Goodreads | Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

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gutters	2	02/01/2008 08:17AM

Lissa rated it:

09/26/07

Read in February, 2007

I bought this book when I first taught my class that has a foresnic anthropology component. I thought I could pick out a chapter of this book to assign to them, and it would be a nice, informative, lay-person account that would be entertaining, yet informational. However, due to time constraints, I never got around to reading the book. In that time, several people have borrowed and returned this book to me, so my copy is a bit tattered and dog-eared, as if I'd read it many times. I can safely sa...more I bought this book when I first taught my class that has a foresnic anthropology component. I thought I could pick out a chapter of this book to assign to them, and it would be a nice, informative, lay-person account that would be entertaining, yet informational. However, due to time constraints, I never got around to reading the book. In that time, several people have borrowed and returned this book to me, so my copy is a bit tattered and dog-eared, as if I'd read it many times. I can safely say, having read it once, that I will not be going back to read it again.

Stiff is a non-fiction, "science" writing book. Roach chronicles the different processes that happen to a human being after it dies. Each chapter tackles a different possible outcome for a person's corpse. She goes through chapters about anatomy labs, decay, crash-test and military trials (for safer vehicles, or more effective bullets), plane crashes, transplants, burial and cremation, and even cannibalism. The material for this book is endlessly fascinating and I feel like it has a lot of potential.

That being said, I find Mary Roach's style of writing intensely irritating, which took away from the overall effectiveness of the narrative. Much of her writing is sort of falsely funny, as if she is very intentially trying to inject humor into a situation through the use of ridiculous asides that do nothing to add information or further her point.

She also continually resorts to forced bathroom and genetalia jokes in order to articially infuse the book with humor. On many occasaions, she asks the scientists she interviews about what happens specifically to penile tissues. She then describes the patient if annoyed air that some of the scientists take with the assumption that the readers will all be tittering with her on her side. Well, I'm sorry, I'm with the scientists. I find that kind of thing immature and irrtating, like many of the jokes in this book. The last way that she commonly tries to inject humor into her writing is by pretending squeamishness for the sake of her readers.

What kills me about this is that there are parts of the book that are legitimateuly funny, where the humor is not forced but just found in the situation. There is a description of her first visit to a very small town in China that strong reminded me of some of my problems getting around in small towns in various African countries. There is also a funny commentary about a woman who volunteers to get multiple pap smears so that future ObGyns can practice (a job that I hope pays very. very. well). Additionally, there is some really interesting information in this book. I knew a lot about the use of bodies to determine what happened in plane crashes and the sort of things that happen in gross anatomy labs. But did you know that males and females have slightly different EEG profiles? And, after a heart transplant, those do not change. Also, did you know that there have been many proven ways to make riding in aircrafts safer, including shoulder harness seat belts, more emergency exits, sprinkler systems and side airbags for impact, but none of these are being implemented because the airlines don't want to have to incur the extra costs? There are plenty of little factoids like these that are quite interesting.

The bottom line for me was that there was simply not enough actual science in this science book. I've read plenty of popular science books that have managed to do a much better job walking the line between entertainment for the layperson and providing good information. As far as book that tell stories about cadavers, I would recommend any of the popular science books by William Bass or Douglas Ubelaker over this book as both fascinating and more informative....less

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Craig rated it:

10/30/07

"Why lie around on your back when you can do something interesting and new, something useful?" Mary Roach asks us future corpses and potential cadavers in her book, "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers." She examines some of those interesting and useful things as well as some of the many interesting things, useful or not, that have been done in the past with, and to, dead bodies. She also explores the attendant ethical questions and how the answers to
those questio...more

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Sarah Montambo rated it:

08/26/07

bookshelves: death, funny, nonfiction

Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: people who like to make donations.

Some thoughts:

1. Barring that I marry a sentimental husband who wants my remains to lie next to his in some family plot, I'll happily give up my body for science. It seems that we owe much of the safety created for us in cars, planes, in surgery, etc., to countless others who gave up their bodies, as well. Of course, they may have imagined (as I did before reading this book) that they'd just end up pickled in formaldehyde and plunked into a gross anatomy classroom, but no. There are many ...more Some thoughts:

1. Barring that I marry a sentimental husband who wants my remains to lie next to his in some family plot, I'll happily give up my body for science. It seems that we owe much of the safety created for us in cars, planes, in surgery, etc., to countless others who gave up their bodies, as well. Of course, they may have imagined (as I did before reading this book) that they'd just end up pickled in formaldehyde and plunked into a gross anatomy classroom, but no. There are many inventive and useful experiments that cadavers partake in every day. Who knew?

