flesh, shall fade; / Ye whispering trees, when shall fall, / Be our long sleep beneath your shade!"
"The cradle grave was fashionable in the 19th century; its name comes from its shape where a marble or granite headstone and footstone are connected by two walls, leaving the ground open in the center. Loved ones were intended to plant gardens in this space, but as people moved away and families died off or stopped visiting, the cradle graves became barren or overgrown with weeds."
And since this is a newer title, she connects the burials during the COVID pandemic to other tragedies from history by highlighting Potter's Field and how people mourn and view death and burial.
Super fascinating with backmatter notes and an index.
"Even as the grave's rituals and shape have changed, it endures as something that makes us human. Unlike the universal emotion of grief, however, the grave is cultural and informed by beliefs, such as whether the corpse is an empty vessel to be discarded or to be attended to with love, and if death is the end or a transition."
"If the estimated 107 billion people who ever lived had a grave in perpetuity, their tombs would outnumber us at least 15 to one."
"This navigation by nacrogeography- or how a place has organized space for the dead- reveals how the grave changed in the time Marsh described."
"The oldest surviving headstone in Manhattan is in Trinity Churchyard, part of the island's first Anglican church. It is a grim two-sided marker for Richard Churcher, who died at fives years old on August 5, 1681."
"Behold and see as you pass by / As you are now so once was I / As I am now you soon shall be / Prepare for death & follow me."
"Decay! Decay! 'tis stamped on all! / All bloom, in flower and flesh, shall fade; / Ye whispering trees, when shall fall, / Be our long sleep beneath your shade!"
"The cradle grave was fashionable in the 19th century; its name comes from its shape where a marble or granite headstone and footstone are connected by two walls, leaving the ground open in the center. Loved ones were intended to plant gardens in this space, but as people moved away and families died off or stopped visiting, the cradle graves became barren or overgrown with weeds."
January 28, 2023
Read via NetGalley.
As long as these are being published, I will keep reading these. (... there's a joke here relating to the subject matter of this book, but I won't go there.)
For a book about graves, this book isn't morbid at all. Which is exactly the tone that I would expect from this series. It takes graves, and the reason for graves, seriously; but it doesn't dwell morosely on the idea of death. Nor does it romanticise it. Instead, this is a thoughtful and engaging examination of burial practises - particularly in post-colonisation North America - and how and why they've changed. That time and place is important to note; while various global practises are mentioned, like the very earliest burials known and Tibetan sky burials and others, this is focused on one specific place and time. And that's fair: this is a short book! It's not meant to be an all-encompassing tome. I guess this could be seen as a snapshot of a place that has changed a lot in terms of its ethnic makeup over the last few centuries, that has (for better or worse) often been seen as leading the way in innovation, as well as sometimes dragging its heels on change (hello metric system). So it's a useful way of getting a glimpse at one history of grave practises.
The author is someone who has led cemetery tours and has done a lot of thinking about what graves and burial practises mean. I learnt surprising things: like, in the USA, it's quite standard for a body to be embalmed before burial in a coffin. I'm pretty sure that's not standard in Australia (I just looked up one undertaker group; embalming is an optional extra). A sobering aspect was the history of unmarked graves, and segregation within cemeteries (a relatively new word, apparently!) - I know at least some old general cemeteries in Victoria are, or were, Catholic/Protestant separated (and different areas for Chinese dead, especially in goldrush areas and I guess there must be a few towns with small, historical, Jewish sections?). I most enjoyed the fact that there are new practises being developed. I had already learnt of 'water cremation' (yes, it's a nonsensical term), which is far more eco friendly than the standard creation; but 'natural burial' - like a pine coffin that degrades quickly - and other more environmental options are just going to be increasingly necessary. We already have issues with perpetual leases on graves...
Anyway, this is yet another excellent entry into this series. I loved it and continue to look forward to more.
As long as these are being published, I will keep reading these. (... there's a joke here relating to the subject matter of this book, but I won't go there.)
