Book cover of Too Poor to Die

Book description

Death is the great equalizer, but not all deaths are created equal. In recent years, there has been an increased interest and advocacy concerning end-of-life and after-death care. An increasing number of individuals and organizations from health care to the funeral and death care industries are working to promote and…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Too Poor to Die as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

When one unaffordable hospital stay could unhouse any of us, this cemetery memoir raises issues I’d never considered.

By volunteering with homeless organizations and visiting street hospices, Amy Shea delves into the myriad ways cities dispose of their poor. She struggles with her curiosity about her subjects and her right (and privilege) to tell their stories. That aspect of the book intrigued me.

Originally, I felt as if she was centering herself in the narrative, but at some point, I found it liberating, giving her readers (and myself) permission to ask questions and search for ways to help, even if…

From Loren's list on cemetery memoirs.

If you love Too Poor to Die...

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December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

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