Funerals to Die For: The Craziest, Creepiest, and Most Bizarre Funeral Traditions and Practices Ever

by Kathy Benjamin

The hereafter may still be part of the great unknown, but with Six Feet Blunder, you can unearth the rich--and often, dark--history of funeral rites. From getting a portrait painted with a loved one's ashes to purchasing a safety coffin complete with bells and breathing tubes, this book takes you on a whirlwind tour of funeral customs and trivia from all over the globe. Inside, you'll find more than 100 unbelievable traditions, practices, and facts, such as:

-The remains of a loved one can be launched into deep space for only $1,000.
-In Taiwan, strippers are hired to entertain funeral guests throughout the ceremony.
-Undertakers for the Tongan royal family weren't allowed to use their hands for 100 days after preparing a king's body.
-In the late 1800s, New Englanders would gulp down a cocktail of water and their family member's ashes in order to keep them from returning as vampires.

Whether you fear being buried alive or just have a morbid curiosity of the other side, Six Feet Blunder examines what may happen when another person dies.

Genres: Nonfiction, Death, History, Humor, Ebooks, Science, Cultural

256 pages, Paperback

First published March 18, 2013

Reviews

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't read non-fiction. It's not another world I can escape to (which is why I love to read), and it usually feels like I'm reading a textbook in the end. So when I picked up Funerals to Die For, I expected to learn a lot of interesting details, sure, but I also thought I would have to commit to finishing it and make an effort to accomplish my goal.

BOY WAS I WRONG!

Just try and put this book down after you start it! It's humorous, and SO disturbingly interesting that if you are at all like me, you will find yourself saying, "Ewwwww! Really?! NO!" and then you'll run to your computer, with your book still in hand, so that you can google Dargavs, Russia (the city of the dead) just to see what this unbelievably creepy town looks like, or what a bone chandelier in a small (creepy ass) church in Central Europe looks like. I pretty much read this book while either using my phone or my computer to simultaneously look up images of all these bizarre happenings.

This book was very easy to read because I was so engrossed that I would fly through chapters in the blink of an eye. I didn't feel like I was being "taught" (or that it was fact spewing), it was average-reader friendly, and funny as hell!!!

So if you would like to read about the vampiric pest problem in Europe in the Middle Ages, or about a man who was into marrying a really hairy woman and then kept her on display after she died.....to then find ANOTHER really hairy woman to replace the dead wife with (I'm serious, this happened), or if you'd just like to know how to become a diamond after you die — I've found the book for you!

[Baal Of · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book for bathroom reading, this is a collection a very short, generally two page, blurbs on various factoids around death, dying, funerals, and related topics. The writing seems like it comes straight from some kind of blog, or as filler stories written for a daily newspapers, and it appears there is a reason for that. The articles, for lack of a better word, are peppered with mostly dumb jokes, and tidbits of interest, but not any real depth. I take this book with a healthy dose of skepticism, since I spotted a good number of errors, and misunderstandings of science, particularly with a twice expressed confusion in which the author talked about greenhouse gases causing ozone depletion (in a joking manner), which is entirely incorrect.

[MKF · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF
I was drawn to this book because of the title and also the topic. The truth is many of the subjects mentioned are well known and the author just repeats the information. I hated the writing style because it felt like I was reading one of those online articles that is more for quick entertainment and not to be taken very serious.

[Andrya Huntsman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a friend who enjoyed reading it and as a fan of Kathy's work on Cracked.com, I thought I might enjoy it as well. It isn't my usual genre, but I decided to give it a read anyway. Just looking at the cover, I felt it might be a bit morbid for my taste, but as I read the first few pages, I discovered that the facts are presented in a conversational manner which makes learning them far more entertaining than if they were presented in a more straight forward style. I really enjoyed Kathy's anecdotes and thought that the humor which was spread throughout the book allowed me to laugh my way comfortably through the pages, rather than squirming at the imagery in my head. I have read other reviews that felt she used too much humor, but I must disagree. I feel that the humor is what balanced the morbidity of the topic and made the book readable. I would highly recommend reading this, especially to anyone who enjoys random facts and interesting trivia.

[Michael Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could not finish this book. It gets old pretty quick and the formatting is horrible. The "call out" quotes come right out of the adjacent text and don't add anything but repetition and interruption to the flow of reading.

