"Morbid and illuminating" (Entertainment Weekly)—a young mortician goes behind the scenes of her curious profession. Armed with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre, Caitlin Doughty took a job at a crematory and turned morbid curiosity into her life’s work. She cared for bodies of every color, shape, and affliction, and became an intrepid explorer in the world of the dead. In this best-selling memoir, brimming with gallows humor and vivid characters, she marvels at the gruesome history of undertaking and relates her unique coming-of-age story with bold curiosity and mordant wit. By turns hilarious, dark, and uplifting, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes reveals how the fear of dying warps our society and "will make you reconsider how our culture treats the dead" (San Francisco Chronicle).

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Susan C. Barto is a group of short stories about life, love, marriage and family. The author delves into a myriad of aspects of love and relationships between spouses, children, and lovers. Some of the stories seem to reflect pain and its subsequent growth as the protagonist comes out on the other side. One story tells about Emily Dickenson as the author imagines her and what her life and emotions may have been like. Other stories are more prosaic describing the love between husband and wife as they interact with each other and their off-spring.Susan C. Barto has been writing for over fifteen years. Her stories have the ring of truth and express a range of emotions swinging from joy flashes to times of suffering. However, the overriding message seems to show hope as it wins over despair. Hope, the author seems to say, helps people carry on while despair put us down in a valley. All shades of love are covered from flirtation to a 41 year marriage. Love sets us free and provides balm to fractured spirits. The author seems to believe that love never dies, and expresses this belief. Susan C. Barto has written several earlier books of short stories.

Get the Summary of Caitlin Doughty's Smoke Gets in Your Eyes in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" by Caitlin Doughty offers an intimate look into the death industry through the author's personal experiences working at Westwind Cremation & Burial. Doughty's journey begins with her first day on the job, where she learns to shave a corpse and operate a cremation machine. Her narrative explores the daily realities of working with the deceased, from handling decomposing bodies to dealing with grieving families...