I bought it only a few years ago. Anyone who's enjoyed Nancy Mitford's novels (esp. Pursuit of Love/Love in Cold Climate) will love this autobiography by her sister Jessica. Geez, and I can't get a hold of "Highland Fling" either! What's this world coming to?

Jessica Mitford's memoirs of life in the communist party are much funnier than you'd have any reason to think they'd be. If you've read her autobiography (Daughters and Rebels) you'll have some idea of what you're in for here. Lots of fun to read, lots of laughs.

In the past almost three years, I have been corresponding with a dozen or more women in, primarily, the Texas prisons (TDCJ). What the author of this book says is sadly so true. America just wants to lock up its problems, get free labor, and oil the economy of the outlying areas where the "units" are located. This is a must read for anyone that votes

I was sorry to see that this has gone out of print. The late Jessica Mitford, author of the American Way of Death, was a fine investigative journalist and just plain good writer. In Poison Penmanship she gleefully shares her adventures in the trade. She was fearless and zestful; obviously enjoyed the ruckus she kicked up, whether taking on the "death industry," the penal system, or a restaurant review. She is missed; so is this book.

Jessica was in many respects the only Mitford to escape. She did it early and with certainty, drama and flair. The leftist in a confused family of largely fascist and certainly later conservative leanings; Jessica was a 'Bolshie' as Nancy would say. The great pain in her life, that had once been a child's game, was that her favorite sister, Unity, was a Nazi sympathizer and onetime friend of Hitler's. As children, these two would draw the hammer and sickle and schwastikas in competitions each against the other, that ultimately took on more serious proportions. Jessica remained a rebel well into old age.

This book is a love story and a story of breaking free, suffering and surviving. It is also slightly imitative of the works of her older sister, Nancy Mitford, who gained much more celebrity in writing about her upperclass "Hon" sisters and eccentric parents. Interestingly, Nancy found the book to be mean-spirited and somewhat dishonest. I read her thoughts recently in a book of her letters. She did not tell 'Decca' this, but said it openly to many members of her family. Nancy never really opposed the forces and characters in her family- she perhaps improved them in her writing. Her sister was not alligned in that manner- and often felt contempt.
That these girls were brilliant, there is no doubt. The book tells of their made up language, their constant games and spirit that was allowed to flourish, despite the bellowing and controlling father who, in hindsight was pre-occupied with his own fantasies and illusions so that his controls were not as complete as he may have imagined. Also, as with all families,
Farve mellowed by the time the younger children came around.
Jessica fell in love before she actually met her second cousin Esmond Romilly, relative of Churchill and a youthful, avowed Communist. Their story extends to the Spanish Civil War, to the British Embassy in Washington D.C. and ultimately to tragedy and Jessica's rebirth to purely American agenda's, not the least of which was the McCarthy era. The book is less funny than Nancy's but is very worth the read and has its own share of humor. When reading Nancy's letters, I was struck with how deeply she lived within her family throughout her life, despite her French residency. Jessica, seemed less entombed in the Lord Redesdale family, although certainly unforgettably a Mitford, she took the greatest risks, and the most sensational, and committed the gravest offense, that being, emigration to America. I recommend this to anyone intrigued, as I am, by this marvellous family. Jessica was certainly the boldest of the girls.

Decca's account of her eccentric family is every bit as moving and funny as I had hoped. You can't beat the Mitfords in the "fact-is-stranger-than-fiction" category. Decca proves a formidable storyteller and great wit!

Proving that the ability to write humorously was not just limited to the more famous Mitford sister, Nancy, Jessica (or Decca as she was known by the family, writes an intentionally hilarious account of the first 20 or so years of her life.

As I am going through a Mitford phase at the moment I thought I would start following up the various biographies and memoirs of the sisters and their children. There were six sisters in this family of eccentric, talented and individual children and one brother who unfortunately was killed in WWII. Jessica, the second youngest of the family was born in 1917 and was in the second half of the family - Nancy, the eldest was born in 1904, so they were never really contemporaries. Jessica's book Hon's and Rebels describes her memories of her home life and early marriage years until just before the death of her first husband in WWII.

Its a marvellous read, and while other Mitford sisters have said that there are parts of this that are untrue, (memories are not necessarily that reliable) it is an easy, witty and fun read and enough reliability in it to not deceive.

I would recommend reading this in conjunction with some of the other broader works of Mitford biographies, I read it with Mary Lovell's recent biography which was helpful = and definitely read Nancy Mitford's first two novels of her series (The pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate) before delving into any Mitford biographies. They are wonderful and draw from her life. Jessica's Memoirs are icing on a wonderful cake. (so to speak)

A great, easy read.

