The blogger behind Confessions of a Funeral Director—what Time magazine called a "must read"—reflects on mortality and the powerful lessons death holds for every one of us in this compassionate and thoughtful spiritual memoir that combines the humor and insight of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes with the poignancy and brevity of When Breath Becomes Air. We are a people who deeply fear death. While humans are biologically wired to evade death for as long as possible, we have become too adept at hiding from it, vilifying it, and—when it can be avoided no longer—letting the professionals take over. Sixth-generation funeral director Caleb Wilde understands this reticence and fear. He had planned to get as far away from the family business as possible. He wanted to make a difference in the world, and how could he do that if all the people he worked with were . . . dead? Slowly, he discovered that caring for the deceased and their loved ones was making a difference—in other people’s lives to be sure, but it also seemed to be saving his own. A spirituality of death began to emerge as he observed: The family who lovingly dressed their deceased father for his burial The act of embalming a little girl that offered a gift back to her grieving family The nursing home that honored a woman’s life by standing in procession as her body was taken away The funeral that united a conflicted community Through stories like these, told with equal parts humor and poignancy, Wilde offers an intimate look into the business and a new perspective on living and dying

For African Americans, death was never simply the end of life, and funerals were not just places to mourn. In the "hush harbors" of the slave quarters, African Americans first used funerals to bury their dead and to plan a path to freedom. Similarly, throughout the long - and often violent - struggle for racial equality in the twentieth century, funeral directors aided the cause by honoring the dead while supporting the living. To Serve the Living offers a fascinating history of how African American funeral directors have been integral to the fight for freedom.

Working as a funeral director can be a very stressful career. Not only are there time demands and heavy work loads, but funeral directors must deal both with preparing the deceased for their funeral and handling and caring for their grieving loved ones. Juggling all these tasks may account for why some claim that 50% of funeral directors are leaving the profession within their first five years. Why are so many funeral directors' burning out, and what can be done to minimize the effects of stress? Melanie Carr reveals that the secret may lie in emotional intelligence. Drawing on discoveries she made while working on her Ph.D. in Psychology, Melanie will share her key findings on the relationship between emotional intelligence and occupational stress. Some of the key takeaways you'll learn include: *What are the key components of Emotional Intelligence * How gender affects Emotional Intelligence * How age affects Emotional Intelligence * How Emotional Intelligence affects one's occupational stress * How you can improve your Emotional Intelligence This is a must-read for any Funeral Director! Whether you are experiencing stress or burnout currently, or you just want to improve your skill-set, this book will help you gain a better understanding of work stressors and how to overcome them.