2. As I've never sky-dived (so far), I hope my cadaver does something as exciting as getting tossed off a plane into the ocean to see how far bodies need to fall from a plane before their clothes are stripped off. I've never swam out in the middle of the ocean, either, so this would be checking off two adventures in one go.

3. Even though it's for a noble cause, I hope my body is NOT dropped forehead-first onto a suspended windsheild while wearing a ski mask and thumbless mittens. There's just no dignity, there.

4. I am happy that science has advanced and that doctors have ways to tell if you're really dead without:
a. having the soles of your feet sliced with razors
b. jamming needles beneath your toenails
c. assaulting your ears with hideous shrieks and excessive noise
or
d. jamming a red-hot poker up your "rear passage."

5. I'm not kidding about #4! Doctors were dumb back then. Some used to think that the intellect was in the heart (don't know why brain damage didn't sway that point of view), that the liver was our source of emotion or that a portion of the soul (cunning) was assigned to the stomach. What the? Some doctors even did experiments where they weighed the body during death to see if you weighed less once your soul moved on.

6. So, unless you're religiously tied to some sort of remains tradition, why not be part of a scientific endeavor? Help police test out their 'less lethal' ammunition, help plastic surgeon students work on their face-lift techniques, help auto makers create windshields that will give enough apon impact that your brains won't get crushed (but not so much that your head will go through), or maybe you will end up in the anatomy lab. This isn't so bad. Anatomy students have been treating cadavers with much respect, lately. They even write poems about them and sing Green Day songs when they finally do bury them. This is true. You can read all about it in "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers."...less

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Jill rated it:

05/28/08

Read in May, 2008

recommended to Jill by: Metafilter.com
recommends it for: the morbidly curious

Stiff, by Mary Roach, is a book about human cadavers and the curious situations they find themselves in. Well, they didn't find themselves in any situation. They are dead bodies. But Mary Roach found them and this book is the result.

While reading this book I paused at halfway and actually asked myself if I wanted to bother finishing it. I have never found myself asking myself this before. I usually stick it out to the bloody, gruesome end. This book, however, just was not interesting. It was n...more Stiff, by Mary Roach, is a book about human cadavers and the curious situations they find themselves in. Well, they didn't find themselves in any situation. They are dead bodies. But Mary Roach found them and this book is the result.

While reading this book I paused at halfway and actually asked myself if I wanted to bother finishing it. I have never found myself asking myself this before. I usually stick it out to the bloody, gruesome end. This book, however, just was not interesting. It was not the hilarious screamfest that I was promised on Amazon reviews. It did not take me into worlds that I had yet to explore. It was simply this: a disappointment.

I had heard much about this book before I plucked it off the shelf at Barnes and Noble. It came highly recommended by MeFites and I had seen it referenced many different places around the internet. My first impression was that the author was a periodicals journalist trying to write a book. Each chapter is its own article, at least until she starts weakly trying to tie them together by adding things like, "But in the next chapter, we see how dead bodies really do push up daisies," at the end of chapters. Clearly an afterthought.

Also, it may be due to the success of the book when it was initially published, but it just seems to me that almost every topic covered in the book has been recently covered on television or in magazines. Perhaps I read about these things in college. I certainly don't seek out interesting tidbits about cadavers, yet somehow, from somewhere, I was familiar with almost every chapter's subject.

This book is not funny. I cannot imagine anyone laughing out loud to this book. It's not that I can't laugh at death or dead people or the situations, it's just that the author tries too hard. The humor is forced. It's not natural. It's like she spent hours trying to describe a lab tech in a funny way. It falls flat. Additionally, the author inserts herself into the action and records her own interviews, including awkward attempts at humor with very serious people. It just makes you cringe and you almost feel embarrassed for her.

The end of the book couldn't have come fast enough. Toward the end, she morbidly tries to top each chapter with more disgusting details, more gross descriptions and more sick and twisted happenings. It begins to overpower the little bit of grace and dignity the book started out with. It's almost as if the publishers realized this, because odd, tiny rants about the dignity of deceased persons and the way people handle them are awkwardly inserted into the text. It gets repetitive.

In the end, I just plain didn't enjoy this book. The author and her injected awkward humor and odd opinions annoyed me. The book seemed unpolished. Nothing seemed new and different about it.