Having lived half my life in the US and half in the UK, I was aware of fundamental differences in practices surrounding death and funeral rituals. Mitford's book provides a useful historical context with a biting criticism of the funeral industry's emotional and financial exploitation of the American public. It's baffling that such a consumer-wise nation could have such a huge blind spot when it comes to the one service which we will ALL use at some time. Depressingly, the mega funeral corporations are making their moves into the British and other world wide funeral markets -- with seemingly little opposition. In any case, I just hope I don't expire during my next visit to the US!

"The American Way of Death Revisited" provides a wealth of information, presented in a tactful and witty manner, to prepare anyone for "battle" with the funeral industry in the event of a loved one's death. It is clear and thorough without being ghoulish or flippant.

Read it now before you need it!

Jessica Mitford delivers an excellent work that delves into the business of dealing with the dead (now called "death care"). It is a must read as it is a life event we will all face at some point in our lives and our dealings with loved ones. I know that looking back on when I had to arrange a funeral, I even though it was to be a Jewish funeral and dispensed with ornate coffins and definitely closed coffin, I can see how because I was uninformed I agreed to services that were just not needed, because I was told that it was "the law." I now know quite a bit more about what is fact and what are upselling techniques.

Jessica Mitford does an outstanding job. The update is odd because it is hard to know when the book is referring to the early 1960's or to the late 1990's.

I've read the earlier version, but everyone should read the update. Good practical advice on how to protect yourself as a consumer. Subject matter is great--from the 1885 National Funeral Directors embalming contest, with a $1000 first prize for the best-looking decedent after 60 days, to the wonderful Batesville Burping Casket. It's only too bad that another update can't be arranged in the future via Ouija board broadband with the author!
Seriously, do yourself a favor and get this.

I kept wondering why anyone would want to read a biography of any one of these women. Together, they make an interesting family. However, Sydney, the mother, is the best Mitford by far.
Through all her children's wild political workings, living with
her husband's gruff demeanor, and living through her son's death in the war, she sails gracefully on, always there for her children and having a few wild politics of her own. I did feel that I knew each one of them so I'll give the author that.

Mary S. Lovell made a wise decision when she took up her pen and joined the Mitford industry. The Sisters (The Saga of the Mitford Family) is a truly fascinating and endlessly engaging book. And there was no way it could not be with those crazy Mitfords: Nancy, Jessica, Debo, Diana, Pam and, of course, the very tragic Unity Valkyrie, conceived at Swastika Canada and devoted friend of Hitler. The story of these sisters spans the twentienth century and travels all over the political spectrum. The author shows her own conservative bias clearly throughout and was obviousaly charmed by Diana Mosely (nee Mitford), the still living wife of Sir Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Fascists during the interwar years. But her prejudices and political naivete (the author's suggestion that World War II could possibly have been avoided if Diana just brought Hitler and Churchill, a relative of hers, together is quite silly and should have been edited out) are so apparent that one can enjoy the book regardless. The portrayal of the mother of the girls, Sydney, is the most interesting to come along of her. A wonderful, delightful read of six powerfully individual women.

As skeptical as I was about how interesting a book about six British sisters of another era could be I am glad to say I was delighted in being wrong. Mary Lovell has made another time come to life in this multibiographical tome which chronicles the lives of what certainly must have been one of the most fascinating (and often most reviled) families in British history.
As entertaining as the book is as a general read it also adds some dimension to the understanding historically of the time and the social and political upheavals then in existence. These girls may have been misguided, naive and sometimes just plain stupid but they certainly weren't boring.

. . . and the No. 1 censored story of 2000 is that liberal ideologues got suckered into believing Mumia Abu Jamal is innocent!

August 1, 2002

These "Censored News" books are a quick, easy way
to figure out some of the "big picture" stuff real
easy, but it doesn't make for reassuring reading.
Some crimes are so huge they can hardly be taken in
from street level. Like trying to figure out what
a skyscraper looks like with your nose pressed
against the foundation stone.

Also valuable are the resources and links listed
within the book.

Beware though: follow too many links on the Internet
and you'll end up on sites run by people who think
the next hundred years have already been scripted by
a secret cabal of Satan-worshipping corporate mages.

The truth is more disturbing. Bread and circuses
simply sell better.

I've read several of these annual Project Censored books, and each time I have become more and more disillusioned with the weaknesses of the mainstream news media. The ever-growing corporate control of the network/cable news and newspapers has encouraged several reviewers of this book to cite conspiracy theories and yell out cheesy, predictable slogans like "take the power back!" and assume it's the end of the world. I won't go that far, but the fact that a shrinking number of corporations control a large percentage of the mainstream media, as amply illustrated in this book, is indeed a disturbing trend. I now believe very little of what I see on the TV news, without taking it with a very large grain of salt. The fact that many of the top 25 "censored" stories in this book are based on coverups of corporate lawbreaking or unethical behavior is very telling. The mainstream news has become a vehicle for corporate profits, and any journalistic scoops that could possibly threaten these profits are impossible to find on the TV news.

