Grave Matters: A Journey Through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial

Book Description

By the time Nate Fisher was laid to rest in a woodland grave sans coffin in the final season of Six Feet Under, Americans all across the country were starting to look outside the box when death came calling.

Grave Matters follows families who found in "green" burial a more natural, more economic, and ultimately more meaningful alternative to the tired and toxic send-off on offer at the local funeral parlor.

Eschewing chemical embalming and fancy caskets, elaborate and costly funerals, they have embraced a range of natural options, new and old, that are redefining a better American way of death. Environmental journalist Mark Harris examines this new green burial underground, leading you into natural cemeteries and domestic graveyards, taking you aboard boats from which ashes and memorial "reef balls" are cast into the sea. He follows a family that conducts a home funeral, one that delivers a loved one to the crematory, and another that hires a carpenter to build a pine coffin.

In the morbidly fascinating tradition of Stiff, Grave Matters details the embalming process and the environmental aftermath of the standard funeral. Harris also traces the history of burial in America, from frontier cemeteries to the billion-dollar business it is today, reporting on real families who opted for more simple, natural returns.

For readers who want to follow the examples of these families and, literally, give back from the grave, appendices detail everything you need to know, from exact costs and laws to natural burial providers and their contact information.

Customer Reviews:

Life changing.......2007-07-11

The book is clearly biased for natural burial methods and against the modern funeral industry. I have learned about alternatives to the prototypical procedures and will change how I live. This book will guide me when I have discussions with others about this topic.

Highly recommended.

NOT EVERYONE'S FAVORITE SUBJECT, BUT . . . .......2007-03-21

. . . would you want to be as ignorant about childbirth as most people are about 'procedures' at the time of death? The author's premise is that preparation for death, and burials, should be "GREEN" - - I happen to agree, and will donate my remains to a teaching hospital, me & my Pacemaker and all four replacment joints (if they'll have me).

The thinking of humans advances in pitifully tiny increments. In recent years the number of cremations has increased dramatically, and Green Cemeteries are no longer considered for space aliens only. Mark Harris shapes his book around ten persons who carried out decisions not relying primarily on undertakers and embalmers. Details about funerals held in the home, burial on one's own property, burial at sea, working with state laws, even the purchase of cardboard caskets for cremation . . . these are discussed quite fully in this book with sources given, costs, even the author's web site.

The book stresses the benefits of treating the death of loved ones in a totally personal way while honoring convictions about a green, less toxic world. Reviewer mcHaiku believes that the greatest hurdle in working one's beliefs seamlessly into discussions, and making satisfactory decisions about "bodies, the disposal of" . . . is squeamishness and the emotional reactions of the moment.

Knowledge can be 'freeing' and contribute towards amicable acceptance. Author Mark Harris has provided details, details (ad nauseam, for some). The book (Be sure to read the full title) is generous with information that will help all readers reach more 'environmentally correct' decisions because we owe this to our planet.

Sooner Or Later.......2007-03-08

I seldom use the word "should" because of its moral connotations. In this case, however, I feel it appropriate to say that everyone should read this book. Every week I take out the trash. It's not a job I like but one I know has to be done. We all will face the time when we have to do the same for a loved one or ourselves when we check out. This book provides specifics as to the process of embalming, costs of burial and even the process of rotting in traditional cemetaries. I love how the author refers to them as landfills. Sooner or later we all will have to deal with these issues and its best we take the responsiblity because ignoring the problem won't make it go away.

Revealing.......2007-02-13

Finally, someone has punched a big, wide hole in the distasteful practice of the American funeral. This book might surprise you on how it will change your perspective on death; either of a loved one or your own eventual one. Who in their right mind has wanted to consider a funeral in the framework of the century-long trend of embalming, gawking and metal boxing. But to consider it in the eco-friendly, natural ways that Harris discusses here is strangely much more acceptable. I feel amazingly better about the whole business now that I know no one in my immediate family or myself will have to be pumped with posion, laid out like a plastic dummy and placed in a $10,000 container that will never be seen again, or made to enhance the earth in any way. Weird as it may seem to those who may not have read this book, I will take much pleasure when I soon begin building my own coffin. Not that I plan to use it for the next couple of decades, but it surely will give me a platform to talk about the hideous practice of the traditional but obscene American funeral. I plan to make my own coffin, but have yet decided to be buried or creamated in it. Mr. Harris, thank you. And to those kind souls who participated in a very important book.

