What We’re Reading (& New in the OCC Library): From Here to Eternity

from here to eternity by caitlin doughty book cover

Available at the OCC Library on the New Book Shelf

Title: From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death
Author: Caitlin Doughty
Genre: Nonfiction — Essay & Travelogue

Why did you choose to read this book?

I saw it as a nominee for the Goodreads Choice Awards best nonfiction book of 2017 and it seemed interesting– I read both Mary Roach’s Spook and Stiff a few years ago and found the topic of how we as a culture think about death and the afterlife really interesting then, too. This book talks more about cultural practices and beliefs about death and bodies and is a light and engaging read (for real!).

Was there anything noteworthy about the book?

They highlighted a natural burial ground in North Carolina! I thought that was pretty cool.

Who would you recommend the book to?

Anyone interested in learning more about the topic of burial itself, but in a “morbid lite” kind of way. Also anyone interested in diverse cultural practices and beliefs– the book looks at countries from around the world (hence the travelogue part of the genre description).


Additional books mentioned in this post (because yay! books!)–

Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach is available at the Main Campus Library in the downstairs stacks (call number BL 535 .R63 2006).

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach is available at the Orange County Campus Library on the New Books shelf (call number R 853 .H8 R635 2004).

About Meredith Lewis

Meredith is a librarian at Durham Tech on both the Main and Orange County Campuses.