5 Stars
Amazingly humorous stories, all true!
What a magnificent title in Mumblings of a Mortician by Arthur Sesnovich & Frank Quaglia. I haven't read from these authors before, but this book is highly recommended. Death is not always a gruesome business, and even though it may seem to be routine for those who run a funeral home, but it is not just about the death, the wake, the cremation, and the grief. There is a lot more to it, including the most remarkable, more like insanely remarkable requests or "customs" that Peter Stefan heard frequently, and humored enough to share the stories. In the preface, Peter Stefan wrote "Open this wacky treasure to any page. If you burst out laughing, or cringe with delight at what might come next, then buy this book." I also found out that Peter Stefan passed away recently. I am glad that his legacy of stories are being shared by these two authors, who undoubtedly cared deeply for this man. Something I discovered is that in 2013, Stefan accepted the remains of Boston Marathon Bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, a move that drew protests and death threats. I read an article where he responded, "“I can’t treat him as a terrorist. I have to treat him as a dead body,” Stefan explained to me. “The fact of the matter is, I can’t control the circumstances around a death or what a person did or what they died from, I can’t pick and choose.”” This just made me go back and read the stories all over again. This is something I want on my bookshelf. Stefan tells stories about everything from a very heavy man's cremation setting the chimney on fire to very interesting conversations. Everyone should read this book, not just to laugh out loud (and when you do, embrace it) but to honor a man who knew there was more to death than just grief. Mumblings of a Mortician is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I look forward to reading more titles by this author.
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