Only the 7th book out of hundreds they I could not finish. Just nothing compelling to waste more of my time trudging through the remainder

[Nix Muse · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loathed this book and had to force myself to keep reading it. I got to the end and the book just... stops. No summary. No conclusion. Just index... I picked it up as a recommended book on Amazon from my previous purchases on the funeral industry, death practices, and the death positive movement. I didn’t notice who it was written buy and had I seen that I probably wouldn’t have spent the money. The author is insensitive to the point of being offensive when it comes to any culture/practice other than white American Christians. She makes fun of women and fat people. It smacks of someone who can’t be bothered to research topics fully to create content and instead pokes fun at the expense of others.

To be fair I don’t generally like most writing where people are making an obvious effort to be funny or get laughs and as I mentioned had I noticed who wrote it and her previous writing experience I wouldn’t have purchased this. I would not recommend this book.

[Morven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this book while doing research for a non-fiction article I was writing. Figuring that it might describe some obscure funeral customs that I could further research for my article, I gave it a shot.

It didn't have anything related to my article, but it certainly was enjoyable. The anecdote of British TV presenter Victoria Coren's run-in with people who attend funerals of people they don't know just for free food and drink (Google it), the story of record-setting hearse processions (deliberately, to try to set a new record), a description of what happens to some of your internet life after you die, and examples of humorous epitaphs (including show biz ones) were some of my favorites.

[Inn Auni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chapter 1: The Hilarious History of Inhumation
- The Terracotta Army

Chapter 3: Not-So-Solemn Superlatives
- The Most Bitter Cemetery
- The Most Violent Funeral

That was pretty much the part I like about the book.

It tried to cover almost every aspect of death, funeral and such but, fall short. It feels like I've read a click-bait article with interesting title but, information that could be better watch on National Geographic Channel.

[Robin]

Bought this on Kindle this morning. Can't wait to read it! The author works with a friend of mine. If she has half as interesting as he is, this will be amazing!

[Absynthe Greene · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kathy Benjamin needs to fire her editor

[Dee brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute fantastic read! Macabre but interesting and amusing. A must read!!

[Paige Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very interesting! I learned a lot of cool things throughout history about funerals and services that I had never heard of before. It was very fascinating to read how people of different cultures and just throughout the evolution of time mourn/celebrate/bury/dispose of the dead. Kathy made this a really fun read by throwing in a lot of humor. If the subject itself is boring to you, the humor makes up for the lack of interest in the subject.

[Grace Lynch · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the book covers a lot of oddities, and history, let’s just add David Sconce to it. The Pasadena Lamb mortuary didn’t make the cut, and while the book is funny, you get a little used to the cheekiness. This is a great supplement for future morticians. But is a text book like read for the general public, unless you like a fiction read.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish the author was a bit more objective and less focused on how "weird" and "creepy" different death rituals are and were. For example, she writes About Victorian death photography in a way that's like well thank goodness we don't do that today! But people do. I've noticed a growing trend in parents who have stillborns making pictures, foot casts, and in some cases even replica dolls of the deceased. It certainly isn't anyone's place to judge. I think as long as you find some sort of catharsis, do whatever you want. There were lots of interesting tidbits, but the book itself was more focused on humour vs education. She does touch on a few more obscure rituals but missed out on some too. All in all, it was easy to read, somewhat humorous, but not educational.

[J.M. Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only read to Post Mortem Photography before stopping. The author called Victorians Goth Wannabes which is what made me stop. Stereotyping Goths as death obsessed is very judgemental and very outdated. There are many types of Goths yet here is an author who doesn't care and thinks they're the same. I refuse to read a book by someone closed minded and judgemental.

[Kendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of interesting facts on death told with a great sense of humor. It is a must have for quirky conversation starters and random facts that you might want to hold onto!

[nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really wish this came with some sort of resource citation, and a lot of the jokes fell flat for me, but otherwise I enjoyed this morbid little collection of musings on funeral traditions.

[Belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please read the kittens review on instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAJLXknA6...

