“To be fair, death is hard!..We can’t make death fun, but we can make learning about death fun. Death is science and history, art and literature. It bridges every culture and unites the whole of humanity! Many people, including me, believe that we can control some of our fears by embracing death, learning about it and asking as many questions as possible. In that case, when I die, will my cat eat my eyeballs?”
I’m Betty Martin with "Martin’s Must Reads" and that’s a quote from Caitlin Doughty’s book Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?. Caitlin is the creator of the web series “Ask a Mortician,” the death expert for NPR and runs a funeral home.
In thirty-four chapters, this slim book answers “Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death.” They vary in topic from how the body breaks down to laws about the disposal of bodies to funeral customs. Caitlin uses humor to lighten her topic as evidenced by some of the chapter titles: Will I poop when I die?, Can we give Grandma a Viking Funeral?, If I died making a stupid face, would it be stuck like that forever? and What would happen if you swallowed a bag of popcorn before you died and were cremated? Her answers are honest, well researched and laced with humor.
Years ago when I was a children’s librarian I heard a child psychologist say it is best to answer a child’s question about death honestly and directly. This book will help both children and adults better understand what happens to our physical bodies when we die.
If you’re looking for a quick read on a very important life topic, then you must read Will my Cat Eat My Eyeballs? By Caitlin Doughty.
