Lori Erickson is a pastor, as well as a travel writer focused on the spiritual. Death threw her for a loop when her brother died suddenly and her mom had to be placed in dementia-care full time. In an attempt to understand death in different cultures and clear her heart, Erickson put together a part travel guide and part spiritual memoir to explore how the rest of the world deals with Death. From Mayan Temples, to Dia de Muertos, to Maori settlements, and graveyards, each culture copes with death and mortality a different way.
Erickson has a cheerful voice that is both entertaining and careful not to be too preachy. While she is an Episcopal deacon, Near the Exit does not feel like you’re having religion thrown in your face and is easily digestible for whatever you believe. Her focus is on love, acceptance, and how the world understands death.
Near the Exit is available from Westminster Knox Press now.