Extremely useful information everyone needs to know.......2007-01-23

With a completely objective approach, Mr. Harris has researched thoroughly many various aspects of burial/funeral procedures and options, giving the reader detailed information about specific processes and choices available to the consumer. Each chapter ends with a concise wrap-up of things you need to know - a great feature of this book. No detail is unexplored. What some may consider untouchable subject, Mark Harris has developed into a very professional and dignified outcome.

Every family should consider this book a MUST for the shelf. Though no one wants to think of the inevitable, all should want to be prepared early on, and this book gives you the information you NEED to know.

A Shortridge
San Diego, CA

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Grave Matters
E.R. Shushan
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0345364708
Release Date: 1990-09-05

Grave Matters (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation)

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The Pace Never Lets Up
Great novel
Cute, but...
Great Mystery; Great Tie-In
A great book in a great series

Grave Matters (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation)
Max Allan Collins
Manufacturer: Pocket Star
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0743496620

Book Description

Rebecca Bennett, the estranged stepdaughter of a well-to-do Las Vegas businessman, is hounding the Las Vegas Police Department to reopen the investigation into her mother Rita's death -- alleging that, despite appearances to the contrary, Rebecca's greedy stepfather actually played a hand in Rita Bennett's untimely end. But no one is prepared for the news that CSIs Gil Grissom, Sara Sidle, and Nick Stokes report -- their investigation is inconclusive...because the disinterred deceased is not Rita Bennett. Meanwhile, at the Sunny Day Continuing Care Facility, Catherine Willows and Warrick Brown must investigate the sudden demise of Vivian Elliot -- a patient whose death may be the result of unnatural causes....

Customer Reviews:

The Pace Never Lets Up.......2006-04-06

It's August in Las Vegas and the temperature is sizzling. The murder rate in town has increased along with the temperatures, putting a strain on the CSI team. A body is exhumed to determine cause of death, but it's the wrong body in the right casket. In another case, there has been a rash of deaths in a local nursing home and Catherine and Warrick set out to investigate. As in previous outings, Collins does a wonderful job in his characterizations. He adds depth to the characters we are familiar with from the TV series. The plots in this one keep the reader guessing and the pace never lets up. Another great CSI read.

Great novel.......2005-10-27

I bought this novel for my daugher who loves CSI:Las Vegas.
She read the book in one night and continues to read it. She says it's even better than the TV episodes.

Cute, but..........2005-10-01

The mystery is very engaging, and the clues ar worth it. As a CSI fan, I really enjoyed this book, but...

The author's prose is far to heavy at times, particualrly in his descriptive mode. I felt that his "purple prose" interfered in me geting an idea about what he was describing. The plot is very good, but plowing through the excess descriptives made it hard for me.

Great Mystery; Great Tie-In.......2005-01-14

Grave Matters is a great mystery novel, and ties in well with the TV series. As usual, there are two cases. One is when a medical examiners calls the CSIs in because deaths are happening a little too frequently in an assisted care facility. The other is when a court order forces the rest of the team to investige the death of a political big-wig's murder - by the daughter, who names her step-father.

The care facility death shows death by injection of air - murder, which is investigated. But that doesn't compare to what the other CSI team finds in the casket of the deceased woman - somebody else entirely, which means somebody else is a killer who picked the perfect hiding spot for a body...

A great book in a great series.......2004-10-20

I have read all of the CSI novels and haven't been disapointed once. I find them all very hard to put down. I can hardly wait for the next book to come out.

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Provocative, Well Written Treatises on Preaching Today

What's the Matter With Preaching Today?

Manufacturer: Westminster John Knox Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0664226329

Book Description

Seventy-five years ago, renowned preacher Harry Emerson Fosdick asked, in "Harper's" magazine, "What's the matter with preaching?" Fosdick's question is even more relevant today, as both pastors and laity acknowledge the need for improvement in Sunday mornings sermons. And who better for pastors and students to learn from than those who already do it well? The contributors to this book are a who's who of the best and most thoughtful preachers in the church and classroom today. In their essays, they assess the state of preaching today, identify a variety of issues that challenge effective preaching, and offer helpful suggestions for what can be done to improve preaching. In the process, they help to define what effective preaching is. This book will be extraordinarily helpful to both pastors and students. Fosdick's original essay is also included. Contributors: Thomas G. Long, Barbara Brown Taylor, Cleophus J. Larue, Marva J. Dawn, Fred Craddock, David Buttrick! , Anna Carter Florence, Eugene L. Lowry, David Bartlett, Mike Graves, and Ernest T. Campbell.

