A memoir of a girl who started out working at a crematorium, went to mortuary school, and eventually ended up as a mortician and "advocate for death acceptance." Death acceptance? Yeah. The author's journey into the death industry isn't just a story of what she learned, but also of how she was changed by her experiences.

First of all, it's very funny. The author has a unique prose and a humorous outlook that makes this incredibly easy to read. I never once felt bored or like I wanted to put the book down.

Second of all, it's heartfelt. There are plenty of gross, fascinating details about cremation, decomposition, and embalming, as you'd expect - but the author's particular interest is how we deal with death as a culture, and how that affects how we're able to confront loss, grief, and our own mortality. Her perspective on death is not just the science of it; it's the sociology of it, and how death changes how we live.

Overall, I absolutely recommend this book. It's not even that long, but it's packed full of intriguing and thought-provoking ideas.