The Order of the Good Death Reading List

1.
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers 4.06 avg rating — 234,485 ratings
2.
The Work of the Dead: A Cultural History of Mortal Remains
The Work of the Dead: A Cultural History of Mortal Remains 3.95 avg rating — 167 ratings
2.
You'll Leave This World With Your Butt Sewn Shut: And Other Little-Known Secrets, Shocking Facts, and Amusing Trivia about Death and Dying
You'll Leave This World With Your Butt Sewn Shut: And Other Little-Known Secrets, Shocking Facts, and Amusing Trivia about Death and Dying 4.26 avg rating — 39 ratings
4.
Passed On: African American Mourning Stories: A Memorial
Passed On: African American Mourning Stories: A Memorial 4.27 avg rating — 85 ratings
5.
Severed: A History of Heads Lost and Heads Found
Severed: A History of Heads Lost and Heads Found 3.75 avg rating — 1,811 ratings
6.
Death and the Idea of Mexico
Death and the Idea of Mexico 3.97 avg rating — 62 ratings
7.
Chinese American Death Rituals: Respecting the Ancestors
Chinese American Death Rituals: Respecting the Ancestors 4.20 avg rating — 5 ratings
8.
The Politics of Mourning: Death and Honor in Arlington National Cemetery
The Politics of Mourning: Death and Honor in Arlington National Cemetery 3.74 avg rating — 46 ratings
9.
Skull Wars: Kennewick Man, Archaeology, and the Battle for Native American Identity
Skull Wars: Kennewick Man, Archaeology, and the Battle for Native American Identity 4.15 avg rating — 564 ratings
10.
The Eye of the Beholder: Julia Pastrana's Long Journey Home
The Eye of the Beholder: Julia Pastrana's Long Journey Home 4.36 avg rating — 11 ratings
11.
Grave
Grave 3.96 avg rating — 91 ratings
12.
Ghosts and the Japanese: Cultural Experience in Japanese Death Legends
Ghosts and the Japanese: Cultural Experience in Japanese Death Legends 3.72 avg rating — 94 ratings
13.
Making a Killing: Femicide, Free Trade, and La Frontera
Making a Killing: Femicide, Free Trade, and La Frontera 4.04 avg rating — 50 ratings
14.
Death and Funeral Practices in Portugal
Death and Funeral Practices in Portugal really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 6 ratings
15.
Over Her Dead Body: Death, Femininity and the Aesthetic
Over Her Dead Body: Death, Femininity and the Aesthetic 4.08 avg rating — 133 ratings
16.
Death and the American South
Death and the American South 4.33 avg rating — 3 ratings
17.
American Afterlives: Reinventing Death in the Twenty-First Century
American Afterlives: Reinventing Death in the Twenty-First Century 4.02 avg rating — 89 ratings
18.
The Potent Dead: Ancestors, Saints and Heroes in Contemporary Indonesia
The Potent Dead: Ancestors, Saints and Heroes in Contemporary Indonesia 3.50 avg rating — 6 ratings
19.
Grave Injustice: The American Indian Repatriation Movement and NAGPRA
Grave Injustice: The American Indian Repatriation Movement and NAGPRA 4.23 avg rating — 57 ratings
20.
The Funeral Casino: Meditation, Massacre, and Exchange with the Dead in Thailand
The Funeral Casino: Meditation, Massacre, and Exchange with the Dead in Thailand 3.90 avg rating — 63 ratings
21.
Dying from Improvement: Inquests and Inquiries into Indigenous Deaths in Custody
Dying from Improvement: Inquests and Inquiries into Indigenous Deaths in Custody 4.48 avg rating — 27 ratings
22.
The Blood of Emmett Till
The Blood of Emmett Till 4.27 avg rating — 8,802 ratings
23.
Purified by Fire: A History of Cremation in America
Purified by Fire: A History of Cremation in America 3.57 avg rating — 65 ratings
24.
Hanging Bridge: Racial Violence and America's Civil Rights Century
Hanging Bridge: Racial Violence and America's Civil Rights Century 4.02 avg rating — 53 ratings
25.
Death, Dissection and the Destitute
Death, Dissection and the Destitute 4.11 avg rating — 145 ratings
26.
A Social History of Dying
A Social History of Dying 3.31 avg rating — 81 ratings
27.
African American Historic Burial Grounds and Gravesites of New England
African American Historic Burial Grounds and Gravesites of New England 3.20 avg rating — 5 ratings
28.
The Corpse: A History
The Corpse: A History 3.74 avg rating — 46 ratings
29.
The Land of Open Graves: Living and Dying on the Migrant Trail
The Land of Open Graves: Living and Dying on the Migrant Trail 4.56 avg rating — 2,094 ratings
30.