Customer Reviews:

Provocative, Well Written Treatises on Preaching Today.......2006-07-22

This book was prepared in recognition of the 75th anniversary of Harry Emerson Fosdick's book by the same name. There are 13 chapters written by mostly mainline Protestant homileticians about issues relating to the subject of what is wrong with preaching today.

The first article is a reprint of Harry Emerson Fosdick's enthusiastic and interesting 1928 article on what he thought was the problem with preaching in his day. It turns out that his message is quite timeless. He concludes that many sermons are just plain boring and not very practical to everyday life. He contends that a sermon's objective should be to help people to solve a spiritual problem in their lives.

What truly bothered me about the chapter was Fosdick's disdain for expository preaching. He is absolutely convinced that people are not interested in having the Bible explained to them and having it applied to their lives. It cannot be underscored strongly enough how wrong Fosdick is on this point. Perhaps he has not had occasion to hear any really good expositors.

On the other hand, Fosdick has an equal amount of disdain for those who preach topical sermons from the newspaper and use no scripture at all.

What Fosdick does advocate is preaching for life change. In other words, "don't just preach about joy. Talk about it in such a way that the people walk out of church more joyful than they were before. That I believe, can be done more profoundly and more lastingly with an exciting exposition of holy writ.

David Bartlett and Mike Graves have essays where they basically say that we should make mercy tangible and visible and real in our sermons.

David Buttrick begins his essay with a defense of the pulpit, asserting that both good preaching and no so good preaching at least bring God into the forefront of the public consciousness.

He then critiques (and occasionally skewers) biblical preaching, the therapeutic preaching model of Fosdick, and African-American preaching, which he regards as the best preaching in America today, though it may have lost a little of its prophetic edge.

Buttrick concludes by saying that if preaching is going to thrive in the 21st century, then it will need to emphasize what he calls the empire of God and the presence of God. Preachers will also need to preach against the principalities and powers which hold people in bondage today (materialism, selfishness, etc).

Ernest Campbell follows with an article called "A Lover's Quarrel With Preaching." He starts out by sharing some of his own conviction about Christianity, namely that Jesus might be the only way for us, but not the only way for others. He also says that the Bible doesn't have to be taken literally to be taken seriously (a loaded statement which makes me want to ask "What definitions of literally and seriously are you working with?" I confess that at this point, I was ready to skip this chapter and move on. But I stayed the course.

He also thinks that preachers often ignore issues of justice in order to placate people. Isaiah the prophet would definitely shout "Amen!" to that and so would I.

He says that we have allowed preaching to become a dull defense of the past way of doing things instead of proclaiming of living Christ. He also says that we have become too dependent on the lectionary, which in its three year cycle, only covers a small portion of scripture? How can preachers of the whole counsel of God be content with leaving out huge parts of the canon? I thought that this was a really good point!

Fred Craddock's article talks about how scripture can touch the deepest places in our lives, while Marva Dawn says that all too often, we get in the way of what God wants to do through us. We forget our place, we forget to spend time each day with God, we forget to let the text prune us before we present it in church to prune others, we forget to take prophetic risks, and rely on the Holy Spirit for the words and the wisdom.

She concludes the chapter by declaring that even though she is the problem with preaching, God still loves her. God still wants to use her. God still wants to speak to all of us. "What's the matter with preaching today? I am. What's right about preaching today? The great I AM."

Wow, what a powerful article! This is the best article in the book so far!

Anna Carter Florence has a thoughtful reflection on the importance of preaching the text, really the first article in the book to mention this as vital. Yet she warns against torturing the text and squeezing out of it more information than what people need. She also warns about spending lots of time defending what is in the text, noting that Jesus did not need the apostles to use swords to defend Him. She wants us to live the text before we preach it.

Cleophus Larue reminds us that in spite of all the praise heaped onto black preaching, there are still ways that black preachers can better engage those who enjoy listening to them, and that both white and black preachers can profit from each others' strengths and weaknesses. But as it is, they are like two ships passing each other in the night.

Thomas Long's meditation is about how we may have gone too far into need based, therapeutic preaching, and now the pendulum needs to come back the other way. We need to emphasize the news of what God has done through Christ on our behalf and what God IS doing in our world and in our lives.

Eugene Lowry's contribution discusses how our preaching often resorts to petty problem solving rather than articulately and poetically gesturing toward the God of grace and glory.

Barbara Brown Taylor has the final article in the book. She says that is impossible to please everyone with everything we say from the pulpit, and that we should focus on doing the best we can and being in volved with their lives, that the people will connect with us as we work harder to connect with their humanness.

