I enjoyed this a lot; I loved the reflections on our relationship to death and the dying, how we do and don't deal with it, and how much information was given in a easily consumed way. I do think people should take caution if they are squeamish, especially with the topic of child death; there are some moments that could be especially difficult if so.

5/5 ⭐️
This was so so so fascinating! It was so cool to learn that much about the death industry and how they operate ect!

This was a really amazing read.

If you have read [and loved] Stiff by Mary Roach, this is a perfect companion to that [also] amazing book.

While trying to figure out just how to review this, I saw another review by a reader and it simply said [paraphrasing here] "Don't read reviews, just read the book" and I have to agree. This is a book that is best going in "blind". To let it fully play out without any previous knowledge or anyone else's preconceived notions about death and dying and what they TRULY thought about this book [and the author]. One needs to experience this without all that baggage, without anyone else's opinions ringing in their ears [including mine].

I will say I highly recommend this book - if you have every wondered about death and dying and those who are there when it happens and in the aftermath, then this book is for you. Once I started reading it, I absolutely didn't want to stop [in fact, making myself move on to other reads was supremely difficult, I was just swept in completely] and I wish it could have been just a little bit longer. ;-)

I was lucky to also receive the audiobook for this and WOW. I don't always love when an author chooses to narrate their own books. Quite often, they are just not a good narrator and you find that it completely ruins the book experience that you might have otherwise loved.
Thankfully [ ;-) ], this was not the case here. In fact, I would listen to anything this author reads [yes, she is that good]. The emotions she felt at different times in this journey come through in many different ways and I will say that there were several moments where I was crying [as I imagine she had been at the time]. I highly recommend listening to this audiobook!!! ♥

Thank you to NetGalley, Haley Campbell [also the narrator], St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for providing both the book and audiobook ARCS in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

All the Living and the Dead by Hayley Campbell explores the experiences of those who work in death industry, and those who are often forgotten or unseen there. I thought the book was phenomenal and the audiobook narration was fantastic.

I am a huge fan of Caitlin Doughty’s books on the death industry, and I was very excited to see this ARC on NetGalley. I loved how Campbell’s book does not assume any previous knowledge of the death industry, does not overlap very much content-wise with Doughty’s books, and how she also treats the material with respect, dignity, and honesty. I especially enjoyed the Campbell’s interviews and experiences with those who work in medical donations, mass casualties, executions, and bereavement midwifery. I highly recommend this book! (It comes out August 16th!)

4.45⭐
I have read many books revolving around fictional death, but never one about the people that work closely with death. Some professionals that Hayley interviews are morticians, detectives, crime scene cleaners, embalmers, and executioners.

I found this to be well researched, somewhat graphic and eye opening. I must admit I never really thought about who is behind the scenes cleaning up crime scenes, performing autopsies and those getting bodies ready for funeral viewings, as well as gravediggers. It was, also, interesting to me that executions are listed as homicides on the death certificate ~ I mean it makes sense and I don't know what I thought it would be, well actually I never really thought about it. But then is the executioner considered the murderer?

It was narrated by Hayley Campbell, the author, for 8 hours and 57 minutes, easy to follow at 2x. She made it sound just like she wrote the words herself 😂

Non-fiction is not my usual genre, but I like to expand my horizons once in a while and I am glad I chose this book to do so. It's very well written and fascinating. I really liked that she took a hands on approach during some of the interviews.

TW ~ death of a baby

(4.5 stars rounded up to a 5)

All the Living and the Dead is a non-fiction book by journalist Hayley Campbell. The ebook version is 288 pages. I listened to the audiobook, which clocks in at just under nine hours and is narrated by the author.

The extended title of the book is a pretty apt description of what it entails: From Embalmers to Executioners, an Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life's Work. The author interviews various people in that spectrum, including mass fatality investigators, embalmers, former executioners, gravediggers, cryonics facility operators, crime scene cleaners, bereavement midwives, and homicide detectives.

This book was fascinating, and I learned a lot. I have been part of Death Positive DC, a group that promotes conversations about death, so this book was right up my alley. I felt so many emotions while reading this; I laughed out loud quite a few times, but there are also moments that I felt morose or sad. I've already preordered a finished copy for my bookshelf. This is one of those rare moments where the US cover is better than the UK cover!

This would be a great book for fans of Caitlin Doughty or Mary Roach. Additionally, if you're in the Death Café scene, this should absolutely be your next book club read. It mainly focuses on the Western side of how we deal with death, though there are a few brief mentions of what some other cultures do.

Special thanks to Macmillan, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for providing an audio galley of this book for me to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

All the Living and the Dead releases on Tuesday, August 16th, 2022.