Death in England: An Illustrated History
Death in England: An Illustrated History 3.80 avg rating — 35 ratings
31.
Plundered Skulls and Stolen Spirits: Inside the Fight to Reclaim Native America's Culture
Plundered Skulls and Stolen Spirits: Inside the Fight to Reclaim Native America's Culture 4.40 avg rating — 384 ratings
32.
This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War
This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War 4.04 avg rating — 7,245 ratings
33.
Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty
Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty 4.45 avg rating — 5,137 ratings
34.
The Sacred Remains: American Attitudes Toward Death, 1799-1883
The Sacred Remains: American Attitudes Toward Death, 1799-1883 3.98 avg rating — 54 ratings
35.
Death, Mourning, and Burial: A Cross-Cultural Reader
Death, Mourning, and Burial: A Cross-Cultural Reader 3.87 avg rating — 86 ratings
36.
Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment Is Killing America's Heartland
Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment Is Killing America's Heartland 4.11 avg rating — 6,872 ratings
37.
Celebrations of Death: The Anthropology of Mortuary Ritual
Celebrations of Death: The Anthropology of Mortuary Ritual 3.69 avg rating — 114 ratings
38.
Funeral Festivals in America: Rituals for the Living
Funeral Festivals in America: Rituals for the Living 3.62 avg rating — 8 ratings
39.
Making All Black Lives Matter: Reimagining Freedom in the Twenty-First Century (American Studies Now: Critical Histories of the Present) (Volume 6)
Making All Black Lives Matter: Reimagining Freedom in the Twenty-First Century (American Studies Now: Critical Histories of the Present) (Volume 6) 4.14 avg rating — 195 ratings
40.
Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession
Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession 3.03 avg rating — 4,041 ratings
41.
The American Way of Death
The American Way of Death 3.98 avg rating — 570 ratings
42.
Nine Years Under: Coming of Age in an Inner-City Funeral Home
Nine Years Under: Coming of Age in an Inner-City Funeral Home 3.50 avg rating — 931 ratings
43.
The Law of Human Remains
The Law of Human Remains 4.33 avg rating — 3 ratings
44.
To Serve the Living: Funeral Directors and the African American Way of Death
To Serve the Living: Funeral Directors and the African American Way of Death 4.11 avg rating — 19 ratings
45.
Rest in Peace: A Cultural History of Death and the Funeral Home in Twentieth-Century America
Rest in Peace: A Cultural History of Death and the Funeral Home in Twentieth-Century America 3.63 avg rating — 109 ratings
46.
Cemetery Law: The Common Law of Burying Grounds in the United States
Cemetery Law: The Common Law of Burying Grounds in the United States 4.33 avg rating — 3 ratings
47.
The Denial of Death
The Denial of Death 4.05 avg rating — 15,168 ratings
48.
The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life
The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life 4.11 avg rating — 1,824 ratings
49.
Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death
Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death 4.23 avg rating — 15,189 ratings
50.
With the End in Mind: Dying, Death, and Wisdom in an Age of Denial
With the End in Mind: Dying, Death, and Wisdom in an Age of Denial 4.57 avg rating — 7,569 ratings
51.
Mortals: How the Fear of Death Shaped Human Society
Mortals: How the Fear of Death Shaped Human Society 4.01 avg rating — 606 ratings
52.
After We Die: The Life and Times of the Human Cadaver
After We Die: The Life and Times of the Human Cadaver 3.17 avg rating — 29 ratings
53.
Death to Dust: What Happens to Dead Bodies?
Death to Dust: What Happens to Dead Bodies? 4.41 avg rating — 229 ratings
54.
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End 4.49 avg rating — 210,931 ratings
55.
Bone Rooms: From Scientific Racism to Human Prehistory in Museums
Bone Rooms: From Scientific Racism to Human Prehistory in Museums 3.76 avg rating — 126 ratings
56.
The Anatomical Venus: Wax, God, Death & the Ecstatic
The Anatomical Venus: Wax, God, Death & the Ecstatic 4.45 avg rating — 274 ratings
57.
The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime
The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime 3.41 avg rating — 4,258 ratings
58.
Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner
Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner 4.26 avg rating — 26,526 ratings
59.
Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA and More Tell Us About Crime
Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA and More Tell Us About Crime 4.10 avg rating — 12,183 ratings
60.
Human Body Decomposition
Human Body Decomposition 3.82 avg rating — 11 ratings
61.
The Skull Collectors: Race, Science, and America's Unburied Dead
The Skull Collectors: Race, Science, and America's Unburied Dead 3.59 avg rating — 66 ratings
62.
199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die
199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die 4.24 avg rating — 454 ratings
63.
Looking at Death
Looking at Death 4.23 avg rating — 13 ratings
64.