For a book about graves, this book isn't morbid at all. Which is exactly the tone that I would expect from this series. It takes graves, and the reason for graves, seriously; but it doesn't dwell morosely on the idea of death. Nor does it romanticise it. Instead, this is a thoughtful and engaging examination of burial practises - particularly in post-colonisation North America - and how and why they've changed. That time and place is important to note; while various global practises are mentioned, like the very earliest burials known and Tibetan sky burials and others, this is focused on one specific place and time. And that's fair: this is a short book! It's not meant to be an all-encompassing tome. I guess this could be seen as a snapshot of a place that has changed a lot in terms of its ethnic makeup over the last few centuries, that has (for better or worse) often been seen as leading the way in innovation, as well as sometimes dragging its heels on change (hello metric system). So it's a useful way of getting a glimpse at one history of grave practises.
The author is someone who has led cemetery tours and has done a lot of thinking about what graves and burial practises mean. I learnt surprising things: like, in the USA, it's quite standard for a body to be embalmed before burial in a coffin. I'm pretty sure that's not standard in Australia (I just looked up one undertaker group; embalming is an optional extra). A sobering aspect was the history of unmarked graves, and segregation within cemeteries (a relatively new word, apparently!) - I know at least some old general cemeteries in Victoria are, or were, Catholic/Protestant separated (and different areas for Chinese dead, especially in goldrush areas and I guess there must be a few towns with small, historical, Jewish sections?). I most enjoyed the fact that there are new practises being developed. I had already learnt of 'water cremation' (yes, it's a nonsensical term), which is far more eco friendly than the standard creation; but 'natural burial' - like a pine coffin that degrades quickly - and other more environmental options are just going to be increasingly necessary. We already have issues with perpetual leases on graves...
Anyway, this is yet another excellent entry into this series. I loved it and continue to look forward to more.
September 11, 2023
💬 “To better treat the living, medical students needed cadavers, and the demand regularly outpaced the supply. It was common knowledge that the source for the “resurrection men” who trafficked in the bodies was the graveyard.”
💬 “Although it’s a common superstition that it’s bad luck to walk on a grave, the truth is those of us who live in urban areas likely pass over graves more than we know.”
This book is part of a series called Object Lessons, this is part of the 2023 releases - they are a series about the hidden lives of ordinary things.
I love fun facts, history, random subject matters and how things evolve over time and this ticked all the boxes.
This was such an interesting insight into how graves/burials and the outlook of death has changed over the centuries.
This took me a little longer than planned to read through, but it was due to me googling loads of things I was reading, like many of the cemeteries mentioned, the ‘bone room’ in the Catacombs under Paris, the head of the women hanged, which is in an English Museum, Hart Island and its mass burials and many many more other things.
Can I just say, the cemeteries throughout America are absolutely stunning 🤩. That might be an odd thing to say lol, but I’m sure some of you will understand.
I couldn’t stop talking about this book after finishing, especially telling my partner some of the stories and I rang my mum multiple times to discuss while reading, as she also gave this a read a couple of months ago and loved it.
This also left me thinking of what I want for when D-Day comes in the very very far future - I was all for cremation, but now the thought of ending up as a tree sounds nice 🤭
I’m going to keep reading this series, next up is Blue Jeans 🧐
💬 “Although it’s a common superstition that it’s bad luck to walk on a grave, the truth is those of us who live in urban areas likely pass over graves more than we know.”
This book is part of a series called Object Lessons, this is part of the 2023 releases - they are a series about the hidden lives of ordinary things.
I love fun facts, history, random subject matters and how things evolve over time and this ticked all the boxes.
This was such an interesting insight into how graves/burials and the outlook of death has changed over the centuries.
This took me a little longer than planned to read through, but it was due to me googling loads of things I was reading, like many of the cemeteries mentioned, the ‘bone room’ in the Catacombs under Paris, the head of the women hanged, which is in an English Museum, Hart Island and its mass burials and many many more other things.
Can I just say, the cemeteries throughout America are absolutely stunning 🤩. That might be an odd thing to say lol, but I’m sure some of you will understand.
I couldn’t stop talking about this book after finishing, especially telling my partner some of the stories and I rang my mum multiple times to discuss while reading, as she also gave this a read a couple of months ago and loved it.
