Schulz (modern history, Newcastle U.) has made this first work about East German "sepulcher culture" extremely interesting, covering the period 1945 to 1990. He examines the origins of modern East German sepulcher culture, the organization of disposal, the structures and choices among overcrowded cemeteries, the communal burial of ashes, the development of new spaces for disposal, and the diversity of rituals they could exercise. Throughout, he gives explanations for East German options and choices, and the codes for each. Annotation ©2014 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)