It was just a disappointment.
...less

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Mark rated it:

07/14/08

Read in July, 2008

recommended to Mark by: A friend

"Stiff" is a fun little diversion and little more. Mary Roach travels to laboratories, crematoriums, and anatomy labs and comments on the many, and sometimes rather surprising, ways that cadavers are used when they are donated to science. She spends much of her time marveling at the uncanniness of the situations she finds herself in, although she rarely goes for the all-out gross-out. You might not want to read this book while eating a plate of spaghetti, but the descriptions of dis...more "Stiff" is a fun little diversion and little more. Mary Roach travels to laboratories, crematoriums, and anatomy labs and comments on the many, and sometimes rather surprising, ways that cadavers are used when they are donated to science. She spends much of her time marveling at the uncanniness of the situations she finds herself in, although she rarely goes for the all-out gross-out. You might not want to read this book while eating a plate of spaghetti, but the descriptions of dissection and decay are probably not vivid enough to make you reconsider signing your organ donor card. You have signed your donor card, right? If not, get on that right away, and tell your friends and family about your wishes.

There is lots of fun and interesting information in here, mostly personal observations and anecdotes collected in Roach's travels. Although occasionally she veers off topic onto tangents that feel like they're just filling up pages. One interesting aspect of "Stiff" is the amount of search engine research that was clearly done. Roach doesn't bother to hide the fact that much of her information was found through a quick query on Google or, at best, Pub Med. In some ways this is kind of refreshing; we would be foolish to think that other authors don't do the same thing.

Sometimes the search engine results are an interesting point in and of themselves, even if Roach takes them a bit too seriously herself. For example, we are told that if you were to Google "body percentage water", you will find dozens of sites with a wide range of claims ranging from 60 to 98% water. The author gives the actual number (73.8%) and describes the science behind the number. But she prefaces the discussion by saying that the percentage of water is "a matter of some debate". Come on, differing Google results do not indicate a lack of scientific consensus.

Roach's sense of humour is enjoyable and makes the somewhat macabre topic more pleasant to read about. Still, her humorous little quips and comments sometimes feel never-ending and can get a bit tedious. A sample taken from randomly flipping through pages:

"The difference is that when we're alive, we expel that gas. The dead, lacking workable stomach muscles and sphincters and bedmates to annoy, do not."

"John calls down that there's pizza upstairs, and the three of us leave the dead man by himself. It feels a little rude."

"He describes opening up an artery, flushing the blood out with water, and pumping in alcohol. I've been to frat parties like that."

Would I recommend “Stiff”? Sure, I guess. It's enjoyable and a quick enough read that if you don't like it you'll be done before you know it. Expect to learn some interesting new facts, but don't expect a masterpiece. ...less

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Sarah rated it:

04/22/08

Have you ever wondered what happens after death? I’m not talking about the spiritual part or anything to do with personal religious beliefs. I’m talking about the question of what happens to your body after you have ceased to inhabit it. What happens to the physical matter that is left behind? The corpse. The cadaver. The remains.

Mary Roach examines this exact question in her novel "Stiff," giving readers a glimpse into "The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers." H...more Have you ever wondered what happens after death? I’m not talking about the spiritual part or anything to do with personal religious beliefs. I’m talking about the question of what happens to your body after you have ceased to inhabit it. What happens to the physical matter that is left behind? The corpse. The cadaver. The remains.

Mary Roach examines this exact question in her novel "Stiff," giving readers a glimpse into "The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers." Her research delves deep into the history of cadaver usage and surfaces in the shocking, little known uses of cadavers today. The topic of discussion may be one that is uncommon at the dinner table; however, Mary Roach talks to her readers in a conversational, humorous, nonchalant tone and as a result, her words seem to come alive on the pages even as she continues to talk about the dead.

Speaking of dinner table topics, Mary Roach begins with a quick comparison of a cadaver with an everyday meal. She says,

“The problem with cadavers is that they look so much like people. It’s the reason most of us prefer a pork chop to a slice of whole suckling pig. It’s the reason we say ‘pork’ and ‘beef’ instead of ‘pig’ and ‘cow.’ Dissection and surgical instruction, like meat-eating, require a carefully maintained set of illusions and denial” (Roach 21).

Did she just say that? Roach understands many aspects of the dead as an opportunity to learn. She doesn’t just giving an informational account of cadaver usage, but also examines the way that medical students, scientists, etc. are able to cut into a body that could have been their grandmother’s. Roach shows the disconnection and objectification that is necessary in order for these people to learn how to sew on your new nose straight, how much impact a human body can survive in a car accident, how long it takes for a body to decay, etc.