This also left me thinking of what I want for when D-Day comes in the very very far future - I was all for cremation, but now the thought of ending up as a tree sounds nice 🤭
I’m going to keep reading this series, next up is Blue Jeans 🧐
January 30, 2023
Allison C. Meier's entry into the ongoing Object Lessons series, Grave, focuses on the history of American burials and graveyards while touching on the human history of death and dying as it relates to American practices. As stated on page 14: "This [book] is an exploration of the American grave, how we got to where we are now, and how the ways we care for the dead are changing."
Meier begins, as one would expect, with the fact that we all die, but then branches out with considerations on what our deaths mean to family our the wider society. The book is divided into nine chapters that explore the different aspects of our uniquely American funerary practices both historic and contemporary.
Some topics covered are not surprising, such as the creation of the Parisian catacombs, some of New York City's historic graveyards, the roles (poor) cadavers played in the history of medicine and the history of embalming. A particular poignant section discusses some "forgotten" cemeteries that interrogates the ideas of who gets to be buried, where they get buried and whether or not those remains are left to rest in peace.
Where the book excels most is in discussing contemporary practices. Cremation continues to grow in popularity. Meier also details practices, including: the poorly named "human composting," water cremation, biomass donations, treemation or "green burials."
As its central purpose, this book should get the reader to consider how they would like their body to be treated at their death. Recommended for readers who liked Mary Roaches Stiff or viewers of YouTube's "Ask the Mortician" (Caitlin Doherty).
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
Meier begins, as one would expect, with the fact that we all die, but then branches out with considerations on what our deaths mean to family our the wider society. The book is divided into nine chapters that explore the different aspects of our uniquely American funerary practices both historic and contemporary.
Some topics covered are not surprising, such as the creation of the Parisian catacombs, some of New York City's historic graveyards, the roles (poor) cadavers played in the history of medicine and the history of embalming. A particular poignant section discusses some "forgotten" cemeteries that interrogates the ideas of who gets to be buried, where they get buried and whether or not those remains are left to rest in peace.
Where the book excels most is in discussing contemporary practices. Cremation continues to grow in popularity. Meier also details practices, including: the poorly named "human composting," water cremation, biomass donations, treemation or "green burials."
As its central purpose, this book should get the reader to consider how they would like their body to be treated at their death. Recommended for readers who liked Mary Roaches Stiff or viewers of YouTube's "Ask the Mortician" (Caitlin Doherty).
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
March 31, 2023
This is a powerhouse of non-fiction that will definitely have me searching out other volumes in the series. Though short, Meier delves deep into the history and meaning of burial rites and sites from the influence of human psychology and society to powerful historical and social forces and the impact of racism and religious intolerance. It's very short but it packs a powerful punch, managing to be moving, insightful and informative.
Written during the pandemic it is particularly poignant in this context of many people's first experience of mass death which highlighted the cracks in the funerary industry and caused many to realise that a radical rethink of the way we deal with death and memorialising the dead is required. It is heavily US-centric but Meier provides much-needed context by highlighting different approaches in other parts of the world as well as shining a light on the way the burial sites and practices of indigenous peoples, enslaved peoples, POCs and other religions as well as other marginalised people such as the poor and indigent have been desecrated, destroyed and denied the appropriate respect. New trends in dealing with the dead were fascinating to read about as were the many social projects dedicated to providing forgotten and marginalised groups with dignity in death.
The writing is a pleasure to read, empathetic, sensitive but unsentimental and Meier's work as a cemetery guide provides personal context for her research.
Written during the pandemic it is particularly poignant in this context of many people's first experience of mass death which highlighted the cracks in the funerary industry and caused many to realise that a radical rethink of the way we deal with death and memorialising the dead is required. It is heavily US-centric but Meier provides much-needed context by highlighting different approaches in other parts of the world as well as shining a light on the way the burial sites and practices of indigenous peoples, enslaved peoples, POCs and other religions as well as other marginalised people such as the poor and indigent have been desecrated, destroyed and denied the appropriate respect. New trends in dealing with the dead were fascinating to read about as were the many social projects dedicated to providing forgotten and marginalised groups with dignity in death.
The writing is a pleasure to read, empathetic, sensitive but unsentimental and Meier's work as a cemetery guide provides personal context for her research.
April 15, 2023
Grave, by Allison C Meier, is another engaging volume in the Object Lessons series, which offers readers insight and nuance into everyday objects (objects defined loosely). This volume gives a nice history as well as a look forward, taking into account the many elements that have gone into American funerary tradition and policy over the years.
