It Tolls For Thee

A funeral celebrant's story about how celebrating death, and creating personalised space for grief, can enrich lives and give meaning to death.

After a close encounter with death, Tom Morton realised he neededa change of pace and perspective. He decided to become the only independentfuneral celebrant on the remote Shetland Islands, an unusual new profession thatwould lead him on an extraordinary journey into the world of the dead. In a vivid narrative that reveals the fascinating realm ofthe unspoken - from extraordinary undertakers and death cafes, to pilgrimagesand taboos - Tom quickly learns that death and speaking for the dead requiresyou to think on your feet and often take a magpie approach to faith andphilosophy.

From Humanism to hymns, Theravada Buddhism to Star Warstheology, he discovers the importance of ritual, humour, and the empowering actof trying to find words for something beyond language itself. This is an accessible and thought-provokingguide to celebrating mortality. When grief must be an inevitable part of life, Tomshows how we can mourn together in a way that feels appropriate to the life ofthe one who has passed on, and ultimately cultivate a healthy attitude to ourown eventual demise.