Adventures of an Undertaking in Training- In this book a Media Guy goes underground in the Funeral Biz giving us Funny Funeral stories quips, but no meaningful content beyond that. There are underlying agendas, opinions, in this work, something that should never be found in a Funeral Book.
This work is somewhat entertaining .But that is where the value the book ends.There is plenty in this book about the Funeral Business. Media types have reported and gone underground in the funeral industry before reporting on the dismal trade with great humor. Other authors have been able to add practical advice for the consumer along the way. Tom Jokinen’s book does not do either.
There are humorous descriptions of dead bodies and what is done to them in the preparation room. There is a plethora of funeral books like that.
What is striking is the way the author supports the traditional North American way of the Funeral. The book tries to present cremation as revolutionary approach. That revolution is over cremation is mainstream in funerals. The funeral cost practice of Funeral Homes charging too much for a cremation is not addressed. The issue of Funeral Expenses and the way the industry charges the consumer is glossed over.
To the authors credit he does point out pre need, and the prepaid funeral scam(page 171)-but does not touch on the extent of the problem, preneed scam that abounds in North America.
Chapter 16 ends With a quote “This… might be the future of the funeral trade: change how people understand death like religion used to” There is a religious bias in this book.
That the book is biased, a strong statement.The authors personal beliefs and opinions jump out on every page. In a book on Funerals personal bias needs to be kept o a minimum, for a funeral like a wedding is uniquely personal.
The book concludes with a funeral director saying,”I’ll take family over everlasting life”. Jokinen’s humor in the book is laced with disrespect for the afterlife,and offends. If the author wanted to share his thoughts on the afterlife, write about God or Non God, a better forum could have been chosen than a book on undertaking.
This book fails because it is a failed attempt at humor, better books like this have been done before, it is a biased work and 6 months in the funeral home business is not enough time to begin to have a look at what it is like.
At Amazon.com, The book is tagged in business, and investing.This book will not help you to make an investment in a funeral business because it does not portay the business realistically.
The blind support by the traditional media and funeral business is simply out to lunch. ConnectingDirectors.com plagiarized a Time.com piece called Undertakers Q and A. and posted it in their main section. The sad thing is that Tom Jokinen is a member of the media and not an undertaker at all. What an embarrassment for Time and the Funeral Media site Connecting Directors.
Funeral industry|Funeral Book review|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy.
It may not be wise for one funeral author to come down on a fellow writer on funerals.In this case though being forthright is important.
