Don’t Ask Readers to Cry for a Stranger (‘Cause They Won’t)

By Allison K Williams

Ever been to a funeral for someone you don’t know? Maybe your spouse’s coworker’s spouse, or your mother’s friend’s cousin. You felt the warm, human need to support the person you know and love, so you gamely showed up with extra Kleenex in your pocket, but the eulogy was full of inside jokes that went over your head while you chuckled along to show team spirit, and you felt vaguely guilty for not crying along, too. At the post-funeral refreshments, you admired the wo...