I enjoyed this so much! I haven't yet read any Caitlin Doughty yet, despite being on my TBR forever. This seems like a book in the same vein, but this author writes with a background as an Episcopal deacon which I LOVED. This was not a religous or spiritual book but there is an undercurrent of wondering and belief that runs through this as I, much like the author, am pretty sure what I believe happens when we make our final exit...but who can say for sure? I enjoyed learning about many different death and life and afterlife traditions and also seeing them through the author's eyes as she deals with her own mother's end of life experiences in long term care with dementia.

As a death activist and death historian, I knew I’d love this book. Admittedly, I was the tiniest bit wary because it sounds very similar to Caitlin Doughty’s From Here to Eternity, and while I was lookin get forward to reading someone else’s perspective, I wasn’t sure I’d learn anything new about some of the places where both Lori Erickson and Caitlin went. However, I couldn’t be more pleased. There are a few overlaps of places mentioned or visited, but Near the Exit isn’t a copy or anything close to From Here to Eternity. Written from the point of view of an Episcopalian deacon, the reader is introduced to a truly unique point of view of death and other cultures’ perceptions of death. Even better, Lori Erickson is a hell of a writer. She’s definitely found her calling, and it shows in the quality of her work.

Highly recommend. Can’t recommend enough. And I look so forward to hunting down more of Lori Erickson’s work!