A Compelling Read

A taste...

"Like bleached teeth, they are whiter than the older markers which have endured the elements far longer. Few of the deceased are buried alongside loved ones, another indication of how freshly dug these graves are and how young most of their occupants were when they died. The religious symbols on the headstones are also more ecumenical — the Christian cross still dominates, but you see trumpeting Mormon angels and the occasional Muslim crescent.

The biggest difference, however, is the sheer volume of flowers and memorabilia left by survivors. Seeing all these pictures, wreaths and seasonal poinsettias triggered in my mind a story Woodward recounted when he went to Section 60.

He met a mother who was reading a book to her dead son. She told him that when she first started coming to visit, her son was in the last row. He wasn’t any more."

Go read the whole thing.