Educational Media Reviews Online

A Family Undertaking: Home Funerals In America is more fascinating than you might think. And though it contains a caveat about the nature of the content, it is tasteful and informative. According to the narrators, home funerals are simple, inexpensive, and legal in most states, and are a return to the way Americans had cared for their family deaths until the turn of the 20th century. They claim that modern technology and culture has robbed us of involvement in both the birth and death processes. Authors and activists in the Home Funeral movement claim funeral homes do not lend themselves to the intimacy of such an important personal family event and offer only cookie cutter solutions to individual needs. Scenes from a national convention of the Funeral Industry tell of “creating a meaningful funeral experience.” Even Disney is mentioned as a benchmark of success. The video covers the embalming process, while at the same time questioning its expense and need. Families are shown involved in the planning and executing of home funerals and claim the process is peaceful and calming, leading to acceptance of the body as a mere shell, and the ultimate acknowledgment of loss. Viewing A Family Undertaking: Home Funerals In America may convince that the home funeral is an idea whose time has just not come, but returned. Recommended for all public and academic collections.