Over My Dead Body

Over My Dead Body is an intriguing, yet grave overview of American history. A journalistic perspective on cemeteries around the United States was exactly the kind of audiobook that I needed for my bus rides home from my day job. Cemeteries have always intrigued me and these past few years hiking around cemeteries has become a hobby for me. The combination of personal stories and history Greg Melville used to share the stories beneath cemeteries was a spirited approach. It brought a new perspective on American culture as subjects such immigration, slavery, colonialization, transcendentalism and celebrity status through artifacts of history: graveyards. While many of the topics Melville explores deserve more in-depth attention, his writing is very engaging and accessible. The book satiated my wanderlust as different parts of North America are explored. I couldn’t help but imagine taking a similar approach to a foreign country, wondering what that would reveal. However, Over My Dead Body’s focus was clearly focused on deadly aspects of American history. Now I’m dying to visit the places I’ve never been to that were discussed in this book!

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