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book to read as our spooky October Book Club pick. There were a lot of funny or interesting stories, quotes and ideas to talk about, but since there wasn't a plot, it was a tough book to read in any long sitting. Most of us didn't finish it, it was more of a book to pick up once a day and read a few of the quick 1-2 page stories, and then go about your day again. Maybe a bathroom book? The humor in the author's writing was funny in small doses but became overbearing if you read too much at a time. My favorite story was about a grave-robber in Salt Lake City who stole clothes off the corpses before they were buried. When this was discovered all the people were afraid their relatives would be resurrected naked and were concerned that they needed to dig up hundreds of graves to make sure the bodies were dressed! Brigham Young assured his followers that if he buried all the clothes together in a grave the clothes would match up with the people... very practical!

[Kokoro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engloba diferentes tópicos, desde ritos ancestrales hasta lo más tecnológico. Me hizo reír con ciertos comentarios y juegos de palabras, pero en otros pensé “te pasas”. Si qué te hace pensar en las distintas formas en que los humanos han despedido a sus seres queridos o no tan queridos a lo largo de la historia, condicionados por la geografía, cultura y religión, no hay una mejor que otra pues quien sabe y en el futuro lo que hacemos hoy con los funerales y entierros sean vistos como incomprensible.

Sin embargo, eche en falta a México (¡tenemos algo que contar al respecto!), el “ataúd” de Chernóbil, el pene de Rasputín, y la tumba más peligrosa del mundo esa de que si te acercas de más un francotirador te saludara.

“The sad reality of death is that no matter how much you love someone, over time your memory of him or her starts fading.” Lamentablemente cierto.

[Britt · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This is for people that are more comfortable with and have a lighter take on death. Stories of people that asked to have their vagina engraved on their tombstone to keep their husband interested and other unusual burials and funerals. The author is humorous (referring appropriately to a man who insisted on being buried with his Bluetooth in his ear as a douchebag) and there are funny quotes throughout. However, there were many unusual death practices she left out and it could have been a more robust read. Also, pictures would have been useful so you don’t have to have a questionable google search history!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dédramatiser la mort avec des anecdotes surprenantes, passionnantes et parfois aussi hilarantes. C’est le pari fait par Kathy Benjamin et c’est une belle réussite. Il est possible de citer d’autres livres dans le genre, misant sur l’humour pour aborder un sujet aussi sensible que la mort, mais les références de Kathy Benjamin sont bien au-delà. J’ai pu échanger quelques mots avec elle sur les réseaux sociaux et en plus de cela, c’est une personne adorable. Un vrai bonheur !

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always drawn to books about interesting facts and stories. I appreciated that this one was written in the format of short quick paragraphs with quotes after them. It made it easy to pick up and put the book down as needed. I think one of the stories I found most interesting was the one about the man who left his fortune to whatever woman could have the most children in the 10 years after his death.

[Tiffany Masters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read but be prepared to look some things up to gather the full emotional and intellectual approach to death around the world. I really enjoyed this and recommend it to anyone. Kathy Benjamin has a great way of balancing ones traditions, dashed with a bit of humor, and a whole lot of open-mindedness. Once again, it is fascinating to be an American, amazed by ways we can be better, yet we don’t look beyond our own four walls. Loved it!

[Ericka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well Researched But Irreverent

The information in the book is well researched and highly accurate, for the most part, but it is quite irreverent and definitely not for everyone. If you like information about death and funerals and odd jokes or making fun of things doesn't bother you I highly recommend this book, but if you would find the humor offensive I recommend giving it a pass even if the topic interests you.

[Luke Harrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the writing a bit dry, and most of the jokes fell a bit flat for me, but the factoids were undeniably fun and interesting. It was an entertaining read, once I got through the first couple dozen pages.

[Isabela Herckes · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I've been on a bit of a "books about death" kick and I enjoyed this one. It was super easy and fun to read because it feels like the author is just talking to us and telling us entertaining and random stories about death.

[Sarahi Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short funeral stories that kept me on my toes. There’s history and facts of what people do to their beloved family members once they die. Even though talking about death is serious business, Kathy made it lighthearted and kinda funny which can help you feel at ease when reading her book.

[Alexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative with humor

Well researched and loved the sarcasm written within the topics of the book. You'll find everything from ancient practices to the future of the funeral industry. Definitely an oddity of a book, but interesting for sure.