As an evangelical preacher, I would have naturally liked to have seen more of an emphasis in this book on what Fosdick refers to as the "old-fashioned" idea of expounding and applying the Bible to people's lives. Contrary to what is sometimes stated, people DO want to hear the Bible preached. They WANT to know how God's word works and applies in our modern world.

We don't have to throw out the baby with the bathwater. We can have exciting, exhilarating, biblically sound preaching today that touches people's lives and makes them more interested in relating to God and the world around them.

But the book was an inspiring meditation on the struggles and the joys of preaching, and I give it a thumbs' up!

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Grave Matters

Grave Matters
Mark C. Taylor , and Dietrich Christian Lammerts
Manufacturer: Reaktion Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1861891172

Book Description

"Cemeteries", writes Mark C. Taylor, "are where I go to commune with 'my' ghosts. The journey to the cemetery is always solitary even when I am with people who are closest to me. In the graveyard, the we is dispersed and the I stripped bare." In Grave Matters, Taylor's ghosts become our own. His thoughtful, poignant essay interweaves personal narrative, historical analysis, cultural commentary and philosophical reflection.

Dietrich Christian Lammerts's photographs show us the graves of the artists, architects, writers, philosophers and musicians who shaped Western culture; at once beautiful and disturbing, they suggest an alternative history of modernism and its precursors. Grave Matters raises difficult questions: What place do the modern greats have in the postmodern age? Who decided where and how they would be buried? Who wrote their epitaphs? What do their deaths, and their graves, tell us about their lives and suggest about our own? The words and images of Grave Matters inscribe the future that we all face, and to ponder this memento mori is to meet life anew.

Customer Reviews:

Grave Matters.......2006-12-19

If you are a cemetery walker like I am, you will like this book. It's beautiful photographed in black and white. Graves I'll never get to see in my lifetime that I would love to see. It's a great conversation piece too. I love cemeteries, and I think alot of other people do too.

Grave Matters: Encounters with Death Around the World

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Grave Matters: Encounters with Death Around the World
Nigel Barley
Manufacturer: Waveland Pr Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 1577664310

Book Description

Within the multitude of attitudes toward grieving, Grave Matters reveals that after death the body may be preserved or obliterated, transformed into furniture, or eaten. In this cross-cultural study of how people lend meaning to death, Nigel Barley uses autobiographical vignettes and a careful blend of ethnography and comparative theories to reflect on today's mortuary practices and issues. For some, the road to death is enlightening, for others it is ghastly. Not one to slight death's sting (or its caress by the overly solicitous mortuary industry), Barley agrees with Aristotle that humor is also a key distinguishing feature of humanity. At his own father's cremation, the worship space, which was designed for measured grief, could be converted into a basketball court. This evocative and edifying text shows that death is a mirror in which human diversity can be seen, exposing a society's culture and the possibilities for mourning or robust eruptions. While a polished coffin with brass handles may be appropriate in Western society, in Ghana a poultry farmer is buried in a giant carved chicken. Life and death go hand in hand, as illustrated during the French Revolution when fashionable ladies wore elegant little guillotines in their ears as jewelry. Underlying these peculiarities is the premise that, when it comes to death, it is not what we feel that counts, it is what we do.

Grave Matters (Jennie Mcgrady Mysteries)

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Love It!!!!!!!!
A Spectacular Conclusion to the Jennie McGrady Series

Grave Matters (Jennie Mcgrady Mysteries)
Patricia Rushford
Manufacturer: Bethany House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 076422123X

Book Description

Uncovering the Family Tree Spells Trouble For Jennie McGrady

Jennie McGrady is on the vacation of a lifetime—an extended trip to Ireland with Gram. And when the opportunity to stay in a castle arises, Jennie is ecstatic. For some reason, though, Gram doesn't share Jennie's enthusiasm. Then, just before their plane lands, Jennie discovers a threatening note: If you value your life, stay out of Ireland.

Helen Bradley is returning to Ireland to settle the estate of her mother—a task she's still not ready for. An old friend offers a welcome distraction, asking Helen to look into the suspicious death of his father fifty-five years ago. But Jennie can't help wondering if Gram's investigation will only stir up trouble.

Mary O'Donnell, Jennie's great-grandmother, left a houseful of history and memories when she died three years ago. As Jennie begins to explore the family records, she uncovers some facts that don't match up with what she's been told. What eventually comes to the surface could change their lives forever.

