Midwest Book Review

Cemetery Reflections belongs in any arts or history collection strong in photography or monument records. It provides a powerful visual history of three centuries of American graveyards, pairing black and white and color images with literary reflections (both poetry and prose), which come from philosophical and psychological writing.

 Readers interested in the psychology of grief, the literary expression of loss, and the reflections of graveyards as places that both inspire and give pause for thought will find these images and written words capture the longstanding traditions of death, burial, and mourning in America.

 The delicate art of mourning and presentation of epitaphs and tributes to the deceased and living alike make for a powerful presentation that should ideally transcend arts audiences to also reach circles of survivors struggling with grief.

 These readers receive an evocative mix of insights on all kinds of attitudes towards death, and will relish the dual impact of photos and language surrounding it.

 American history to arts and psychology libraries will all appreciate this diverse gathering of headstones and the stories they tell, and will find the collection lends to literary and philosophical insights and discussions.

 Ideally, book club discussion groups on grief and surviving will use it to bring to light the emotions that surround death, exploring the artistic and emotional draw Cemetery Reflections explores and represents.

 - D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review