{"product_id":"purified-by-fire-a-history-of-cremation-in-america-9780520208162","title":"Purified by Fire: A History of Cremation in America","description":"\u003cp\u003eJust one hundred years ago  Americans almost universally condemned cremation. Today  nearly one-quarter of Americans choose to be cremated. The practice has gained wide acceptance as a funeral rite  in both our private and public lives  as the cremations of icons such as John Lennon and John F. Kennedy Jr. show. Purified by Fire tells the fascinating story of cremations rise from notoriety to legitimacy and takes a provocative new look at important transformations in the American cultural landscape over the last 150 years.  Stephen Prothero synthesizes a wide array of previously untapped source material  including newspapers  consumer guides  mortician trade journals  and popular magazines such as Readers Digest to provide this first historical study of cremation in the United States. He vividly describes many noteworthy eventsfrom the much-criticized first American cremation in 1876 to the death and cremation of Jerry Garcia in the late twentieth century. From the Gilded Age to the Progressive Era to the baby boomers of today  this book takes us on a tour through American culture and traces our changing attitudes toward death  religion  public health  the body  and the environment.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45646946172981,"sku":"ByrdShop_0520208161","price":218.51,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780520208162.jpg?v=1781682860","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/purified-by-fire-a-history-of-cremation-in-america-9780520208162","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}