Allison C. Meier's entry into the ongoing Object Lessons series, Grave, focuses on the history of American burials and graveyards while touching on the human history of death and dying as it relates to American practices. As stated on page 14: "This [book] is an exploration of the American grave, how we got to where we are now, and how the ways we care for the dead are changing."

Meier begins, as one would expect, with the fact that we all die, but then branches out with considerations on what our deaths mean to family our the wider society. The book is divided into nine chapters that explore the different aspects of our uniquely American funerary practices both historic and contemporary.

Some topics covered are not surprising, such as the creation of the Parisian catacombs, some of New York City's historic graveyards, the roles (poor) cadavers played in the history of medicine and the history of embalming. A particular poignant section discusses some "forgotten" cemeteries that interrogates the ideas of who gets to be buried, where they get buried and whether or not those remains are left to rest in peace.

Where the book excels most is in discussing contemporary practices. Cremation continues to grow in popularity. Meier also details practices, including: the poorly named "human composting," water cremation, biomass donations, treemation or "green burials."

As its central purpose, this book should get the reader to consider how they would like their body to be treated at their death. Recommended for readers who liked Mary Roaches Stiff or viewers of YouTube's "Ask the Mortician" (Caitlin Doherty).

As long as these are being published, I will keep reading these. (... there's a joke here relating to the subject matter of this book, but I won't go there.)

For a book about graves, this book isn't morbid at all. Which is exactly the tone that I would expect from this series. It takes graves, and the reason for graves, seriously; but it doesn't dwell morosely on the idea of death. Nor does it romanticise it. Instead, this is a thoughtful and engaging examination of burial practises - particularly in post-colonisation North America - and how and why they've changed. That time and place is important to note; while various global practises are mentioned, like the very earliest burials known and Tibetan sky burials and others, this is focused on one specific place and time. And that's fair: this is a short book! It's not meant to be an all-encompassing tome. I guess this could be seen as a snapshot of a place that has changed a lot in terms of its ethnic makeup over the last few centuries, that has (for better or worse) often been seen as leading the way in innovation, as well as sometimes dragging its heels on change (hello metric system). So it's a useful way of getting a glimpse at one history of grave practises.

The author is someone who has led cemetery tours and has done a lot of thinking about what graves and burial practises mean. I learnt surprising things: like, in the USA, it's quite standard for a body to be embalmed before burial in a coffin. I'm pretty sure that's not standard in Australia (I just looked up one undertaker group; embalming is an optional extra). A sobering aspect was the history of unmarked graves, and segregation within cemeteries (a relatively new word, apparently!) - I know at least some old general cemeteries in Victoria are, or were, Catholic/Protestant separated (and different areas for Chinese dead, especially in goldrush areas and I guess there must be a few towns with small, historical, Jewish sections?). I most enjoyed the fact that there are new practises being developed. I had already learnt of 'water cremation' (yes, it's a nonsensical term), which is far more eco friendly than the standard creation; but 'natural burial' - like a pine coffin that degrades quickly - and other more environmental options are just going to be increasingly necessary. We already have issues with perpetual leases on graves...

Anyway, this is yet another excellent entry into this series. I loved it and continue to look forward to more.

Grave is another winner from the Object Lessons series. I am regularly drawn to meditations on mortality. I appreciate that this title takes a different angle: instead of focusing on the individual experience of dying, Grave focuses on the social history of American mourning and funerary culture. It traces the development of American cemeteries and burial practices, following the shift from churchyards to expansive private cemeteries, the shifting trends in coffin burials, and the rise of cremation and green burial practices. The author weaves throughout a thoughtful analysis of the role of cemeteries as historical sites, places of memory, and the shifting role of these spaces for the living.

I was drawn to the history behind the funerary industrial complex. It truly had not occurred to me that the notion of a permanent grave is a fairly modern and distinctly American concept. I was fascinated by the technological advances within the industry, including trends different casket materials and the development of embalming techniques. There was simply so much I didn't know about the history and practices (and the money to be made) in burying our dead. I fully expected the book's thoughtful meditations on a cemetery as a way to engage with our past and history, but I was most surprised by its relationship to our future. The shift to greener burial / developing alternative burial technologies situate cemeteries in crucial conservation and environmental protection efforts, as do the acts of preserving and reevaluating relationships to historic burial grounds.

Instead of thinking about graves as mere spaces of death, Meier crucially shifts the focus on the relationship of these spaces for the living.I was most moved by the exploration of the role of cemeteries in communities, not just as a site to remember those who are gone, but as a space to serve the people who are here and will come in the future. It was a very moving argument to shift graves from individual expressions of identity to models of community care.

This is a really fascinating book that not only looks at the history of cemeteries and grave use, predominantly in the USA, but also what the future holds for grave sites and memorials.
Particularly interesting are the chapters on human composting and green burials, both of which are things I have long been fascinated by and in full support of.
A lot of things are covered here in such a short book, everything from segregation burials, grave robbing, ancient burials to burial poverty, AI memorials and online graves.

It's a quick read but really well researched, I think you may need to have an interest in cemeteries or be a Taphophile to enjoy this book, I received an ARC copy but I will buy the physical book as well to go in my collection.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read and review this ARC.

I'm a huge taphophile and normally devour any books related to cemeteries, funerals and death. However, this book just didn't grab me.

The authors writing style is rather dry and monotonous and there was a disjointed and awkward flow to the stories being told. Whilst some of these stories were interesting and I did learn a few interesting facts, overall the book (despite being very short) dragged and unfortunately I can't recommend it.

Thanks to Bloomsbury Academic and NetGalley for the ARC.