“We are the survivors of an era defined by death...”

This book was a fantastic deep dive into the people who work with death daily.
I thought it was great journalism. Hayley Campbell interviews and asks hard questions, as she navigates her own curiosity with what happens to a body after death.
Some of it entertaining and many times brutal, but you can feel the compassion each person has for the once living in their care. Campbell emphasizes throughout that each person has their own way of coping, and no one person does the whole thing. It’s a collection of people working in the shadows together giving dignity to the dead, for the sake of the living.

Read by the author, I really enjoyed this audiobook, and recommend it to anyone who who wants to know the details about Western funeral and death culture.

There were moments I had to stop and really think about my relationship with death. I have a huge family and have been going to funerals my whole life. I've lost people through cancer, age, suicide, accident, overdose. I've touched the cold body of the person I loved most in the world, and returned his body to the earth as ash.

More than once I touched my daughter's sleeping back, just to feel her breathing.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for giving me the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

An eye-opening and fascinating read for curious and morbidly curious people alike, All the Living and the Dead follows journalist Hayley Campbell's journey to connect with people who work closely with death. She meets so many people with unique professions - some of these people include: a bereavement midwife, a cryonics scientist, the owner of a crime scene cleanup business, a death mask maker, a crematorium operator, the head of the Mayo Clinic department that receives bodies "donated to science," a gravedigger, an anatomical pathology technician, and, most interestingly, a real, modern-day executioner who worked in Virginia's state prisons.

Campbell brings together an excellent lineup of people who not only have fascinating stories, but also bring genuinely deep, profound, and beautiful reflections of how their professions have impacted their outlook on life. She is consistently struck by the little things that people bring to their jobs that show respect for the dead - even though few people, if anyone, would even recognize those actions. Moreover, she discovers the boundaries that some people refuse to cross - like an autopsy technician who refuses to read suicide notes of self-inflicted death cases - finding that death is not really something that one can be desensitized to, no matter how often you encounter it.

Throughout, Campbell reflects on her own experience of learning about, accepting, and confronting death as she meets more and more people who have made this their life's work. In experiencing their professions, she becomes one of them - someone who has seen far more death than the average person, and will always be haunted by some of the things she has witnessed. I found her writing to be compelling, relatable, insightful, and beautiful.

Overall, this was an excellent read for fans of Caitlin Doughty and Mary Roach, or anyone interested in connecting more with a part of life that we rarely spend time thinking about. Thank you to the publisher and Macmillan Audio for the ARC via Netgalley.

My last non fiction read was five stars! I loved ALL THE LIVING AND THE DEAD: From Embalmers to Executioners, an Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life’s Work by Hayley Campbell! I found this topic of the death industry super interesting and I loved how each chapter was about a different job relating to death. Each of the 12 people Hayley interviews offers their own philosophy and Campbell writes with respect. If you’re a fan of true crime then you’ll enjoy this book. I especially liked the chapters about the bereavement midwife and the cryonics institute. I also listened to the audiobook which was narrated by the author and it was amazing! This is now one of my fave non fiction books of this year!

I found this book almost impossible to put down despite its dark and graphic content. Campbell does a wonderful job taking the reader behind the scenes with folks in a variety of death related industries. From a crime scene cleaner to a death doula, Campbell’s writing treats every situation with honesty and care. Ultimately, I found this to be a hopeful book, and I’d recommend this investigative work to those who are interested and brave enough to uncover the secrets of what happens after we die.

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for this ALC!

Content Warnings: DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU ARE GRIEVING, ANXIOUS, DEPRESSED OR SQUEAMISH.
Death (all kinds, all ages), Gore, Violence, Grief, Miscarriage

A good witchy read. Gives me the practical magic vibes. The narrator did a good job with the dialogue. The characters were likable and especially Laurel. For having a creepy hobby, she was kinda the opposite. Figured she would be a goth or something but no, she’s actually sweet.

I have been intrigued by death and the death industry since I was a weird little child. Whether it be crime shows, books, movies, stories from my police officer family members, etc. Let me tell you that this is probably my favorite death related book that I have ever read. Hayley Campbell approached all topics with kindness that most people don't approach this subject with. The amount of topics covered by the author was more vast than I could have imagined. From death masks, to executioners, to bereavement midwifes, funeral homes, embalmers, and much more.

I found the more detailed parts (gory bits) of this were done in a professional and technical way. I didn't once feel like Campbell was disrespectful or that she was overly dramatic for views.

I also want to say that she narrates her own book and she does FANTASTIC. I honestly want her to narrate all my books. Her voice is deep, comforting, and speaks at a pace that is easy to follow. I think her narration is a large part as to why I love this book so much.

