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Anthropologist Naomi Westerman was studying death rituals around the world—when her whole family died.
Upon losing those closest to her, Naomi Westerman saw that death was more than just an abstract academic concept; it was a deeply painful and personal experience. She became fascinated by loss and grief, and hoped to cope and demystify death by turning to history, art, and pop culture.
Happy Death Club examines the many faces of death and grief in Westerman’s own life and in cultures around the world. From expensive coffins and unconventional burials to horror films and true crime, what does our treatment of death and dying have to tell us about how we live our lives? What makes a “good death”? And who owns our bodies before and after we die?
Both meaningful and darkly humorous, Happy Death Club presents a frank, curious look at this universal human experience—one we’re often too afraid to talk about—and what lies beyond.
Naomi Westerman is a playwright and former anthropologist. As an anthropologist, Naomi studied death rituals around the world, also working on mental health and gender. She is a recipient of the Royal Society of Literature Award, the Michael Grandage Futures Bursary, the Derby Theatre / In Good Co Mid-Career Commission Award, and was a finalist for the Theatre Uncut Political Playwriting Award at the Young Vic. Happy Death Club is her first non-fiction book.
Content note
Spoilers
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Rat King of South London
Chapter 2: The Ashes World Tour
Chapter 3: The Price of Death, or Benedict Cumberbatch's Taxidermied Corpse
Chapter 4: Horror and Feminism and Grief, Oh My!
Chapter 5: Death and the Maiden
Chapter 6: Fear and Loathing in Mexico City
Chapter 7: Your Murder is Sponsored by Hello Fresh
Chapter 8: Batman
Chapter 9: Happy Death Club
Conclusion