CONFESSIONS OF A FUNERAL DIRECTOR: How Joining the Family Business Saved My Life Hardcover – 16 Nov. 2017

I follow this guy on twitter and was really looking forward to reading this. I've had to stop though - less than halfway through. There is just way too much religion and god talk in it for me. While I appreciate he has a deep faith, I was expecting more stories about his job, and less about his belief.

There is something in this book for everyone, the whole book is excellent but amongst the chapters you may find one that speaks to you, one that really really feels as though you are the one that it's written for and when you find it, it gives a sense of peace. I never expected to find some of the things written here, I felt that some of the subjects covered are not written about enough and all of a sudden I feel less alone and someone understands.

I absolutely love Caleb Wilde I loved his book I hope there's more. I would love to meet this guy in real life only I'm in UK but def would love to visit one of his funeral homes

Xmas present not for me, but my daughter says it’s a good read.

Well written and a thought provoking subject. A book everyone should read as we on a regular basis do not handle death and grief well.

I must admit, I did not know what to expect from this book. But was taken aback by how involved it was and how it really makes you think about how you feel about death and dying. Putting a positive spin on death and how we think, feel and deal with it, is very refreshing. Wonderfully written.

I really enjoyed this book, and learnt so much along the way.Thank you Caleb Wilde :-)

Fantastically written, very informative and so good I'm about to read it again

I found so many passages in this book that resonated with me. In his confessions, Caleb states that 'I learned the Jewish concept of Tikkun olam, which means "the healing of the world" and is accomplished through the presence in the midst of the pain. It can be summarized in the phrase "I'm here with you and I love you" and is accomplished through simple acts of presence.' Having gone through my fair share of funerals and dying loved ones, this idea of just being present and there with those left behind, while a simple one, is often forgotten as we let negative narratives get in our own way of processing.Caleb's openness about his life growing up in the industry and his own misgivings about donning the mantel of Funeral Director himself are vulnerable, honest, and real. His sharing of his own pain and the lessons he has learned through helping others through theirs is immense and gratifying. His vision of educating others about the negative narrative that surrounds death and contemplation regarding a more positive outlook on something that is inevitable and a part of everyone's lives is a worthwhile read, from beginning to end.

This was a good book, but I caution you that if you're looking for Caitlyn Doughty, you may be left feeling wanting. You won't find gory behind the scenes details of mortuary procedure in this book, but you will find a detailed explanation of how the funeral industry can be a difficult field to work inCaleb does a wonderful job of going in depth about his relationship with death, his industry and his religion. I felt after reading this book that I knew him as a friend.

Thank you Caleb, you help bring a natural happening into focus, give a considered point of view and an honest narrative of death in your part of the world. I've followed your blog for a long time please keep it going as I look forward to whatever path your journey takes.

I started following Caleb's original blog ages ago. I was ecstatic to find him on Facebook & continue the journey with him. This book is like a nice chat with an old friend. So much heart. So much soul. Laughter. Tears. Brutal honesty. Love. This young man has grown so much & it is so heart warming to see it all come to fruition in this heartfelt, funny & very real look at a family owned business. Great work Caleb!

Caleb' s honesty and openness with the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of his life in the funeral profession brings a human face to funeral directors that one rarely get to experience.My only complaint is that it was too short; I was quickly drawn in and was ready for more when I came to the end of the book.

The reading opened my eyes of what Funeral Directors go threw

A wonderful story of life and death

thought it would have more stories about funerals and dealing with bereaved families etc. Instead, it was mostly religious

Enjoyed this book! Great read filled with much to think about and reflect on! Read it and let it give you hope and healing.

Amazing read. Thought provoking, endearing, sad and insightful. Excellent writing. I'm so glad I took the time to read it.

Very enjoyable read.

Very quick read. Good storyteller

Great read.

