logo

46 pages 1 hour read

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2013

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Book Brief

logo
Caitlin Doughty

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2013
Book Details
Pages

254

Format

Autobiography / Memoir • Nonfiction

Setting

California • 2010s

Publication Year

2013

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

Roundup icon

Super Short Summary

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty is a memoir chronicling Doughty's first six years in the funeral industry, starting as a crematory operator in San Francisco at 23. It explores her personal journey of death acceptance, critiques North America's death denial culture, and examines various funerary customs, ultimately advocating for more honest conversations about death. The book contains graphic descriptions of dead bodies, cremation, decomposition, and various forms of death.

Informative

Contemplative

Dark

Unnerving

Bittersweet

Reviews & Readership

4.4

109,745 ratings

84%

Loved it

13%

Mixed feelings

4%

Not a fan

Roundup icon

Review Roundup

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty offers a candid, thought-provoking look into the funeral industry. Readers praise Doughty's dark humor, empathetic storytelling, and insightful reflections on mortality. Some find the content morbid or unsettling, but most commend the book's unique perspective and contemplative depth.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory?

A reader who enjoys Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty is likely fascinated by death and mortality, with a taste for dark humor and candid narratives. Fans of Mary Roach's Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers or Jessica Mitford's The American Way of Death will find this book captivating.

4.4

109,745 ratings

84%

Loved it

13%

Mixed feelings

4%

Not a fan

Book Details
Pages

254

Format

Autobiography / Memoir • Nonfiction

Setting

California • 2010s

Publication Year

2013

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

Continue your reading experience

Subscribe now to unlock the rest of this Study Guide plus our full library, which features expert-written summaries and analyses of 8,000+ additional titles.