Lonely Planet’s Guide to Death, Grief and Rebirth: How Global Grieving Customs Can Help Us Live (and Die) Well

“There’s no single way to grieve,” according to this surprisingly upbeat debut guide to mourning customs across the globe. Among other traditions, Isalska overviews New Orleans funeral jazz processions (“a celebration of the departed’s life—and of life itself”); Ghana’s fantasy coffins (the dead are transported to the afterlife in caskets shaped “like ships, chilli peppers or airplanes”); and Balinese Hindu cremation ceremonies intended to “free the soul from earthly ties and ensure a serene afterlife.” Paid mourners rend their clothes and wail across the globe, and festivals to honor ancestors take place across cultures, from China’s Hungry Ghost Festival (where ritual feasts for the dead are held in Buddhist temples) to India’s Pitru Paksha (during which families perform rites in hopes of helping their ancestors achieve enlightenment). Throughout, Isalska calls for normalizing discussions around death, and makes the case that awareness of one’s mortality can provide wisdom for the here and now. Isalska’s upbeat tone and insight into the nitty-gritty of death rituals (including whether travelers may participate in them) result in an eye-opening tour of the varied ways cultures grapple with what lies beyond. Readers will be glad to take the trip. (July)