I preordered a physical copy because I wanted to support this book. I really loved it and highly recommend it to anyone curious or weirdly obsessed like me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the chance to review this.

An interesting perspective on death via journalism. A unique look at what goes on behind the scene when you die from the perspective of those who deal in death. I enjoyed listening to this book. This was subject matter that was completely foreign to me but I enjoyed it all the same. This is a front I’ve never seen tackled by an author before. Very intriguing and well written.

Overall, this was a fascinating and informative journey into the industry of death. I've previously loved similar books, including Caitlin Doughty's work, so I was eager to dive into the lives of those who make a living from death.

From the first pages, it is obvious that Campbell is deeply passionate about this topic as well as being a skilled writer. She expertly recounts her experiences shadowing various death professionals in their daily lives. I found the chapter about the executioner absolutely fascinating and heartbreaking.

I found certain comments repetitive, especially how often the author states that our first experience with death shouldn't be with someone we love. This is an important takeaway from the book, but mentioning it in every chapter was too heavy-handed.

This was incredibly informative on the topic of death. It’s a huge deep dive into the processes of death from the death itself to the autopsy and funeral processes including the burial or cremation.

This is not set in the US and apparently the processes and regulations differ here so I found this even more interesting. Knowing the differences is something that I’m not completely sure about but some of them were mentioned in this book.

It’s heavy, it deals with a lot of loss and there are heavy triggers especially surrounding infant loss. If you’re curious about the parts of the world that deal with death daily, this is a great place to start.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

All the Living and the Dead is a deeply compelling look into the death industry and the people who have made it their life's work.

Campbell takes the reader/listener by the hand and leads them beyond the vail—beyond the mystery we have built up around what happens to bodies after death. Her words, both hauntingly beautiful and achingly real, tell the stories of those who have dedicated their lives to caring for our dead and sometimes, those who are left behind. Many of the people we are introduced to are doing essential, but often overlooked work.

I could go on and on about each individual interview, each moment I had to pause the audiobook and just think for a while. However, I don't want to spoil anything. Suffice it to say, that this book changed me. I already considered myself a part of the death-positive movement, but...gah! This book! Words fail me.

All the Living and the Dead made me question everything I thought I knew about the death industry. It made me question my career choice. It made me question my desires for my own death care.

5 out of 5 stars!

This is my top book of 2022 and one of my favorite books of all time. The author, Hayley Campbell, interviews a variety of people working in the death industry, from embalmers to executioners, crime scene cleaners to bereavement ward workers. I read this book to learn more about the reality of working in the death industry. I left with a deep appreciation for the individuals who work in these fields. As the author states, "[...] what sticks is not the sadness [...] but the stories of people doing the good and right thing, even though no one will notice".

This book is impeccably researched and incredibly well-written. I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by the author (as it turns out, she's not only a talented author, but a great narrator as well). Fans of Mary Roach and Caitlyn Doughty will undoubtedly love this book, but I'd argue that a wide audience would benefit from reading it. As Campbell states, "I don't want to tell you how to feel about anything. I only want you to think about it."

Much like the author, I have always felt a fascination with death. I've read several books on the subject, including Stiff by Mary Roach. This is a perfect companion to that book as it goes into a bit of deeper dive into personal stories and how the author was introduced to death. I appreciate that the author really goes the distance with her description of the processes of what happens during embalming and preparing a body for the funeral. I also liked the fact that the author mentioned that some people need to see their loved one, no matter the state of the body for closure. I'm not sure where I personally stand on that, but I can appreciate that some people need that to move forward. This book is for anyone who has questions or is interested in death and what comes after. Great information. Well done.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the audio ARC of this book.

All the Living and the Dead is a beautifully written introspective narrative about death and the individuals who dedicate their lives and careers to death work. I was blown away by this book and how emotionally impactful it was. Some chapters are rather technical narratives about the embalming process, preparing bodies for funerals or viewings, while other chapters focus on midwives who specifically deliver stillbirths and grieve with the mothers. I had just finished reading Caitlin Doughty's Here for Eternity when I requested this book, and I'm so glad to have discovered Hayley Campbell's All the Living and the Dead directly after.

I absolutely loved Campbell's journalistic storytelling and how the author brings these death workers' stories to life. Anyone even remotely interested in the death positive movement and/or the death industry should definitely pick this up.

Beautiful, engrossing writing style, engaging and informative subjects matter. Inspiring insight leaving me with so much to think about and consider. I loved this read. I jotted down several notes to follow up with for more information.

Thank you for the ARC.