Between her experience giving cemetery tours and her research on cemeteries, graves, and burial tradition (and sometimes biased policy), Meier gives a very good, as she states, "exploration of the American grave." From the logistics of how and where we inter our dead to how we decide who can be buried where, I found a lot here to digest.
If you enjoy learning about things beyond a basic surface level, you will enjoy this book, as well as the other books in the series. If, like Theeinfantile, you only want your own narrow thoughts regurgitated back to you, you may find yourself using meaningless buzzwords to describe the series. Though, admittedly, it is humorous to watch juvenile minds in (theoretically) adult humans try to be grown-up (and failing miserably). Oh well, some people don't have enough functioning brain cells to operate outside of their biased worldview. Highly recommend both this volume and the entire series for those who like nuance and perspectives about objects that they may not have yet considered.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
Between her experience giving cemetery tours and her research on cemeteries, graves, and burial tradition (and sometimes biased policy), Meier gives a very good, as she states, "exploration of the American grave." From the logistics of how and where we inter our dead to how we decide who can be buried where, I found a lot here to digest.
If you enjoy learning about things beyond a basic surface level, you will enjoy this book, as well as the other books in the series. If, like Theeinfantile, you only want your own narrow thoughts regurgitated back to you, you may find yourself using meaningless buzzwords to describe the series. Though, admittedly, it is humorous to watch juvenile minds in (theoretically) adult humans try to be grown-up (and failing miserably). Oh well, some people don't have enough functioning brain cells to operate outside of their biased worldview. Highly recommend both this volume and the entire series for those who like nuance and perspectives about objects that they may not have yet considered.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
August 13, 2024
I've been a fan of Allison C. Meier's work since the first Death Salon. Someday I'd love to take one of her tours of Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. Even so, I was hesitant to read Grave. I've got so may cemetery books...did I need another one that was an overview of burial history?
I heard Allison speak online during her book tour and clearly the answer was yes. She is so deeply knowledgable about the subject, from the earliest human burials in Israel and Kenya to the Covid burials on New York's Hart Island, that I knew she would, as you might say, bring death to life.
The book begins with Allison's visit to the Pinson Mounds in Tennessee, contextualizing the history of burial in the US. She points out that if the 107 billion people who've ever lived each had an individual grave, they would outnumber the living 15 to one. She writes about green burial, cremation, and new ideas for the afterlife.
In short, this is a fascinating book, full of information that would make for lively conversation. Highly recommended.
I heard Allison speak online during her book tour and clearly the answer was yes. She is so deeply knowledgable about the subject, from the earliest human burials in Israel and Kenya to the Covid burials on New York's Hart Island, that I knew she would, as you might say, bring death to life.
The book begins with Allison's visit to the Pinson Mounds in Tennessee, contextualizing the history of burial in the US. She points out that if the 107 billion people who've ever lived each had an individual grave, they would outnumber the living 15 to one. She writes about green burial, cremation, and new ideas for the afterlife.
In short, this is a fascinating book, full of information that would make for lively conversation. Highly recommended.
October 17, 2025
This is the perfect book of essays with which to welcome spooky season. Full disclosure: I know Allison, and she's lovely, and this book perfectly captures her voice and passion for the grave. But the book isn't morbid or gothic, but takes a historic as well as pragmatic view on what remains when a person dies. It's what awaits us all, of course, but many of us don't want to think about it. Allison discusses the meaning of monuments and ways of mourning for what the dead leave in their wake for those of us still above ground, but also the logistics of what is done, as well as could or should be done, with the actual physical corpse when we, us, I die. I know this might sound like a book outside of your general inquiry, but it is brisk and provocative and the essays are both coldly clinical in regards to the fact but also often deeply moving in the prose and empathy for those coping with the finality of death.
I listened to Inventions for Electric Guitar by Manuel Göttsching, Mu by Dhyana and Forgetting is Violent by Patrick Shiroishi while reading this.
I listened to Inventions for Electric Guitar by Manuel Göttsching, Mu by Dhyana and Forgetting is Violent by Patrick Shiroishi while reading this.
