Confessions of a Funeral Director: How Death Saved My Life

Caleb Wilde

Sep 2017 · HarperCollins

About this ebook

The blogger behind Confessions of a Funeral Director—what Time magazine called a "must read"—reflects on mortality and the powerful lessons death holds for every one of us in this compassionate and thoughtful spiritual memoir that combines the humor and insight of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes with the poignancy and brevity of When Breath Becomes Air.

We are a people who deeply fear death. While humans are biologically wired to evade death for as long as possible, we have become too adept at hiding from it, vilifying it, and—when it can be avoided no longer—letting the professionals take over.

Sixth-generation funeral director Caleb Wilde understands this reticence and fear. He had planned to get as far away from the family business as possible. He wanted to make a difference in the world, and how could he do that if all the people he worked with were . . . dead? Slowly, he discovered that caring for the deceased and their loved ones was making a difference—in other people’s lives to be sure, but it also seemed to be saving his own. A spirituality of death began to emerge as he observed:

• The family who lovingly dressed their deceased father for his burial
• The act of embalming a little girl that offered a gift back to her grieving family
• The nursing home that honored a woman’s life by standing in procession as her body was taken away
• The funeral that united a conflicted community

Through stories like these, told with equal parts humor and poignancy, Wilde offers an intimate look into the business and a new perspective on living and dying

Ratings and reviews

Extremely boring. Was hoping to read interesting stories associated with the job of funeral director. Instead there's a lot of existential angst and soul searching, which isn't how the book is described. Couldn't even finish.

Wilde's book is life-affirming, uplifting and transformative. It reads as an easy, authentic conversation about a taboo topic in our society. Wilde lifts the veil of secrecy that shrouds death and reveals the beautiful gifts tucked inside for all brave enough to venture through. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

I preordered this book and am so glad I did. I recommend everyone read this and check him out on Facebook.

About the author

Caleb Wilde is a partner at his family’s business, Wilde Funeral Home, in Parkesburg, Pennsylvania. He writes the popular blog Confessions of a Funeral Director and recently completed postgraduate work at Winchester University, England, in the program, “Death, Religion and Culture.” He has been featured in top media outlets, including The Huntington Post, The Atlantic, and TIME magazine, and on NPR, NBC, and ABC’s 20/20.