Grave Expectations: Planning The End Like There's No Tomorrow [Paperback]

Sue Bailey (Author), Carmen Flowers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 20, 2009

There isn’t a person alive who likes to think about dying—but eventually it does happen to all of us. And no one knows better what we’d like at our own funerals than we do ourselves. So, start planning! You’d be surprised that it can even be…well fun, thanks to the lighthearted tone Carmen Flowers and Sue Bailey take in this practical guide. They offer really useful, valuable advice along with a comforting perspective.
Full of humorous and poignant funeral stories and first-person accounts, Grave Expectations is the ultimate handbook. It’s packed with creative suggestions for realizing one’s final wishes, and gives you the chance to memorialize your life on your own terms in your own way. Rather than being morbid, following the steps in the book with friends and family can be an event in itself, providing guidance, peace of mind, and even an opportunity for self-discovery and expression. Plus, it’s good to know that the family and friends who love you won’t be burdened by making difficult decisions during a challenging time.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Having difficulty mustering a celebratory mood in advance of what looks to be the grimmest of New Years? Why not just bury yourself in arrangements for the one event where all and sundry will be (you hope) truly bummed out -- your funeral. Who knows, you might even enjoy yourself. Especially if you consult Grave Expectations: Planning the End Like There's No Tomorrow,... Interspersed with practical if often wildly opinionated advice...and funereal factoids... this fill-in-the-blanks, do-it-yourself handbook will allow you to, as the chapter called "The Visitation/Viewing" has it, 'wake up to the possibilities.'" -- Alida Becker, New York Times blog "Paper Cuts"

"Few of us can face the idea of planning our own funerals - but authors Carmen Flowers and Sue Bailey argue we all should, and have fun while we're at it! In their book Grave Expectations, they spell out how to address 'death's pesky details' and ensure that your funeral really is about YOU. You won't be there, so you've got to do some things in advance, if you want to have a say." -- AARP Primetime Radio

About the Author

Sue Bailey is the Vice President of On-Air promotion for HBO Original Programming. She oversees promotion for HBO original series such as The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage, Deadwood and Rome, as well as HBO films including, Angels in America, Peter Sellers, Band of Brothers and Empire Falls. As a producer and as a creative director/executive producer, Sue has been the recipient of over one hundred national and international broadcast and design awards—New York Film and Television Festivals, Promax—Gold, Silver Bronze.

 

 

Carmen Flowers has worked for The SONY Corporation, during which time she appeared on over two hundred news and talk shows around the country including Regis & Kathy Lee, Hour Magazine with Gary Collins and CNN. Carmen is credited with coining the words “camcorder” and “walkman.”

She was the co-anchor of World Travel News on the Travel Channel as well as narrator of the program The Perfect Trip with Matt Lauer which led to her own syndicated talk show Weight Loss Today. Carmen moved behind the camera when she founded Liebert Recording Studios in New York, where she worked as executive producer of commercial and independent features before forming her current media content development company, Little Black Dog, Inc.

 

 

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Cider Mill Press; Original edition (January 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160433021X
• ISBN-13: 978-1604330212
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #226,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Funeral Planning| No help with the FD, too much writing, April 24, 2010

By 

R.Brian Burkhardt "YourFuneralGuy & Author &#... (IL, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Grave Expectations: Planning The End Like There's No Tomorrow (Paperback)

There is too much writing required in this book, for the person who wants to plan their funeral.There are many cute facts about funerals written on the white background in the margin of this book.They are simply interesting things about funerals that have nothing to do with planning one's funeral.

This work has several pages that warn you about Funeral Directors, but gives no concrete advice on how to deal with the sales professionals you will negotiate your funeral contract with. There is no real advice beyond "Don't let anyone push you around or embarrass you. Go to the internet and check out all the options you have choose from"(page 53). This is poor advice as the places to plan your funeral online are too numerous to count.Some are very good and others not so good. A little guidance on this would have been helpful.

There ARE NO WORDS in the book on how to deal with funeral pre need or prepaying for a funeral, which is how many folks deal with a funeral in North America. Many folks have been taken and lost money in preneed funeral schemes. Not to mention the Prepaid Funeral and the pitfalls involved makes this work inadequate.

In Chapter 10 the idea of A Funeral Rehearsal dinner that one attends before one's death is a very creative idea, and thoughtful. But in many death circumstances(sudden death,long hospitalization) it is not at all possible.

The book offers some falsehoods when looking for an urn on line. On Page 96 the authors state that the International Cemetery and Funeral Association and the National Funeral Directors Association police online establishments that sell funeral goods and services..(Page 96) The sad truth is that these organizations simply are not setup to do this. They do not even police their own members, and could not even if they wanted to. The fact that the authors allowed that to be printed indicates a lack of understanding about funerals and the funeral business.

There is much more that can be said about this book.One star because it is an incomplete and too tedious(too much writing) exercise in planning your funeral.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grave Expectations is a winner, January 29, 2009

By 

Book Boy NYC - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grave Expectations: Planning The End Like There's No Tomorrow (Paperback)

This book sheds entertaining and informative light on a subject that we all have to face at some point - the end of our lives. It was really thought provoking and made me think about all the different options there are in planning for the end. Who knew there were so many choices? The writers keep it really lively and funny, with tidbits about how different cultures deal with death and planning the end. It's a great read and is an easy way to start a dialogue with a loved one about the inevitable end. The interactive features of the book are helpful too. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Title better than book., August 21, 2009

By 

Mary "History buff" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Grave Expectations: Planning The End Like There's No Tomorrow (Paperback)

This was interesting and approached the subject with humor, but I found I needed something with a more serious approach (not deadly) but a little more serious. This is for the younger crowd or those less formal.

The titles are marked well and it's easy to read. I found myself going to the section I needed and thumbed through the rest. If you are interested in a serious discussion, I would continue looking.