Overview
The 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 Melvilleās lifelong curiosity with how, where, and why we bury and commemorate our dead.Ā
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Melvilleās 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 have also shaped it. Cemeteries have given birth to landscape architecture and famous parks, as well as influenced architectural styles. Theyāve inspired and motivated some of our greatest poets and authorsāEmerson, Whitman, Dickinson. Theyāve been used as political tools to shift the countryās discourse and as important symbols of the United States' ambition and reach.Ā
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But they are changing and fading. Embalming and burial is incredibly toxic, and while cremations have just recently surpassed burials in popularity, theyāre not great for the environment either. Over My Dead BodyĀ explores everythingāhistory,Ā sustainability, land use, and moreāand what it really means to memorialize.
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Locales visited in Over My Dead Body
Shawsheen Cemetery ā Bedford, Massachusetts
The 1607 Burial Ground ā Historic Jamestowne, Virginia
Burial Hill ā Plymouth,Ā Massachusetts
Colonial Jewish Burial Ground ā Newport, Rhode Island
Monticelloās African American Graveyard ā Charlottesville,Ā Virginia
Mount Auburn Cemetery ā Cambridge,Ā Massachusetts
Green-Wood Cemetery ā Brooklyn, New York
Laurel Grove CemeteryĀ ā Savannah, Georgia
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery ā Concord,Ā Massachusetts
Central Park ā New York,Ā New York
Gettysburg National Cemetery ā Gettysburg,Ā Pennsylvania
Arlington National Cemetery ā Arlington,Ā Virginia
Woodlawn Cemetery ā Bronx,Ā New York
Boothill GraveyardĀ ā Tombhill, Arizona
Forest Lawn Memorial-ParkĀ ā Glenwood,Ā California
The Chapel of the ChimesĀ ā Oakland,Ā California
Hollywood Forever CemeteryĀ ā Los Angeles, California
Nature's SanctuaryĀ ā Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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This book title, Over My Dead Body (Unearthing the Hidden History of America's Cemeteries), ISBN: 9781419754852, by Greg Melville, published by Abrams Press (October 4, 2022) is available in hardcover. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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