Passed on: African American Mourning Stories: A Memorial (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780822328605)

Passed On is a portrait of death and dying in twentieth-century African America. Through poignant reflection and thorough investigation of the myths, rituals, economics, and politics of African American mourning and burial practices, Karla FC Holloway finds that ways of dying are just as much a part of black identity as ways of living. Gracefully interweaving interviews, archival research, and analyses of literature, film, and music, Holloway shows how the vulnerability of African Americans to untimely death is inextricably linked to how black culture represents itself and is represented.
With a focus on the "death-care" industry--black funeral homes and morticians, the history of the profession and its practices--Holloway examines all facets of the burial business, from physicians, hospital chaplains, and hospice administrators, to embalming- chemical salesmen, casket makers, and funeral directors, to grieving relatives. She uses narrative, photographs, and images to summon a painful history of lynchings, white rage and riot, medical malpractice and neglect, executions, and neighborhood violence. Specialized caskets sold to African Americans, formal burial photos of infants, and deathbed stories, unveil a glimpse of the graveyards and burial sites of African America, along with burial rituals and funeral ceremonies.
Revealing both unexpected humor and anticipated tragedy, Holloway tells a story of the experiences of black folk in the funeral profession and its clientele. She also reluctantly shares the story of her son and the way his death moved her research from page to person.
In the conclusion, which follows a sermon delivered by Maurice O. Wallace at the funeral for the author's son, Bem, Holloway strives to commemorate--through observation, ceremony, and the calling of others to remembrance and celebration.

Author: Karla Fc Holloway
ISBN-10: 0822328607
ISBN-13: 9780822328605
Publisher: Duke University Press
Language: English
Published: 01/30/2002
Pages: 248
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.24lbs
Size: 9.24h x 6.44w x 0.92d
Award: Hurston/Wright LEGACY Award - Finalist

Review Citation(s):
PW Notes and Reprints 01/21/2002 pg. 82
Booklist 02/15/2002 pg. 1003
Black Issues Book Review 05/01/2002 pg. 61
Foreword 05/01/2002 pg. 51
Choice 11/01/2002 pg. 512
Univ PR Books for Public Libry 01/01/2003 pg. 43 - Strongly Recommended
Publishers Weekly 01/21/2002