A strange coincidence...or sinister plot?

Customer Reviews:

Love It!!!!!!!!.......2004-11-16

i have read almost all of these books and i had to do a book report, so i decided to do this one which i hadn't read yet! it is such a good book. its got suspense, action, and everything that makes a good book! It totally surprised me who the culprit was. I really recommend it. It is a great book.

A Spectacular Conclusion to the Jennie McGrady Series.......2003-10-26

I am sorry to say that this is the final book of Patricia H. Rushford's Jennie McGrady series. Fortunately, these 15 novels are great for teenage Christian girls; I highly recommend them. Make sure to read them all!

Doctor Who: Grave Matter (Doctor Who (BBC Paperback))

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How fast can you turn the pages?
Gruesome tale of body horror
A Fun and Delightful Read
Fun romp with the Doctor that's not too heavy on the sci-fi

Doctor Who: Grave Matter (Doctor Who (BBC Paperback))
Justin Richards
Manufacturer: BBC Worldwide Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 056355598X

Customer Reviews:

How fast can you turn the pages?.......2001-04-18

I honestly wasn't expecting to like this book so much. I thought it'd be a diverting little read--something to kill a subway ride with. Was I wrong. Richards has delivered a solid, compelling tale that's simultaneously creepy and thrilling. Not only does the atmosphere grab you from page one, but the story has enough twists and turns to keep the reader from ever being one step ahead of the game. Richards has the Sixth Doctor and Peri's relationship down pat--the banter, the jibes, the good-naturing bickering, and the hidden affection. Of the New Dr. Who novels I've read, this is easily the best.

Gruesome tale of body horror.......2001-02-01

The TARDIS deposits the Doctor and Peri on a windswept island where they encounter in rapid succession a strangely taciturn man and a funeral cortège. Both these are clues to the strange happenings that are starting to engulf the small fishing village on the island...

The Sixth Doctor's era is rightly remembered as the most gruesome of the TV series, and this book fits right in. Taking a lead from movies like 'Night of the Living Dead', the Doctor, Peri and newly acquired friends from the village progress slowly through a story that, at points, literally drips blood. Some of the occurrences are not for the squeamish. And you may find yourself shouting at characters who do things you know they shouldn't from what you've seeing various horror movies.

Justin Richards ties the whole thing together with a suitably Who-style explanation, showing yet again the highly flexible nature of the series which can fit a horror gore-fest within its milieu without any problems.

A Fun and Delightful Read.......2000-12-20

First off, let me say that I'm not in the habit of reading books based on television series. Actually, I've always found the idea a little silly. But I've enjoyed Dr. Who for years and having run out of the BBC-released video tapes, I decided to try out a book just for a laugh. Surprisingly, each one I've read has been very well written and very entertaining. Grave Matter is no different.

While this particular incarnation of the Doctor is not my favorite, I must admit I found him appealing in this story. The plot was a mixture of horror, suspense and science-fiction written with a decidedly British and Dr. Who-esque twist. This is not serious literature but it is well written and, like most Dr. Who books, defies the stereotypes that normally plague books based on TV shows. The only problem with reading these books is that its easy to regret that the show is no longer being produced - so many of these stories would make excellent shows.

Fun romp with the Doctor that's not too heavy on the sci-fi.......2000-06-19

Ok, I admit it.... these novels are a guilty pleasure of mine. Some people eat food that's not good for them. Others wear clothes that are not color coordinated. I sometimes read a Doctor Who novel.

I've always had a soft spot in my heart(s) for the sixth incarnation of the Doctor. Just as I was getting to like him, the BBC did away with Colin.

The Doctor is at his "multi-colored-pompous-best" in this story. But it's the fun pompous incarnation of the Doctor and not the more acerbic one that has appeared in some of the other novels in this series. You can just hear Colin Baker saying the lines throughout the novel. Author Justin Richards really got the character down!

There's also all the wonderful wordplay between the Doctor and companion Peri. These novels tend to flesh out the ongoing relationship between the two that never really got a chance to flourish on the television show. A nice touch, I thought.

People are dying on the remote island of Dorsill. Whether it be by flu or by accidents.... there is strangeness about. And what's with the sheep and chickens? And why is a recently deceased fisherman emerging from his grave? You'll have to read this novel to find out.

I had a fun time with this adventure. I think this story would have made a fine midseason episode. One of those that is low on the sci-fi and high on setting and characterization.

One of the best lines in the book.... " A walking corpse knocks at the door in the small hours and you call it a teething problem?"

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