From Embalmers to Executioners, an Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life’s Work.
A well-documented book about Death. The people who deal with death, such as morticians, detectives, crime scene cleaners, embalmers, and the men who carry out executions.
Through interviews with these people, Ms. Campbell tells their stories. Why do they choose to work in such a grim and sad world? But death is part of life and thank goodness we have these people.
I wanted to be a mortician so I can understand her interest in the field. But I wonder too if it changes them in a fundamental way? We are fascinated with death in the Western world. But also terrified of it.
I enjoyed reading about all of these people and it was also very informative.
Heather Morris is one of my favorite authors. The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and Cilka’s Journey show what a great storyteller she is and also what a great story listener she is. And that is what this book is about. Listening. “Stories are what connect us and remind us that hope is always possible.”—Heather Morris I love that.
In this work, she shares her talent as a listener. Something she used when first meeting Lale Sokolov, the tattooist at Auschwitz-Birkenau. He was the subject of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka’s Journey.
She shares her own story and how she honed her listening skills and gives us good advice on improving our own. A skill that will benefit all of our relationships. Personal and work. Listening is an active thing. You can tell when someone is listening to you and engaged and when they are not. Long after we are all gone there will be stories. Because someone listened and shared.
I love quotes and collect them like seashells. What Mr. Siegal has done is put them in order.
There are eleven different topics and several subtopics within those. No matter what you are dealing with someone somewhere has been there and has written something either witty enough or meaningful enough that you will be able to relate.
Most I had heard before, but a lot of them I have not and was grateful I could borrow those.
A very interesting book with a really good forward by the author.
The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. George Bernard Shaw
And so begins this book of tools for having the hard conversations. Communication is everything. It may seem as if all you need to do is talk. But it is never that simple. Everyone has opinions. Sometimes the stakes are high and emotions run high.
So, how do we have these important talks? Well, we don’t avoid them. We stop and take a moment or more to make sure we understand our own motivations and the other party’s opinions or views.
This book in the third edition addresses workplace conversations as well as personal relationship conversations. There will always be topics that are difficult to articulate without being seen as a bully. Whether it’s the ending of a relationship or giving a third warning to an employee. Have the facts and state your case clearly and then LISTEN.
In the hospitality industry, we deal with multiple personalities. Customers, staff, vendors, and they all need to be spoken to and handled differently. This book now sits on our shelf in the resource room. Unclear conversations lead to hurt feelings, misunderstandings, and loss of business.
A close-up, action-filled narrative about the crucial role the U.S. Navy played in the early years of the Cold War, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Fleet at Flood Tide
This remarkable work tells of the Navy in the Cold War. There is history, and adventure, on and under the water.
In 1945, at the end of WWII, the Navy is sending its soldiers home and decommissions most of its warships. And then, Stalin, a former ally, begins to make moves in Europe leading Churchill, worried about the Communists, to declare an iron curtain and the U.S. set out to establish military bases all over the world.
The Navy played a crucial role in that time of increasing tensions. Things were happening and they were at the forefront. The A-bomb tests, the science behind waging war and sonar, and the underwater battles with the submarine.
So much research went into this book. All of his books. He passed away writing this book. If you are interested in Naval History, this is the book for you!
One Man’s Courage During The Bloodiest Military Campaign in Aviation History
The incredible true story of John “Lucky” Luckadoo, who survived 25 missions as a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot in WWII.
John “Lucky” Luckadoo truly was damn lucky. He and his best friend enlisted together. With John having a college degree, he was put into a bomber.
This guy flew 25 missions in combat. This was a pretty amazing stat considering what the odds were of him coming home alive.
The story is written from his firsthand accounts by Maurer. The actions scenes were incredible and the bravery of this generation is inspiring.
There was a lot of nail biting going on in this read. Comparing the planes we have now to what they had then, I’m surprised anyone signed up for that job and came home.
Heartbreaking, inspirational and a darn good read!
5 percent of the millions of American men and women who go to prison eventually get out. What happens to them?
As I was reading this book, I was thinking we all need to read this! The author educates us on just how many people are being locked up for longer and longer periods of time for minor crimes. I think my favorite part was dealing with charging children as adults. I can’t even imagine being locked up at 14 with grown men. Thirty years later and the same child is released. But to do what? He has missed everything. No one will hire him or rent to him and the obstacles these people face are sometimes insurmountable.
Let’s not fool ourselves that prison is for rehabilitation. It is not. Although there are programs that help them to re-enter society, they are few and far between. There is no standard way to make sure they all get a fair shot.
Through intensive research and relationships within the prison environment, the author has told the stories of some of the hundreds of thousands of people being released into a world that is now foreign to them. Some are incarcerated as kids and now released into a place where they have no skills, no transportation, no way to fulfill the requirements of being let out with little to no resources.
Some of them can’t take the pressure of the outside and all of its temptations and continually cycle in and out of jail/prison. They may be free, but they really aren’t. We judge them we don’t give them second chances, we send kids to private prisons who make a lot of money from them and give them little in the way of skills they can use on the outside.
We want justice but we should also be teaching people an alternative to their former lifestyle. We should be getting them mental health treatment, but we aren’t. Out of sight is out of mind. And while they may have done the crime and the time, what do they do now?
This was heartbreaking but a much-needed look at the facts.
There are so many books and movies out now that portray witches as evil, worshippers of Satan. I expected this book to compare how women were viewed then and now.
And the introduction did some of that. The rest was more of a personal rant about feminism.
We know any woman who was troublesome for a man could be killed as a witch. While the research was well-done, the book really missed the mark for me.
After the Romanovs, the story of the Russian aristocrats, artists, and intellectuals who sought freedom and refuge in the City of Light.
Ms. Rappaport has given us a well-researched story of Paris before and after the Russian Revolution and what led to the downfall of the Romanov dynasty.
Paris has always been a gathering place for culture. The food, the fashion, the ex-pats, including the Russian aristocracy. The Russians brought money and spent it almost obscenely. And those descriptions go a long way to explaining the Bolshevik’s rage and brutal acts. Those who escaped were those who had either thought ahead or the ones who ran with only what they could carry.
In Paris, these same former royals were doing menial labor along with their families. Paris welcomed everyone. Artists, writers, and even spies. Some did very well and some did very poorly.
The research in this book is spot on. I have always had a fascination with the Romanovs and this book went a long way in explaining the politics and the Romanovs.
“The Black Agenda mobilizes top Black experts from across the country to share transformative perspectives on how to deploy anti-racist ideas and policies into everything from climate policy to criminal justice to healthcare. This book will challenge what you think is possible by igniting long-overdue conversations around how to enact lasting and meaningful change rooted in racial justice.” —Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist and Stamped From the Beginning
The Black Agenda is the first book I have seen that uses essays by experts all over to give us a perspective on issues we may not be aware of and if we are aware and just want to know more and what to do to effect change, it’s perfect.
There are so many issues addressed here. From mental health to climate change. This subject of police brutality and a culture of racism in every aspect of society. The inequalities and injustices against people of color. Even the question of infant and mother health issues.
If there is to be any hope for America, it needs to begin with true equality for all people. This is truly one of the best books I have read this year.
NetGalley/February 1st, 2022 by St. Martin’s Press
In The Beginning Man Tried Ascending To Heaven via The Tower Of Babel. Now He Tries To Elevate His Existence Using Hallucinogenic Drugs. And, Since The 20th Century, He Continually Voyages Into Outer Space Using Spacecrafts. Prayer Thru Christ Is The Only Way To Reach Heaven.
Pirate Patty Reviews 