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Over My Dead Body : Unearthing the Hidden History of America's Cemeteries by Greg Melville (2022, Hardcover)

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About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherAbrams, Inc.

ISBN-101419754858

ISBN-139781419754852

eBay Product ID (ePID)14057257752

Product Key Features

Book TitleOver My Dead Body : Unearthing the Hidden History of America's Cemeteries

Number of Pages272 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2022

TopicDeath & Dying, Social History, General, Customs & Traditions

IllustratorYes

GenreSocial Science, History

AuthorGreg Melville

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1.1 in

Item Weight16.8 Oz

Item Length9.3 in

Item Width6.3 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2022-933716

ReviewsYou hold in your hands a treasure map, a gentle, sly, and poignant presence leading us to places in America and in our lives that have been hiding in plain sight. This tale is about cemeteries, but it's really about how beautiful is life . We go forward living well by being aware how and where life ends up, so to speak--that's the amazing, enlightening journey of this book. If you love Ian Frazier, Bill Bryson, or Caroline Alexander, this one's for you., Greg Melville has written a wonderful book about a fascinating piece of Americana that has, for too long, needed a disinterment. Over My Dead Body is, at various times, haunting, thoughtful, and laugh-out-loud hilarious, and is so chock-full of informative 'who knew?' moments that the pages almost seem to turn themselves., "Astonishing. . . fascinating . . . powerful . . .Focusing on these particular physical places enables Melville to change how we think about the past, making it a more complete and honest telling . . . This clever, sensitive book gives us a new way to think about death, not as the final chapter, but as a window onto life in America." -- New York Times Book Review, Melville is an ideal guide, carrying a revealing lantern into both beautiful and disturbing corners of the nation's undervalued graveyards. At the end of a glorious excursion, he leaves you with a deep appreciation of the rich heritage sleeping just under Americans' feet. Captivating., It is this same appreciation for the dead, as well as for history, that drives journalist Greg Melville as he explores America's cemeteries in Over My Dead Body . . . all with a perfect balance of geeky joy, deep reverence and a meticulous knack for research. Melville's prose is pure pleasure mixed with wry asides, but even among his most amusing anecdotes, he never loses sight of the gravity that still vibrates through the stories of the dead., Entertaining and illuminating . . . Melville's wry humor enlivens discussions of arcane yet intriguing historical figures and archaeological discoveries. This colorful study fascinates., If every graveyard is a library of compact life stories, this essential book is the grand, sweeping history of American burials: their humble beginnings, surprising (and often controversial) heyday, and questionable future. Greg Melville comes to the subject firsthand and writes with infectious enthusiasm, deep respect, and a healthy dose of wit. You'll dig it., "Author Greg Melville is a great tour-guide as he takes readers on a wide-eyed journey through history of both America and American death. Each of the cemeteries he profiles in his book is different and remarkable, borderline creepy, not gruesome but unusual enough to hold your interest as Melville explains why he chose each cemetery to study before he takes a few side-paths . . ." -- Goshen News, "Entertaining and illuminating . . . Melville's wry humor enlivens discussions of arcane yet intriguing historical figures and archaeological discoveries. This colorful study fascinates." -- Publishers Weekly

Dewey Edition23/eng/20230711

Dewey Decimal363.7/50973

SynopsisA lively tour through the history of US cemeteries that explores how, where, and why we bury our dead, Journalist Greg Melville's Over My Dead Body is a lively tour through the history of US cemeteries that explores how, where, and why we bury our dead. "Astonishing. . . fascinating . . . powerful. . .This clever, sensitive book gives us a new way to think about death, not as the final chapter, but as a window onto life in America." -- New York Times Book Review The summer before his senior year in college, Greg Melville worked at the cemetery in his hometown, and thanks to hour upon hour of pushing a mower over the grassy acres, he came to realize what a rich story the place told of his town and its history. Thus was born Melville's lifelong curiosity with how, where, and why we bury and commemorate our dead. Melville's Over My Dead Body is a lively (pun intended) and wide-ranging history of cemeteries, places that have mirrored the passing eras in history but have also shaped it. Cemeteries have given birth to landscape architecture and famous parks, as well as influenced architectural styles. They've inspired and motivated some of our greatest poets and authors--Emerson, Whitman, Dickinson. They've been used as political tools to shift the country's discourse and as important symbols of the United States' ambition and reach. But they are changing and fading. Embalming and burial is incredibly toxic, and while cremations have just recently surpassed burials in popularity, they're not great for the environment either. Over My Dead Body explores everything--history, sustainability, land use, and more--and what it really means to memorialize. Locales visited in Over My Dead Body Shawsheen Cemetery - Bedford, Massachusetts The 1607 Burial Ground - Historic Jamestowne, Virginia Burial Hill - Plymouth, Massachusetts Colonial Jewish Burial Ground - Newport, Rhode Island Monticello's African American Graveyard - Charlottesville, Virginia Mount Auburn Cemetery - Cambridge, Massachusetts Green-Wood Cemetery - Brooklyn, New York Laurel Grove Cemetery - Savannah, Georgia Sleepy Hollow Cemetery - Concord, Massachusetts Central Park - New York, New York Gettysburg National Cemetery - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Arlington National Cemetery - Arlington, Virginia Woodlawn Cemetery - Bronx, New York Boothill Graveyard - Tombhill, Arizona Forest Lawn Memorial-Park - Glenwood, California The Chapel of the Chimes - Oakland, California Hollywood Forever Cemetery - Los Angeles, California Nature's Sanctuary - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, A lively tour through the history of US cemeteries that explores how, where, and why we bury our dead The summer before his senior year in college, Greg Melville worked at the cemetery in his hometown, and thanks to hour upon hour of pushing a mower over the grassy acres, he came to realize what a rich story the place told of his town and its history. Thus was born Melville's lifelong curiosity with how, where, and why we bury and commemorate our dead. Melville's Over My Dead Body is a lively (pun intended) and wide-ranging history of cemeteries, places that have mirrored the passing eras in history but also have shaped it. Cemeteries have given birth to landscape architecture and famous parks, as well as influenced architectural styles. They've inspired and motivated some of our greatest poets and authors--Emerson, Whitman, Dickinson. They've been used as political tools to shift the country's discourse and as important symbols of the United States' ambition and reach. But they are changing and fading. Embalming and burial is incredibly toxic, and while cremations have just recently surpassed burials in popularity, they're not great for the environment either. Over My Dead Body explores everything--history, sustainability, land use, and more--and what it really means to memorialize. Locales visited in Over My Dead BodyShawsheen Cemetery - Bedford, MassachusettsThe 1607 Burial Ground - Historic Jamestowne, VirginiaBurial Hill - Plymouth, MassachusettsColonial Jewish Burial Ground - Newport, Rhode IslandMonticello's African American Graveyard - Charlottesville, VirginiaMount Auburn Cemetery - Cambridge, MassachusettsGreen-Wood Cemetery - Brooklyn, New YorkLaurel Grove Cemetery - Savannah, GeorgiaSleepy Hollow Cemetery - Concord, MassachusettsCentral Park - New York, New YorkGettysburg National Cemetery - Gettysburg, PennsylvaniaArlington National Cemetery - Arlington, VirginiaWoodlawn Cemetery - Bronx, New YorkBoothill Graveyard - Tombhill, ArizonaForest Lawn Memorial-Park - Glenwood, CaliforniaThe Chapel of the Chimes - Oakland, CaliforniaHollywood Forever Cemetery - Los Angeles, CaliforniaNature's Sanctuary - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

LC Classification NumberGT3203