November 12, 2024
I have been a huge fan of all the interesting things Meier has been up to over the past few years I have been following her, including amassing quite a collection of her tiny 'zines, so I was thrilled when she was tapped to write Grave as part of the Object Lessons series. I am very interested in memorial art and the social psychology of mourning and memorialization. This book is not a particularly in-depth overview, being a short introduction to the topic of 'graves' and burial, but wow does it pack a punch. Her chapter on NYC's Potter's Field is particularly moving and, for lovers of NYC history especially, she does tap into her extensive knowledge of the area along with her discussions of other locations.
I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in the subject matter, even those, like me, who are more informed, on the strength of her humanist and engaging writing. And I hope to some day take one her local tours too!
I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in the subject matter, even those, like me, who are more informed, on the strength of her humanist and engaging writing. And I hope to some day take one her local tours too!
January 21, 2023
This is a really fascinating book that not only looks at the history of cemeteries and grave use, predominantly in the USA, but also what the future holds for grave sites and memorials.
Particularly interesting are the chapters on human composting and green burials, both of which are things I have long been fascinated by and in full support of.
A lot of things are covered here in such a short book, everything from segregation burials, grave robbing, ancient burials to burial poverty, AI memorials and online graves.
It's a quick read but really well researched, I think you may need to have an interest in cemeteries or be a Taphophile to enjoy this book, I received an ARC copy but I will buy the physical book as well to go in my collection.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read and review this ARC.
Particularly interesting are the chapters on human composting and green burials, both of which are things I have long been fascinated by and in full support of.
A lot of things are covered here in such a short book, everything from segregation burials, grave robbing, ancient burials to burial poverty, AI memorials and online graves.
It's a quick read but really well researched, I think you may need to have an interest in cemeteries or be a Taphophile to enjoy this book, I received an ARC copy but I will buy the physical book as well to go in my collection.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read and review this ARC.
July 14, 2024
Potted history on grave, cemetery, and funerary traditions in the U.S. Read for my spouse, to see if it might be useful for his undergrad course.
Chapters:
First: A survey of the history of grave practices.
Second: Indigenous mound graves, the problem of space especially in NYC, whose graves get preserved, the color line in U.S. graveyards.
Third: Mount Auburn and its shift to the parklike and cemetery use as de facto public parks.
Fourth: Mausoleums, attempts by the rich to thwart desecration, resurrection men.
Fifth: Potters’ fields, Hart Island
Sixth: St. Peter’s and AIDS; cremation, including the LeMoyne crematory
Seventh: Green burial and the history and prevalence of embalming in the U.S.
Eighth: Recompose, online, other emerging ideas, brief mention of aquamation
Ninth: New ideas about how cemeteries are used
Chapters:
First: A survey of the history of grave practices.
Second: Indigenous mound graves, the problem of space especially in NYC, whose graves get preserved, the color line in U.S. graveyards.
Third: Mount Auburn and its shift to the parklike and cemetery use as de facto public parks.
Fourth: Mausoleums, attempts by the rich to thwart desecration, resurrection men.
Fifth: Potters’ fields, Hart Island
Sixth: St. Peter’s and AIDS; cremation, including the LeMoyne crematory
Seventh: Green burial and the history and prevalence of embalming in the U.S.
Eighth: Recompose, online, other emerging ideas, brief mention of aquamation
Ninth: New ideas about how cemeteries are used
September 15, 2025
Short book achieves exactly what it sets out to do for history of burial in the USA, without digressions or fluff. Also represents the most recent pandemic in a way that highlights the darkest parts of it, but without making it the focal point of the book. The approach thus honours the deceased that many living had denied, memorializing the reality of the peak of COVID-19 and indirectly offering timeless respect to the victims who suffered the greatest. The majority of the content, though, systematically outlines history over the last couple centuries, cultural conflict, and technological/sociocultural developments (past and current) as they align with respective American events of the time in question.
From a biological anthropologists point of view, for a non-academic book, Meier retains historical/professional accuracy and a non-invasive formatting style whilst keeping the text personal and digestible for the layperson. All in all, beautifully and respectfully written with a lot of knowledge in a shorter read.
From a biological anthropologists point of view, for a non-academic book, Meier retains historical/professional accuracy and a non-invasive formatting style whilst keeping the text personal and digestible for the layperson. All in all, beautifully and respectfully written with a lot of knowledge in a shorter read.
