Our Lady of Mount Carmel Italian Feast, Pennsylvania (Images of America Series) Book

I am glad there is a guide to this old and historic place. Unfortunately for my taste, this book leans more toward genealogy and listing the complete names of strangers who left little mark in history than toward images of the beauties and wonders to be found at this graveyard. That's good if your family traces itself back to Old Detroit, but not so good when it comes to giving a traveler a reason to go out of her way.

Of all the cemeteries of Detroit, I will rank this one last in terms of need to visit, based on this book. Which, I admit, is a shame. In general, I prefer to visit Catholic cemeteries over Protestant ones, based on my preference for the more ornate mortuary statuary often found there. Such things may exist in Mount Elliott (there are hints in some of the photos), but the bulk of the monuments illustrated here are less than compelling.

All that said, the author provides some fascinating information on the symbolism on military and Fireman's Fund grave monuments. I wish she'd focused more on those elements, about which she is impressively knowledgeable.