Rest in Peace: A Cultural History of Death and the Funeral Home in Twentieth-Century America

Book by Laderman Gary

"A thoughtful consideration of an industry that is as misunderstood as it is necessary."--Boston Globe

"Where Mitford relied on muckrake and polemic, driven by opinion and a hunger for social change, Laderman is driven by a free-ranging intellectual curiosity and relies on the professorial tools of research and interview, review and analysis. History and philosophy, radio and TV, the daily papers and current cinema, Hollywood, holy writ, wrestling, Web sites and rock 'n' roll all have something to tell him about the way we look at mortality and matters mortuary. If Mitford's book was a best seller, Laderman's gives us a better record: comprehensive, intelligent and deeply insightful."--Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Mitford's book was invaluable, if for no other reason than putting a touchy topic right there in everybody's front parlor and daring them to ignore it. But Laderman's book is a far more nuanced view of 'the dismal trade.' Whereas Mitford focused on the arithmetic of the funeral business--what is the proper profit margin for ushering someone to their eternal rest?--Laderman ranges all over the place, shedding light on the stages of body decomposition in one chapter and on the cultural significance of George Romero's 'Night of the Living Dead' in another."--Teresa K. Weaver, Atlanta Journal Constitution

"Laderman sharply disputes the thesis of Jessica Mitford's influential 1963 expose, The American Way of Death.... Along the way, he provides fascinating details about how modern morticians have handled deaths in the limelight (JFK) and about how funeral directors have changed their methods in response to muckraking accusations (including Mitford's) and to shifting cultural attitudes toward death.... Laderman piquantly illustrates these recent trends by recounting the highly unconventional funeral of--it had to be--Jessica Mitford."--Booklist

"Laderman's respect, even affection, for the [funeral-industry] profession is clearly evident, but he maintains objectivity throughout. Especially impressive is his treatment of Mitford, whose accusations he challenges politely but thoroughly."--Library Journal

"A largely favorable portrait of a much-maligned industry sure to please most funeral directors, especially those running small-town, family-owned businesses."--Kirkus Reviews

"To a subject accustomed to the cheap shot and sucker-punch, Laderman has brought a robust and welcome scholarship. Part cultural and professional history, part market study, part meditation on mortality, this necessary and eminently readable text examines the borders between the living and the dead in the tradition of Habenstein & Lamers. Required reading for the professional and for the permanently curious."--Thomas Lynch, author of The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade

"In 1963, Jessica Mitford's The American Way of Death shocked the nation and provoked scandal throughout the funeral industry.... Forty years later, Laderman comes to the industry's defense with this thoughtful book. His case is cautious and honest. He presents the industry's history from its inception during the Civil War period up to the present.... [Laderman] provides convincing evidence that the industry is a necessary and compassionate force in American life. While critics like Mitford paint a picture of greed, this accounts offers a more nuanced image: an industry that provides a 'meaningful and material order out of the chaos of death."--Publishers Weekly

"A riveting account of death in twentieth-century America, Rest in Peace buries decades of stereotypes about Americans as death deniers and funeral directors as con men. Instead of skewering the 'Dismal Traders,' Laderman brings them to life, focusing on their postmortem work as an important form of culture charged with spiritual import and mythic significance. The book ranges widely, from the funeral of President Kennedy to the AIDS epidemic, from Disney's Fantasia to the World Wrestling Federation phenom The Undertaker. This is a superb cultural history filled with insights into America's many ways of death."--Stephen R. Prothero, author of Purified by Fire: A History of Cremation in America