Review by Library Journal Review
Author and photographer Koudounaris's work explores how images and remains of the dead feature in other traditions-contemporary and historical. Some may find the topic morbid, but the images are undeniably beautiful, haunting, and visually striking. Compelling essays explain how life is celebrated by honoring the physical remnants of the body. Charnels, ossuaries, shrines, and temples in Italy, Greece, Germany, and Ethiopia are featured, among others. Bolivia receives special attention for its Fiesta de las Natitas. Christian traditions of memorializing human remains are addressed; readers also glean an understanding of Torajan traditions in Indonesia, tribal mummification practices in the Philippines, and Buddhist mummification customs in Asia. On a more sobering note, the volume reflects two genocides of the latter 20th century: Cambodia's Khmer Rouge regime and Rwanda's brutal, ethnically motivated massacre. Photographs of memorial sites contain visceral physical reminders of horrendous acts of violence that killed so many. The book's cross-cultural approach portrays death as a transition, rather than an "irreversible and impenetrable" border. VERDICT Recommended for readers who are both fascinated with the macabre and comfortable with their own mortality. For additional reading on the subject, see the author's The Empire of Death and Heavenly Bodies.-Rachael Dreyer, American Heritage Ctr., Laramie, WY © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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