We are not afraid of death. When your marks are safe in your book, you live on after you die. The life story etched on to your body is kept for ever ñ if you're worthy. When we preserve the words, pictures, and moments imprinted on our skin, our story survives for eternity. We are surrounded by the dead, and, for as long as their books are still read and their names are still spoken, they live. Everyone has the skin books in their homes: our shelves are full of my ancestors. I can breathe them in, touch them, and read their lives. But it was only after my father died that I saw the book of someone I'd really known. Excerpted from Ink by Alice Broadway All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.