Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death

 

Before reading this book, I would've never imagined the day where a book about death, bodily fluids, corpses and such would be even be on my radar of anything I would want to know about. I fall cleanly into the 'ignorance is bliss' category on some subjects. So why would I choose to read this book anyway? Well, the technical reason is that it was the non-fiction monthly group read choice for one of my groups. The more accurate reason is that there's a cat on the cover and how could I possibly pass by any book whose title includes the words Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? and not be at least a little curious, especially seeing how my own cat stares at me at times. I need to know if she's just waiting me out while she works on her future meal plan.

Caitlin Doughty has written a book that handles a very difficult subject with both fact and humor. The questions posed in the book come from children, and it's their imaginative (and sometimes brutal) curiosity that allows us adults to benefit from the questions we might be too timid to ask. Some might find using a humorous approach to the topic mildly crass or disrespectful, but I appreciated that Doughty broke through the polite barriers in a way that, for me at least, felt safe and enjoyable. She's like the cool science teacher you always wish you'd had. The only downside for me is simply that I started tiring of the subject as I went along. Some questions were more interesting than others, and I found myself only wanting to read the book in small doses at a time. I learned a lot - in some cases much more than I wanted to know - but it's a very well written, engaging and informative book. I don't recommend it for the overly squeamish, but I think most people would enjoy it.

★★★ ½ (rounded to 4)