An "astonishing . . . fascinating . . . powerful" (New York Times Book Review) tour through the history of US cemeteries that explores how, where, and why we bury our deadThe summer before his senior year in college, Greg Melville worked at the cemetery in his hometown, and thanks to hour upon hour of pushing a mower over the grassy acres, he came to realize what a rich story the place told of his town and its history. Thus was born Melville's lifelong curiosity with how, where, and why we bury and commemorate our dead. Melville's Over My Dead Body is a lively (pun intended) and wide-ranging history of cemeteries, places that have mirrored the passing eras in history but also have shaped it. Cemeteries have given birth to landscape architecture and famous parks, as well as influenced architectural styles. They've inspired and motivated some of our greatest poets and authors-Emerson, Whitman, Dickinson. They've been used as political tools to shift the country's discourse and as important symbols of the United States' ambition and reach. But they are changing and fading. Embalming and burial is incredibly toxic, and while cremations have just recently surpassed burials in popularity, they're not great for the environment either. Over My Dead Body explores everything-history, sustainability, land use, and more-and what it really means to memorialize. Locales visited in Over My Dead Body Shawsheen Cemetery - Bedford, Massachusetts The 1607 Burial Ground - Historic Jamestowne, Virginia Burial Hill - Plymouth, Massachusetts Colonial Jewish Burial Ground - Newport, Rhode Island Monticello's African American Graveyard - Charlottesville, Virginia Mount Auburn Cemetery - Cambridge, Massachusetts Green-Wood Cemetery - Brooklyn, New York Laurel Grove Cemetery - Savannah, Georgia Sleepy Hollow Cemetery - Concord, Massachusetts Central Park - New York, New York Gettysburg National Cemetery - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Arlington National Cemetery - Arlington, Virginia Woodlawn Cemetery - Bronx, New York Boothill Graveyard - Tombhill, Arizona Forest Lawn Memorial-Park - Glenwood, California The Chapel of the Chimes - Oakland, California Hollywood Forever Cemetery - Los Angeles, California Nature's Sanctuary - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
An "astonishing . . . fascinating . . . powerful" (New York Times Book Review) tour through the history of US cemeteries that explores how, where, and why we bury our deadThe summer before his senior year in college, Greg Melville worked at the cemetery in his hometown, and thanks to hour upon hour of pushing a mower over the grassy acres, he came to realize what a rich story the place told of his town and its history. Thus was born Melville's lifelong curiosity with how, where, and why we bury and commemorate our dead. Melville's Over My Dead Body is a lively (pun intended) and wide-ranging history of cemeteries, places that have mirrored the passing eras in history but also have shaped it. Cemeteries have given birth to landscape architecture and famous parks, as well as influenced architectural styles. They've inspired and motivated some of our greatest poets and authors-Emerson, Whitman, Dickinson. They've been used as political tools to shift the country's discourse and as important symbols of the United States' ambition and reach. But they are changing and fading. Embalming and burial is incredibly toxic, and while cremations have just recently surpassed burials in popularity, they're not great for the environment either. Over My Dead Body explores everything-history, sustainability, land use, and more-and what it really means to memorialize. Locales visited in Over My Dead Body Shawsheen Cemetery - Bedford, Massachusetts The 1607 Burial Ground - Historic Jamestowne, Virginia Burial Hill - Plymouth, Massachusetts Colonial Jewish Burial Ground - Newport, Rhode Island Monticello's African American Graveyard - Charlottesville, Virginia Mount Auburn Cemetery - Cambridge, Massachusetts Green-Wood Cemetery - Brooklyn, New York Laurel Grove Cemetery - Savannah, Georgia Sleepy Hollow Cemetery - Concord, Massachusetts Central Park - New York, New York Gettysburg National Cemetery - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Arlington National Cemetery - Arlington, Virginia Woodlawn Cemetery - Bronx, New York Boothill Graveyard - Tombhill, Arizona Forest Lawn Memorial-Park - Glenwood, California The Chapel of the Chimes - Oakland, California Hollywood Forever Cemetery - Los Angeles, California Nature's Sanctuary - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Über den Autor
Greg Melville has worked as an outdoor journalist and editor at Men’s Journal and Hearst magazines. He has strong connections with magazines and newspapers, and his writing has appeared in Outside, National Geographic Traveler, Men’s Health, and the Boston Globe Magazine. His work was also listed in The Best American Sportswriting 2017. He is a decorated veteran who served in Afghanistan and is in the Navy Reserve, where he is a public affairs officer with the rank of lieutenant commander. He has taught English and writing at the United States Naval Academy, where he was given the school’s Instructor of the Year Award in 2019, and journalism at St. Michael’s College in Vermont. He lives with his wife and two kids in Delaware.
