Mortuary Confidential: Undertakers Spill the Dirt

A very enlightening book especially since I read Soldier Dead before it. There is a very serious difference between the Sodlier Dead and the Civilain Dead.

Great book, one of the stories made me cry.

One of my 1st jobs as a teenager was to work in a funeral home. Although I only lasted about 3 months, what I experienced within those three months have left an indelible print in my memory. That was almost 45 years ago. The short recollections within this book are interesting, funny, and insightful. I thought I was the only one that had some of these experiences. Also, if you ever want to have a blast, go to a Morticians Convention. It’s not what you think.

These stories show that undertakers/funeral directors are real people, doing a job that most of us don’t give much thought to until we need their services. I feel like I understand more of what happens behind the scene of an unhappy part of life. If you like unusual stories and antidotes of jobs this is a very good read.

This book gives the reader a whole new perspective on the funeral directing profession. All the stories are different, some sad, heartbreaking, others wryly humorous. My favorite was called “Severe Clear”. The book is well edited and fairly well proofed. I recommend it.

Interesting read about the development of today’s mortuary business

This book shows that professionals in the funeral business have to have a good sense of humor, along with a good dose of empathy. Some stories were just plain laugh outloud funny. An enjoyable and informative read!

Working as a funeral assistant I found this book in line with what I see day in and day out..you have to find humor in some of the daily encounters you come across.

I live in DE not far from Todd. I think he buried my brother-in-law. I am a slow reader but I could not put it down. I hope for another.

Really enjoyed this read. Very interesting and entertaining to hear the firsthand accounts of those how have chose such a profession. Want to read more like it!

Had family in the business. It’s a very serious profession and requires a lot of patience and people skill. But like anything else, stuff happens. After reading, passed it to my wife who’s mortally afraid of cemeteries in the dark and she laughed so hard she cried.

After reading this book, you will realize the business is not all gloom and doom! Lots to learn! A good read.

This book was very educational in a fun way. We forget about what really happens from the time our love ones take their last breath and when they go to their final resting place, but it’s nice to know that the people responsible for them truly care.

Loved it..Excellent Read

Loved the stories. Although the second book was a bit better this one was very satisfactory. Highly recommended by me.

This is a collection of very short true stories from Funeral directors all over the country. I love it and each chapter is different but each one fascinating. I love this book, I’m still not done with it, I read only one chapter a day just to make the book last longer.

I love the little tidbits from undertakers. It’s a slice of life from an occupation that most people don’t want to hear about, but get over it, we all die someday and I for one want caring, level-headed people taking care of my shell when I leave this earth. This book gives me hope that there’s more of them than I thought.

I sometimes like to read short stories like these. The author showed the humor that goes along with with the job. I recommend this book to anyone.

Everything stated in the Amazon book description was absolutely true. The stories evoked humor, pathos, and other emotions I never expected from a funereal compilation. This is a great read for everyone who may be curious about the vocation of mortuary science or will eventually wind up dead.

Nice and funny) real good book that describes the profession of undertaker. And they are nice people. Do not fee death you will be in good hands

The stories are short, sincere, sometimes humorous and sometimes poignant. Great insight into the world of mortuaries and the lives of funeral home directors. Very enjoyable!

It is a very easy and fast book consisting of short humorous stories. Most of them are very funny. I recommend the book for all who have a sense of humor.

loved it…reminds me of tales I could tell. Like the time I traveled from the airport after picking “somebody” from aThe airport and had,too pass through a border stop… seems like there were a bunch of agents still in training and they wanted to look in the air transport case….. you can get the gist of itThank you to the writer.Tash, late of West Funeral home

This book gives you an inside look into the lives of mortuary specialists. Some of the stories are somewhat amusing and others are very sad. I really liked this book.

As a studying funeral director I have enjoyed this so so much

Some funny stories, some very sad, and some to make you think about telling your loved ones every single day that you love them. Also an excellent story/lesson about not going to bed mad.

Very good book. Well worth reading. It just goes to show how interesting and rewarding a job can be even when it’s thought to be dismal and depressing.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very entertaining, lighthearted and funny. I guess you can find humor in anything. I would recommend this book to anyone needing a good laugh.

This book was alternately heartbreaking, thought provoking, and laugh out loud. I’ve some familiarity with the industry. Never doubt the heart and soul of the people engaged in this business. For most of them, it becomes a calling, a mission.

I worked for a small monument company and found myself in some very uncomfortable,funny, sad, and touching situations; sometimes all in the same visit with a family. This book is fantastic and sheds light in a very candid yet respectful way on this service industry. (Respectful, except for the part about Marilyn’s falsies). Very well written and fun to read.

I liked this inside look at an industry where everything seems taboo. It gives a humanity to a business that deals with something we would rather not discuss.

A good story to read about a subject I know little about; except what I’ve seen on TV.

Quick easy heartfelt read with touches of humor to make you smile and even laugh out loud. There were stories that made me sad but you always felt that the deceased and the families were being cared for with the utmost respect to bring a dignified closure to the tragedies.

This collection of stories from morticians is as entertaining as it is heartwarming. I laughed, I cried, and I started to understand that the job affects people more than we realize. My mother passed away last year, and this book gave me a better appreciation to everyone in the mortuary business, when it comes to taking care of our loved ones.

This collection of stories is entertaining and refreshing. Reading how compassionate funeral directors are first hand makes me a little less stressed when it comes time to deal with my family. I would recommend this book to anyone who wonders what goes on in a funeral director’s mind and not the bodies themselves.

This guy is funny and has a wonderful outlook on handling the recently deceased.

Fascinating, kept my interest throughout the book. Death is a part of life and I especially appreciated the dignity that was foremost important for each of the writers. Stories were sad, funny, heartfelt and true!

This was one of the best books I’ve ever read!! I laughed, cried, and felt each one of the stories. Thank you for a deeper insight into the people that take care of us at the very end of this journey. It’s a special calling that requires compassion and humor.

This was another great read that offered a lot of background for a lot of questions that I had about deaths in my own family with regard to what happens in the funeral home and also how truly mean and otherwise inhuman some patrons can be toward the funeral director and family members. I finished reading the book finding comfort in the fact that we are all in this together!

Grandfather was studying to be a mortician when a deceased client sat straight up on the kitchen table. That day ended his apprenticeship.