Funeral directors play a crucial role in guiding individuals through one of life's most challenging experiences - grief. To excel in this compassionate profession, continuous learning is key. We did some research among staff and through thousands of online reviews to suggest five books for funeral directors or morticians. Below you will find five recommendations, each with the possibility of bringing unique value to your professional and personal lives.
From the Perspective of a Funeral Director
Confessions of a Funeral Director by Caleb Wilde
This book is written by Caleb Wilde, a sixth-generation funeral director. He shares very real and raw stories about his experiences growing up with two sets of funeral director grandparents. We follow his journey of learning how to become a funeral director and how the job almost broke him.
He knows it’s a hard job, and he dives deep into the emotions, compassion fatigue, and mental health challenges he faced in the job. He shares many personal anecdotes and leaves the reader with a lesson from each one. He even finds a way to show that sometimes death can be beautiful—a relief.
This book may help funeral directors ask themselves the hard questions that Wilde asked himself to write this book.
Bottom line: This is just one person’s experience, but you may find yourself in these stories. Relating to Wilde’s stories affirms your personal experiences – they make you feel seen.
For Building Good Habits
Atomic Habits by James ClearThe overall concept of Atomic Habits by James Clear explores the benefits of making incremental changes in your daily habits to make a larger difference. Changes don’t happen overnight. Michael Jordan didn’t become an amazing basketball player in one day. In fact, he was cut from his high school basketball team.
If you want to read further into this topic, this Forbes article highlights six ways you can apply Atomic Habits to a business. The article explains how you can stack your habits or optimize your environment to create efficiencies.
Bottom line: This book is great for any professional looking for an extra spark to help them set goals, develop better habits and exceed your own expectations.
From the book: "Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress."
For End-of-Life Care
Being Mortal by Atul GawandeWith over 45,000 reviews on Amazon and over 180,000 on Goodreads, we can safely say this is a popular read!
The author, Gawande, is a surgeon who talks about end-of-life care and explores how a person’s last weeks or months can be rich and dignified. While not focused on death itself, this book can encourage funeral directors to reflect on the broader spectrum of care, emphasizing the importance of providing holistic support to families facing the challenges of mortality. The reviews on Amazon note that the book is very honest, and some readers warn that it is not an easy read, but is worth it.
From the Perspective of a Licensed Mortician
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
Author Caitlin Doughty, a licensed mortician, shares her experiences in the funeral industry with humor and candor. This memoir delves into the cultural aspects of death, challenging funeral directors to confront preconceptions and foster open conversations about the inevitable. You may recognize her from the popular web series Ask a Mortician.
In the book, she answers questions you didn’t know you had: Can you catch a disease from a corpse? How many dead bodies can you fit in a Dodge van? What exactly does a flaming skull look like?
You may know these answers as a licensed mortician, but the book could be a gift to your family member as a way for them to empathize with your profession.
From a Professor Who Teaches About Death
The Death Class: A True Story About Life by Erika Hayasaki
Why does a college course on death have a three-year waiting list? You will find the answer in this book following a professor whose teaching seeps outside of the classroom. From Goodreads: “As she takes her students to cemeteries, prisons, morgues, and hospitals, she shows how the contemplation of the end can change an adult’s beginning. Over the course of two years, she intervenes with one student and her suicidal mother, mentors another with a mentally ill brother, and redeems a third from his life in a gang. And in the end, the students themselves heal Dr. Bowe herself from the lingering pain of a childhood she has long repressed.
On one level, The Death Class is about the loss of life; on another level, it’s a celebration of what the human spirit can conquer. It’s about how we can survive and learn to live a meaningful life.”
This book can challenge funeral directors to embrace conversations around mortality openly and encourages continuous self-reflection, fostering a compassionate and informed approach to their work.
As we navigate the delicate journey of helping families cope with loss, these five books serve as invaluable resources. From memoirs to self-help guides, each book offers a unique perspective that contributes to the professional growth and empathetic understanding required in this noble profession.
We want to hear from you! Share below any books that you have read and want to share with others in the funeral profession.
