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The summer before his senior year in college, Greg Melville worked at the cemetery in his hometown. Thanks to hour upon hour of pushing a mower over the grassy acres, he came to realize what a rich story the cemetery told of his town and its history. Thus was born Melville's lifelong curiosity with how, where, and why we bury and commemorate our dead.

Melville's Over My Dead Body: Unearthing the Hidden History of America's Cemeteries (Abrams Press; October 4, 2022; U.S. $27.00; Hardcover) is a lively (pun intended) and wide ranging history of cemeteries, places that have mirrored the past eras of history but have also shaped them. The book explores how cemeteries have given birth to landscape architecture and famous parks, as well as influenced architectural styles; how they've inspired and motivated some of our greatest poets and authors-Emerson, Whitman, Dickinson; and how they've been used as political tools to shift the country's discourse and as important symbols of the United States' ambition and reach.

But cemeteries are also changing and fading. Embalming and burial are incredibly toxic, and while cremations have just recently surpassed burials in popularity, they're not great for the environment either. Over My Dead Body explores this and more-history, sustainability, land use, art, politics-and what it really means to memorialize. This fascinating tour of America, its history, and our sustaining fascination with the afterlife, is a perfect read for fans of Mary Roach, Caitlyn Doughty, and Lindsey Fitzharris.