Your words lanced a festering wound that has been squeezing at the soul of me for over a decade now… well to be precise it will be exactly 13 years in just 13 more days. On October 14th 2004 my world as I had known it came to a close and what followed was a life I felt quite foreign to and unable to easily navigate around in. The experience had left me searching, more like desperately craving a different meaning, a different explanation, a different dialogue to what I had walked into. One day I was a 30-year-old married woman with 3 young children, no different from the rest of us swiftly moving along this journey in life, then the next day I was wearing a forever awkward title of widow. I felt I had no place, no place among my peers, who feared the truth of what I had become and no place among the later population who more frequently wore the title of widow. Your words though, Caleb Wilde, hit directly what my last decade had been searching for, the lack of fear and the lack of shame. That was exactly what enveloped my mind and soul the day my Brian died… I could not look into that casket for fear of seeing the truth in its entirety and for that I felt shame. I struggled throughout the years as I raised the children in the absence of their father, forever chasing a protocol of how it should be done if he was here. Facing the judgment of others, the feelings of being ostracized and so often forgotten. How the weight of his death hung about my neck like a noose that was certain to be my demise. The fear of how my children will statistically end up, seeing that they now were fatherless and I was so very lacking. How much different my story could have been, if my death narrative could have been a positive one. Had I been able to lift the lid of the casket that held my beloved and saw what was truthfully there… his shell that contained his mortality. A mortality that is inevitable of us all and that is nothing to be ashamed of. If I could have just embraced his body and seen what the war had done to him, to perhaps have been connected to his final hours. I knew though, that the story I was told within our society wasn’t a healthy one, it left grief in this every suspended state of “almost there”. Like Caleb had said, “we are all death virgins” and this stage of death and grief are new and unfamiliar to us. It is no longer a dance we partake of, the generations before us teaching us how to gracefully meet each step. It has simply become removed, until it is slammed into our face and the energy and force of death has nowhere to go. It churns within our soul and creates a turmoil we have no strength to control. I have sought for the last 12 years, 11 months and 2 weeks for a satisfaction and a release for that energy. I AM NOT WEIRD nor am I unique in my journey. I am simply a woman who experienced love and tragic loss and can still rightfully have a connection to the deceased. We should be able to feel, express and connect in the death process that doesn’t leave us floundering and searching for “closure”, which chapter 14 “Active Remembering” tells us that there isn’t one and that is ok! I am so very relieved to find your words and your challenge for the death negative narrative and how we can find a bit of heaven here on earth. Your book is something deeply spiritual but nowhere near religious. This could be a book that is helpful for those grieving and those who have yet to experience loss. It is the needle in the haystack I have yearned and pined for. Your words are a medicine my soul needed to hear. Thank you, Caleb.

It wasn't at all what I expect it would be, but that's why I loved it so much. Anyone can tell you "secrets" or stories you've heard a million times about what dead bodies do or tell you what the industry is like, but Caleb shares heartfelt experiences which makes it so personal. I don't work in the industry (oh, if only blood wasn't scary and corpse purge wasn't a thing), but have been following Caleb's blog for some time now. He has a very dry sense of humor, and has actually help me accept death as something not so terrifying. What exactly changed my perspective? I haven't a clue. I think his humor and professionalism is really what did it for me. He introduced many readers to green burials, and shared information with us that can help the readers with loved ones' funerals, as well as their own. For instance, did you know you can speak to your Funeral Director about dressing your loved one for their viewing? I had no clue about that, until I read the book.While Caleb does have a background in Theology, he isn't forcing religion down your throat. The chapters are laced with various first hand experiences, and his own thoughts on God. As an Agnostic, I appreciate his way of thinking in Chapter 5, where he discussed his views of God while being in the presence of a deceased infant. He put into words EXACTLY what my thoughts are of God, if it ends up that he is real.Chapter 8 made me tear up. I really want to continue with details on what I loved, but it would ruin the book for those of you who want to read it first hand. All I have to say though, is that chapter 8- "Front Door Policy", made me realize that there are so many caring and loving people left in this world who DO care and embrace the beauty of death. That it's not something to be ashamed of, and that deceased leave this world with the dignity and respect given by those who cared for them as they lived out their last days.I've been reading reviews where people thought it was boring, and I'm not sure I understand their logic. Caleb's blog is blatantly informative on the side of science and interesting facts and stories, but this is a book about his life. This is a book written from his heart as to why he chose the Death care industry after second guessing his career path. These are special stories that he has held close to him that he has shared with us in a very intimate way. Being a Funeral Director has always intrigued me, and Caleb's words shed light on exactly what goes on behind doors. And how those in the death care industry feel emotions far more deeply than one could fathom.I absolutely love the fact that this book was not at all what I thought it would be. Each famous Funeral Director on social media has different personalities and a different point of view, and this was different than what I have read before from Caleb, but was so addicting. I loved that there was humor, but also seriousness, and I am so glad that Caleb put his amazing work into words by publishing a book after many years of sharing the industry with us. Bravo, Caleb!