Read
February 1, 2023I received a copy of this book from Net Galley, in exchange for an honest review. Until this book, I was unfamiliar with the ongoing Object Lessons series, so that is something I wish to explore.
Grave. I confess, I am a taphophile. I have always been attracted to the gravestones in cemeteries; the art and history of them. While this book appealed to this part of me, and there were MANY interesting facts and tidbits included here, I am not a fan of the way it was written. There was no flow. It was a hard read.
Grave. I confess, I am a taphophile. I have always been attracted to the gravestones in cemeteries; the art and history of them. While this book appealed to this part of me, and there were MANY interesting facts and tidbits included here, I am not a fan of the way it was written. There was no flow. It was a hard read.
February 16, 2023
*I received a copy of this book as an ARC for review
This book was very well researched and gave a good overview of different, alternative options to burial. The author definitely came across as passionate about what they wrote about and since the topic of more communal burial means is often overlooked, it was refreshing to find them so highly spoken of here. The only criticism I would give is that I wish it would've been a touch longer and more in-depth. However, I do think this would be a fantastic resource for someone who just started researching grave alternatives.
This book was very well researched and gave a good overview of different, alternative options to burial. The author definitely came across as passionate about what they wrote about and since the topic of more communal burial means is often overlooked, it was refreshing to find them so highly spoken of here. The only criticism I would give is that I wish it would've been a touch longer and more in-depth. However, I do think this would be a fantastic resource for someone who just started researching grave alternatives.
October 28, 2025
This scratches the same itch as Mary Roach's Stiff, between one of those charming little British-series covers (even the size. Love it. It is the perfect thing to have on hand in the subway.)
From cemetery history to green burial alternatives to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a lot to reflect on here. I appreciated the spirit of the first-person narration - inquisitive, respectful, history loving, and aware of her own mortality.
Purchased at Quimby's NYC which stocks many of the titles in the Object Lessons series.
From cemetery history to green burial alternatives to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a lot to reflect on here. I appreciated the spirit of the first-person narration - inquisitive, respectful, history loving, and aware of her own mortality.
Purchased at Quimby's NYC which stocks many of the titles in the Object Lessons series.
March 20, 2025
This was quite an interesting read, but as a lifelong taphophile and someone really interested in anthropothanatology I felt it fell short... Maybe it was the educational, objective approach of the text, but it was a bit flat for me, although I understand that's the style of the collection and it's thought to be short and straight to the point, but still...
In spite of that, it's a very interesting text about a fascinating subject, perfect as a first approach to the subject.
In spite of that, it's a very interesting text about a fascinating subject, perfect as a first approach to the subject.
June 18, 2025
Most people never think about a grave until they need one. Allison Leier is a cemetery guide in Brooklyn. As one who visits cemeteries regularly, she is familiar with the many types of burial practices in use today versus those of yesteryear. I found this book to be both interesting and educational. Meier brings the focus to an integral piece of life and death without making it off-putting. It's an easy 5 star read that should be read and shared with every adult.
February 7, 2023
Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Academic for the ARC of this!
After having read a few non-fiction on death - Roach’s Stiff and Doughty’s Smoke Gets in Your Eyes stand out, this didn’t feel jam packed with new information. That said it was an easy to consume little book that could definitely be a good starting point. It wasn’t too dry and it was quick.
After having read a few non-fiction on death - Roach’s Stiff and Doughty’s Smoke Gets in Your Eyes stand out, this didn’t feel jam packed with new information. That said it was an easy to consume little book that could definitely be a good starting point. It wasn’t too dry and it was quick.
April 15, 2023
Incredible! I already knew a lot about cemeteries as a grave gardener at the woodlands, but this book showed me that there was so much more! I enjoyed thinking about the psychological and environmental implications of different types of burials and how graveyards and cemeteries can be adaptive to neighboring community needs.
October 10, 2023
My review of this book is available at The Folklore Podcast website.
Picture
TITLE: Grave (Object Lessons)
AUTHOR: Allison C. Meier
PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 9781501383656
PODCAST EPISODE: None
REVIEWER: Hilary Wilson
Bloomsbury Academic’s Object Lesson series is a wondrous collection that teaches its readers how to appreciate the ordinary. Each of these concise books seeks to thoroughly analyze a singular aspect of day-to-day life. Previous publications within this series look at subjects such as Traffic or the High Heel. The latest addition to the series, released in February 2023, is Grave by Allison C. Meier.
