Purified by Fire: A History of Cremation in America [Paperback]

Stephen Prothero (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0520236882 | ISBN-13: 978-0520236882 | Publication Date: November 4, 2002 | Edition: 1

Just one hundred years ago, Americans almost universally condemned cremation. Today, nearly one-quarter of Americans choose to be cremated. The practice has gained wide acceptance as a funeral rite, in both our private and public lives, as the cremations of icons such as John Lennon and John F. Kennedy Jr. show. Purified by Fire tells the fascinating story of cremation's rise from notoriety to legitimacy and takes a provocative new look at important transformations in the American cultural landscape over the last 150 years.
Stephen Prothero synthesizes a wide array of previously untapped source material, including newspapers, consumer guides, mortician trade journals, and popular magazines such as Reader's Digest to provide this first historical study of cremation in the United States. He vividly describes many noteworthy events--from the much-criticized first American cremation in 1876 to the death and cremation of Jerry Garcia in the late twentieth century. From the Gilded Age to the Progressive Era to the baby boomers of today, this book takes us on a tour through American culture and traces our changing attitudes toward death, religion, public health, the body, and the environment.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

As Prothero (religion, Boston Univ.) states in the introduction, "what Americans usually do is bury." In this outstanding work, he delves deeply into a subject that is often avoided: death and, most specifically, cremation. He reads ancient texts, showing how the likes of Homer, Virgil, and Ovid discussed cremation. As Christianity rose in the West, cremation disappeared, and from the late fourth century C.E. until the 17th century burial was the accepted way to dispose of the dead. Prothero cites English physician Sir Thomas Browne's 1658 book on cremation as critical to the modern cremation movement. But Prothero focuses mainly on cremation in America. Starting in the late 1800s, when the first modern American cremations took place, Prothero traces the changing views about cremation in America up to the present. Now almost a quarter of the populace chooses cremation, and cultural icons such as John Lennon and President Kennedy have been cremated without a second thought. Some of the more interesting sections of the book consider the interplay of cremation and public health and the centrality of the immortality of the soul to cremationists. This very interesting book is highly recommended for larger public, academic, and theological libraries.DJay Stephens, Roanoke Higher Education Ctr. Lib., VA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Social scientists often produce fascinating studies by focusing on seemingly obscure subjects (cod, for example, or bowling alone); this survey of cremation's U.S. history by a Boston University religion professor illuminates many aspects of the nation's social and cultural history. Conventional wisdom might attribute cremation's rise--from less than 4 percent of U.S. deaths in 1963 to 24 percent in 1998--to secularization. Prothero is not so sure: "Whether to bury or to burn," he maintains, raises key philosophical and theological issues, including "perceptions of the self, attitudes toward the body, views of history, styles of ritual, and beliefs in God and the afterlife." Prothero identifies three periods of cremation in the U.S.: the introduction of this "radical" European idea (1874-1896); a period of consolidation as cremation facilities and institutions (including crematories' relationships with the funeral industry) were formed (1896-1963); and the recent boom (1963-present). Today cremation is winning acceptance as a simpler approach that allows survivors to design customized death rituals particularly meaningful to them. Intriguing analysis of changes in social mores. Mary Carroll
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (November 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520236882
• ISBN-13: 978-0520236882
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #758,555 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen Prothero is the New York Times bestselling author of Religious Literacy and chair of the religion department at Boston University. His work has been featured on the cover of Time magazine, Oprah, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, National Public Radio, and other top national media outlets. He writes and reviews for The New York Times Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Washington Post, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Salon, and other publications. He holds degrees in American Religion from Harvard and Yale.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enlightening delve into the history of Cremation, April 30, 2004

By 

Jason Engler (Little Rock, Arkansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Purified by Fire: A History of Cremation in America (Hardcover)

As a funeral director, and for me personally, cremation is a fascinating subject.
Stephen Prothero's book, "Purified by Fire," takes an interesting and enlightening look at one of the oldest methods of "disposition" in the world. It also explains the origins of the rite of cremation in America in an easily understood language, and removes the "shroud" of mystery of the cremation of the dead.
A fantastic read for any who wonder about death rites - and any who actually wonder about any type of history in the United States.
Prothero has gone the extra mile in gathering information for the reader. He takes the door off the columbarium and crematorium and allows us to take a look inside. He gives us the background: that cremation was brought to the United States by those who were concerned about disease in the dead; then gives us a glimpse into the future: that cremation is gaining popularity, even by those in the major religious denominations.
From "Birth" to "Boom", Prothero unleashes his magic of writing and works it into a magnificent MUST READ that I refer to as "The Cremationist's Bible".

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 Stars, It's OK, September 25, 2011

By 

So. Calif book reader "readalot" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Purified by Fire: A History of Cremation in America (Paperback)

I found the book very repetitious. He kept going back over and over about what people did and thought back in the 1800's Once was enough. He is obviously pro cremation and is more than antagonistic towards Christianity I think and how they relate/think about the subject. People feel the way they feel and they aren't necessarily ignorant or brainwashed by religion because of it. He wants to promote the liberal side of religion and how sensible they are and on and on. He really does go on and on about the same thing. The book could have been much shorter.

By the way, I attended a symposium at Forest Lawn in 2003 where Prothero was a speaker along with others. At the end, questions were directed to the speakers. And someone asked Prothero whether he had children or not to which he answered yes, and it was a child of just a few years. The person asked him that if his child died, would he cremate them. It stumbled Prothero who finally answered that he would NOT.