Making an Exit: From the Magnificent to the Macabre - How We Dignify the Dead - Paperback

by Sarah Murray (Author)

"Not only a fascinating travelogue but also a personal meditation on loss and fate...There is a wealth to discover within these pages."--The Economist
Journalist Sarah Murray never gave much thought to what might ultimately happen to her remains--until her father died. Puzzled by the choices he made about the disposal of his "organic matter," she embarks on a series of journeys to discover how death is commemorated in different cultures. Her travels lead her to discover everything from a Czech chandelier of human bones and a weeping ceremony in Iran to a Philippine village where the casketed dead hang in caves.
Fascinating, poignant, and often funny, Making an Exit is Murray's exploration of the ways in which we seek to dignify the dead--and a deeply personal quest for a final send-off of her own.

Author Biography

Sarah Murray is author of Moveable Feasts: From Ancient Rome to the 21st Century, the Incredible Journeys of the Food We Eat. A longtime Financial Times contributor, she lives in New York City.