Some good features of this book are the intros by Walter Cronkite and Mumia Abu-Jamal, and the use of one of my favorite comic strips, "This Modern World" by Tom Tomorrow. Some of the essays by various media watchdogs and analysts are fascinating as well. But this book does have some drawbacks though, including a repetitive condemnation of the mainstream news organizations (you can say it a few times, but a million times is tedious), and there's an annoyingly long write-up of a corporate-backed police crackdown on an independent radio station in Pacifica, California. The Project Censored series overall would benefit from some more focus and less proselytizing. But it's not too hard to avoid those weaknesses and focus on the censored stories, which are mostly worth worrying about. And it's not just a leftist rant, either.

If any book deserves negative stars, this one does! And that's what I wish I could give it!

It is disgusting and pointless. Rude and crude and contains inflencial, wrong concepts and ideas that will win over those who are weak-minded.

Don't waste your time with it. Move on to something else.

HORRIBLE!HORRIBLE!HORRIBLE!HORRIBLE!HORRIBLE!HORRIBLE!HORRIBLE!

First of all, I'd like to say that I can't imagine that the reader from England read the same book I did. There was absolutely nothing "rude and crude" or inflammatory in any way in the book, unless you consider the idea that a midwife could successfully deliver babies rude and crude!

This book made me think and it made me laugh. I particularly enjoyed Ms. Mitford's writing style, which was snappy and curmudgeonly all at the same time. I thought the historical info about the barber/surgeon guilds in England was probably the most boring part of the book. The info about the grannie midwives in the South in the early 1900s was the most interesting to me.

This isn't one of those books that you "have to read" if you're having a baby (which is good, since it's out of print). I'd recommend Sheila Kitzinger or Dr. William Sears for that. However, it *is* an interesting look at U.S. culture and trends which reflect/are reflected in images of women.

Maybe what the English reader objected to was Ms. Mitford's strong conviction that it's the woman who has the baby, not the doctor who "delvers" it? Who knows. If you're the kind of person who just likes to do what you're told, don't read this book, as it may upset you. If, however, you're interested in an exploration of birth in America and aren't afraid to hear that the doctor may not always know everything, look in Auctions or ZShops or your local library and read this book.

This historical account of childbirth in America is absolutely absorbing in its detail and fascinating in its accurate account of how childbirth was actually stolen from midwives. In the first few chapters the author shows alarming behavior by medical doctors due to their conceited attitudes. Many women's lives have been lost because of such pompus attitudes. If every pregnant woman read this book I am sure that the midwifery rate for childbirth in this country would skyrocket. I have been convinced. Obstetricians are overused in this country and it is time to get back to the basics and remember that pregnancy is not a "disease" that needs to be cured, but a natural event that just needs to be "monitored" in the RARE case of a complication. This book has my highest recommendation.