Meier has worked as a cemetery tour guide in New York City since 2011. An accomplished writer, her previous credits include publications within National Geographic, Mental Floss, and the Order of the Good Death. She is also the senior editor of Atlas Obscura. Her passion for bringing attention to little-known people and bits of history serves her well in Grave, as so much of what surrounds the topic of death and dying is often forgotten.
Grave is a concise book, coming in at under 200 pages even including the ample citations. The short essays begin with Meier explaining her own fascination with the historic cemetery near where she lived and how she found herself as one of its guides. Throughout the book, she explains how society has changed its view of death and dying. Once, people were buried in graveyards and burial grounds, full of reminders of one’s own mortality. But now, we are buried in cemeteries, the progenitors of the more common community park. Less hidden from view, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic, she makes the argument that our views of death are once more changing.
Meier pays careful attention to how death is dealt with among the poor, indigent, and minority communities, affording a broader view of history than many other texts. She also takes care to explain why practices such as cremation and embalming, both of which have been and still remain controversial among certain subsets of the population, can be viewed as positive things to others. There is no wrong way to die and to grieve, and this book covers some of the wide variety of ways people have gone about both.
This book is an interesting, contemplative read. Of particular interest is Meier’s attention to how funeral practices of the future might look. Recomposition, mushroom suits, and water cremation are all intriguing answers to problems that few want to seriously consider. Our cemeteries are filling up, and we are more nomadic now as a race than we have been in some time. Treks to visit our familial dead are less feasible in this globalized society, nor is it any more feasible to transport everybody back to their ancestral plots. Mausoleums are the way of the past – but the future is moving towards new options, many of which are friendlier to the environment. Meier forces the reader to consider their own mortality and what they might wish to happen to their body after they pass.
Picture
TITLE: Grave (Object Lessons)
AUTHOR: Allison C. Meier
PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 9781501383656
PODCAST EPISODE: None
REVIEWER: Hilary Wilson
Bloomsbury Academic’s Object Lesson series is a wondrous collection that teaches its readers how to appreciate the ordinary. Each of these concise books seeks to thoroughly analyze a singular aspect of day-to-day life. Previous publications within this series look at subjects such as Traffic or the High Heel. The latest addition to the series, released in February 2023, is Grave by Allison C. Meier.
Meier has worked as a cemetery tour guide in New York City since 2011. An accomplished writer, her previous credits include publications within National Geographic, Mental Floss, and the Order of the Good Death. She is also the senior editor of Atlas Obscura. Her passion for bringing attention to little-known people and bits of history serves her well in Grave, as so much of what surrounds the topic of death and dying is often forgotten.
Grave is a concise book, coming in at under 200 pages even including the ample citations. The short essays begin with Meier explaining her own fascination with the historic cemetery near where she lived and how she found herself as one of its guides. Throughout the book, she explains how society has changed its view of death and dying. Once, people were buried in graveyards and burial grounds, full of reminders of one’s own mortality. But now, we are buried in cemeteries, the progenitors of the more common community park. Less hidden from view, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic, she makes the argument that our views of death are once more changing.
Meier pays careful attention to how death is dealt with among the poor, indigent, and minority communities, affording a broader view of history than many other texts. She also takes care to explain why practices such as cremation and embalming, both of which have been and still remain controversial among certain subsets of the population, can be viewed as positive things to others. There is no wrong way to die and to grieve, and this book covers some of the wide variety of ways people have gone about both.
This book is an interesting, contemplative read. Of particular interest is Meier’s attention to how funeral practices of the future might look. Recomposition, mushroom suits, and water cremation are all intriguing answers to problems that few want to seriously consider. Our cemeteries are filling up, and we are more nomadic now as a race than we have been in some time. Treks to visit our familial dead are less feasible in this globalized society, nor is it any more feasible to transport everybody back to their ancestral plots. Mausoleums are the way of the past – but the future is moving towards new options, many of which are friendlier to the environment. Meier forces the reader to consider their own mortality and what they might wish to happen to their body after they pass.
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