Tears and Laughter? is Alan Read's second book. The book is a collection of anecdotes from the forty years he was a funeral director.

Dimensions: 146mm by 210mm
Pages: 132
Price: £9.95 plus UK postage £1.50 or worldwide £2.50.

Signed copies available for a £1.00 donation to The Heart and Angina Support Group, along with a donation from every book sold.

Available to order direct by post
with a cheque from the author/publisher
E. Alan Read, 10 The Villas, Egremont, Cumbria, CA22 2AU

Synopsis

A departure from his normal writings on local history. E Alan Read who was an undertaker (now termed Funeral Director) in and around the town of Egremont for almost 40 years aptly describes episodes from this part of his working life.

A small town Undertaker cares for the people around him at the most stressful period of their lives and virtually becomes a member of those families in the process. He is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. His life is spent helping solve the innumerable problems posed at the time of bereavement without fuss or bother to those in the depth of the despair created. His professionalism to maintain a dignified outward appearance irrespective of all circumstances, with the ability to suppress his own feelings at all times is paramount to those in need of his services.

Alan's writing proves we are all human, his attitude towards the bereaved is one of deep understanding and heartfelt concern, deepened by having to come to terms personally with the deaths of close family and the death of his wife after 47 years of happy marriage. He knows the shock and despair at first hand, he shares his own feelings with dignity and comforting advice.

His book 'Tears and Laughter' not only gives an insight into the responsibilities and activities of an Undertaker, it also punctuates the more serious narrative with lots of humorous but never distasteful anecdotes. It throws fresh light on a profession of which little is known and describes the range of feelings which the work entailed can arouse. Sadness giving way to mirth on many occasions. The book deftly shows the trials and tribulations of a family Undertaker in his dealings with the work of the 'Grim Reaper'. It brings to life (if that is the correct word) the way of life yesterday, a way of living and dying in an era now past, al dealt with tastefully with extreme sensitivity, from still born children to a 99 year old lady.
The book reverts from copious amounts of tears of distress to copious amounts of tears through laughter. Ministers, clergymen, grave diggers, crematorium staff, florists, caterers, hospital staff, nurses, and doctors with all associated trades and professions implicated in a resulting bereavement are included. It is a book of many facets, compassion, emotion, comfort, reliability, devotion, generosity, all actual episodes in a life of actual daily experiences.

The cartoon illustrations by Craig Rodgers lend a helping hand in understanding the realities of death and the humour unintended at times. Verses of deep emotional value, tragedy and humour combine to provide the reader with a fascinating insight into a profession which is virtually vital to any community, large or small.
A profession where trust is implicit, where confidences are sacred to a group of men dedicated to a calling, not a job. This is a book already acknowledged for its depth of understanding at one of life's most difficult times, and helps those sorely distressed to find solace and smile once again through tears.