From the first day of work at Westwind Cremation & Burial, twenty-three-year-old Kathleen Doughty plunged headlong into her new curious profession. Faced with what we are trying hard not to think about, she began to wonder about the lives of those she cremated and the grieving families they left behind, and found herself baffled by people's strange reactions to death. By exploring our death rituals - and the rituals of other cultures - she advocates a healthier attitude towards death and dying. Full of quirky encounters, gallows humor, and colorful characters (both living and very dead), this vivid narrative makes this terrifying theme appealing and fascinating.