Reimagining Death: Stories and Practical Wisdom for Home Funerals and Green Burials
Reimagining Death: Stories and Practical Wisdom for Home Funerals and Green Burials 4.20 avg rating — 115 ratings
65.
The Victorian Celebration of Death
The Victorian Celebration of Death 3.76 avg rating — 128 ratings
66.
The Victorian Book of the Dead
The Victorian Book of the Dead 4.01 avg rating — 432 ratings
67.
A Beginner's Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death
A Beginner's Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death 4.31 avg rating — 1,280 ratings
68.
The Morbid Anatomy Anthology
The Morbid Anatomy Anthology 4.39 avg rating — 146 ratings
69.
Mourning Animals: Rituals and Practices Surrounding Animal Death
Mourning Animals: Rituals and Practices Surrounding Animal Death 4.36 avg rating — 11 ratings
70.
Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?
Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?
by: Roz Chast
4.16 avg rating — 31,598 ratings
71.
Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality
Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality 4.45 avg rating — 6,048 ratings
72.
Lead Me Home: An African-American's Guide Through The Grief Journey
Lead Me Home: An African-American's Guide Through The Grief Journey 4.25 avg rating — 4 ratings
73.
Handbook of Social Justice in Loss and Grief: Exploring Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (Series in Death, Dying, and Bereavement)
Handbook of Social Justice in Loss and Grief: Exploring Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (Series in Death, Dying, and Bereavement) 4.58 avg rating — 12 ratings
74.
When Breath Becomes Air
When Breath Becomes Air 4.41 avg rating — 767,425 ratings
75.
Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin
Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin 4.42 avg rating — 1,511 ratings
76.
It's OK That You're Not OK
It's OK That You're Not OK 4.36 avg rating — 13,697 ratings
77.
The Light of the World
The Light of the World 4.10 avg rating — 10,143 ratings
78.
Grieving While Black: An Antiracist Take on Oppression and Sorrow
Grieving While Black: An Antiracist Take on Oppression and Sorrow 4.43 avg rating — 142 ratings
79.
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory 4.22 avg rating — 104,645 ratings
80.
From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death
From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death 4.30 avg rating — 45,191 ratings
81.
Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? And Other Questions About Dead Bodies
Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? And Other Questions About Dead Bodies 4.13 avg rating — 46,335 ratings
82.
The Hunting Accident: A True Story of Crime and Poetry
The Hunting Accident: A True Story of Crime and Poetry 4.32 avg rating — 2,124 ratings
83.
Afterlives: The Return of the Dead in the Middle Ages
Afterlives: The Return of the Dead in the Middle Ages 4.38 avg rating — 47 ratings
84.
Discerning Spirits: Divine and Demonic Possession in the Middle Ages
Discerning Spirits: Divine and Demonic Possession in the Middle Ages 4.05 avg rating — 74 ratings
85.
Three Minus One: Stories of Parents' Love and Loss
Three Minus One: Stories of Parents' Love and Loss 4.57 avg rating — 82 ratings
86.
Changing Landscapes: Exploring the growth of ethical, compassionate, and environmentally sustainable green funeral practices
Changing Landscapes: Exploring the growth of ethical, compassionate, and environmentally sustainable green funeral practices 4.50 avg rating — 6 ratings
87.
The Unidentified: Mythical Monsters, Alien Encounters, and Our Obsession with the Unexplained
The Unidentified: Mythical Monsters, Alien Encounters, and Our Obsession with the Unexplained 3.66 avg rating — 1,803 ratings
88.
Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places
Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places 3.74 avg rating — 9,984 ratings
89.
Cranioklepty: Grave Robbing and the Search for Genius
Cranioklepty: Grave Robbing and the Search for Genius 3.56 avg rating — 248 ratings
90.
Afterlives of the Saints
Afterlives of the Saints 3.92 avg rating — 171 ratings
91.
Death: A Graveside Companion
Death: A Graveside Companion 4.48 avg rating — 352 ratings
92.
Heavenly Bodies: Cult Treasures & Spectacular Saints from the Catacombs
Heavenly Bodies: Cult Treasures & Spectacular Saints from the Catacombs 4.54 avg rating — 826 ratings
93.
Empire of Death: A Cultural History of Ossuaries and Charnel Houses
Empire of Death: A Cultural History of Ossuaries and Charnel Houses 4.56 avg rating — 511 ratings
94.
Memento Mori: The Dead Among Us
Memento Mori: The Dead Among Us 4.56 avg rating — 441 ratings
95.
Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses
Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses 3.84 avg rating — 2,084 ratings
96.
Beyond the Dark Veil: Post Mortem & Mourning Photography from The Thanatos Archive
Beyond the Dark Veil: Post Mortem & Mourning Photography from The Thanatos Archive 4.63 avg rating — 776 ratings