In Jessica Mitford's, The American Way of Death the author outlines the purpose of writing the book in the first chapter. Mitford wishes to dispel the myths surrounding funerals. First, that today's funerals are founded on American tradition. Secondly, the public is being giving what it wants. Finally, there is the psychiatric theories behind the funeral industry for providing the lasting "memory picture," or last view of the deceased as well as that of the mortician as a grief therapist. Mitford asks the question, "Is this [the present day funeral] what most people want for themselves and their families?" Once the question is asked she sets out to answer it and pose a few more in the process. She raises questions within the mind of the reader. Causing said reader to look a little more skeptically at a subject the American public generally does not pay too much attention to until it is needed. The book first looks at the funeral transaction and the "business" behind the funeral. The first several chapters in the book are concerned with the business practices of the funeral directors and the costs for the services of the same. Mitford points out how the funeral director leads the family members of the deceased to spend more and more money. For example when choosing a casket they are first shown a very expensive model should they ask for something less expensive they are then shown a cheap model. In this act the funeral man is hoping to "rebound" the customer back to a more expensive model. Just as with any merchant of goods the price, profit, and selling technique is important to good business. The sales technique is only one example of how the public can be taken in by seemingly normal business practices. Another is the questions into the deceased's income, job type, and insurance by the funeral director. All seemingly harmless questions designed to ascertain how much money can conceivably be billed to the family. The prices are then set according to the amount each can afford to spend. This practice is one of the reasons price lists are not handed out or freely advertised. There are even less subtle ways in which the public can be deceived. The mortician will even go so far as misstatingthe laws to push the purchase of services not necessary to the disposition of the body. Funerals are perhaps one of the most expensive items ever purchased in one's life yet it is one that is made on the spot. In most cases impulse buying is not encouraged however the funeral industry relies on it knowing few people would even think of shopping around for better prices. Mitford goes on tocondemn the practice of embalming. The funeral industry says it is needed for health reason as well as cosmetic reason. For the most part, as pointed out in the book, embalming is done without the consent of the family. After the casket, it is the next biggest expense and it may not even be necessary. It is being done and charged to families who are having the body cremated. Cremation is one of the few times that the funeral industry says embalming is not needed. However if they had their way it would be done all the time. The funeral industry sticks by their statement that it is needed for health reason even though, according to Mitford, no physician will back that statement. Instead they say that a body which is not embalmed proves no threat to the public health. Besides what the funeral director does himself there are many allied industries that are involved with the burial process. First, there is the flower industry. Seemingly a small part of the whole, but as Mitford points out when confronted by obituaries that make statements by the family not to send flowers, the flower industry fights back. They go so far as to pull advertisements and to force papers not to carry any such obituaries. Then there are the cemeteries most of which require a burial vault and a specified headstone. Many cemeteries or memorial gardens now incorporate the sales of the headstones and some even the flowers. Not only do they dictate what you can put on the grave as far as headstones they will go so far as calling to push sales if one is not placed in a few months after the burial. Most cemeteries used to be owed by local governments and therefore prices were kept low. Now they are owned privately but are still considered non-profit. Even as a non-profit company they are somehow making money. Mitford uses the Forest Lawn cemetery in California as an example how one company can filter money from one area to another to show it is still operating as a non-profit organization, but still making a profit. The cemetery further cashes in on this by operating a gift shop and selling little trinkets and momentos. Also most crematoriums are owned and operated by cemeteries. Cremation is perhaps the least expensive way in which to dispose of remains but the funeral system is set up to keep the costs high. This is not only with goods and services but also with the placement of the cremains. People are being forced to purchase space in a cemetery and are not allowing for disposal by family members. The men who perform the tasks of disposing of human remains assume that they are giving the public just what it wants and that what it wants is based on a long standing American tradition. Mitford wonders just how this "public demand is expressed and made known to" the funeral director. Perhaps it is conveyed through the publics general apathy toward funerals. We have always allowed the funeral director to do whatever he feels appropriate therefore building on the premise that he is doing what we want. As for today's funerals being based on American tradition this does not really hold water even to a casual observer. When one looks back at funerals just a hundred years before they really are not at all like today's funerals. Undertakers, as the were known back then before all the terminology changed, were not full-time morticians and usually had another job. Furniture makers made the coffins and families took care of the bodies. Someone usually watched the body not for the "memory picture" but to make sure there were no signs of life. The modern funeral home was perhaps invented by some entrepreneur who realized he could make money from supplying all those goods and services in one place. Once he had enough money he was then able to get the legislation to back up his rights as a business man. Even further away from American tradition is the art of embalming. It had its early starts in the pagan rituals of ancient Egypt. What is so American about that except perhaps the possibilities to capitalize on an old idea? Finally the mortician thinks of himself as providing an invaluable service known to him as grief therapy. Funerals are for the living and he will reflect their wish even if they conflict with the last wishes of the deceased. This again enforces the morticians' reasons for embalming and restorative cosmetics in creating those lasting "memory pictures" of their loved ones. Giving the grieving person one last memory of the deceased in an appearance of resting peacefully. The book forces one to face the reality of the salesman behind the services and to be more skeptical when doing business with them. The book is a bit dated having been published in 1963. Laws as well as business practices have changed since then. Also the laws vary from state to state therefore making the majority of the text a regional work since the author lived in and did her research in California. At the very end of the book the appendices give some interesting alternatives to a costly funeral. It gives a list of several funeral societies and how to start a memorial society of ones own as well as forms to donate one's body to science and information as to where to do such a thing. One cannot dismiss the book as a whole for it causes one to question his own thoughts and beliefs about the funeral industry which is a task in itself. Since few things have changed it is still worth a look.

Though originally published in 1963, this is still current information. Just before her death Ms.Mitford said that the problem has gotten worse since then. Read it for perspective and insight into the current state of the funeral industry.

Jessica Mitford leaves no headstone unturned in this exploration of the American funeral industry. Not only is it interesting as a study of funeral practices, but it also offers insights into business psychology, marketing, and sociology. Mitford's style is piercing and humorous (the chapter about emblaming often made me laugh out loud) while remaining very respectful of the deceased and their loved ones. Classics are never out of date -- and The American Way of Death is a classic.