Containing chapters like “A Head is a Terrible Thing to Waste,” “Dead Man Driving,” “The Cadaver Who Joined the Army” and “Eat Me,” each new section is an adventure into the fascinating lives of cadavers and trust me, you won’t want to miss a minute of it. As I have said, this is a serious subject for anyone to swallow; however, Roach approaches it in a respectful way. She is sensitive to the subject of death and dying, and never strays from her own topic, which is the human body, devoid of life.
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Edward rated it:

07/01/07

recommends it for: curious folks looking to expand their knowledge

A couple of months ago, I went to an exhibit in Dallas called BodyWorlds. They used a process called plastination (actually covered in this book) to help preserve a body from decaying - this assisted in the study of anatomy. In the BodyWorlds exhibit, they rigged the various cadavers in various poses to highlight different body systems. The exhibit charged my thoughts about the whole concept of donating oneself to science and when a friend picked up this book at the airport book store, I deci...more A couple of months ago, I went to an exhibit in Dallas called BodyWorlds. They used a process called plastination (actually covered in this book) to help preserve a body from decaying - this assisted in the study of anatomy. In the BodyWorlds exhibit, they rigged the various cadavers in various poses to highlight different body systems. The exhibit charged my thoughts about the whole concept of donating oneself to science and when a friend picked up this book at the airport book store, I decided to give it a try.

The tagline to Stiff (The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers) is a little bit of a misnomer since only about half of the book really focuses on the history and uses of cadavers. The other half of the book talks about the how people handle their corpses after their demise.

The standard cadaver uses in spare body parts and medical research, but a wide variety of OTHER uses is also covered - some quite shocking. For me, the most disturbing use of cadavers had to be the body decomposition studies and the sample crucifixions. Human decay research (where bodies are left in a field under various conditions to analyze how the body decomposes) is crucial in assisting authorities in determining time of death - an often vital clue in a murder case. To me, it was just a little unseemly that my body would be left out to rot in a field - no matter what benefits it might afford. I'll have to say that this book has really opened my eyes about what it really means to "donate your body to science".

That one thing that REALLY struck me in this book was the gross objectification of human corpses. In some instances, this objectification is necessary. The best example cited in the book was the use of cadavers for medical research - especially with doctors practicing new surgery techniques (I sure would hate to be a doctor's 1st crack at a facelift or tripe-bypass!) In other cases, this objectification was bizarre and macabre. It's almost like over the centuries that people view corpses as not the final remnants of a living being which should be honored, but almost as refuse that can be picked over for the best scraps. Makes you want to make sure that your eventual coffin has a huge padlock on it with a wide variety of booby traps. Take your best shot at taking my leg bones grave robbers!...less

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Claire rated it:

03/24/08

recommended to Claire by: my father
recommends it for: everyone

I have been reading a few of the other reviews and just had to add my own two cents. I few bad reviews that I read dealt mostly with her style of writing and their dislike of her jokes and interjections, etc. Just goes to show you that it takes all kinds! I love this book! I thought it was very scientific and she had obviously done a LOT of research for the book. There is no point that I felt she was talking about something she couldn't back up or was venturing into her own opinion, etc. Tha...more I have been reading a few of the other reviews and just had to add my own two cents. I few bad reviews that I read dealt mostly with her style of writing and their dislike of her jokes and interjections, etc. Just goes to show you that it takes all kinds! I love this book! I thought it was very scientific and she had obviously done a LOT of research for the book. There is no point that I felt she was talking about something she couldn't back up or was venturing into her own opinion, etc. That being said, I also loved that she was funny and personal the whole book. The book as the intimate style of someone telling you about a subject she knows a lot about. She asked the experts questions that many of us would have and would not ask - for decorum sake or being too afraid. But she does ask and I loved that! She was very respectful (I never felt like she was callous or rude about the deceased people she was writing about) but at the same time, she brought a curiosity and humor to what is naturally a difficult subject matter.

I didn't find her humor particularly course or "potty" humor. I thought many of her asides which were off topic, we done with footnotes, which you can choose to ignore and maintain the flow of the story or read immediately.

I also thought the subject matter was fascinating and she did a great job with it. Again, respectful when needed, a touch of levity when needed, etc. She really went in depth into the topic covering history, current practices, and all the many different things that happen to cadavers. My only complaint would be that she could have gone more in depth on certain topics!

So my basic opinion is that this is great reading for everyone. Just because the topic can be uncomfortable to think about doesn't mean that it isn't important knowledge to have. And to have it given to you with intelligence and wit - it doesn't get better than that! The only reason you would be disappointed is if you lack a sense of humor or if you were expecting an actual college text book with graphs, pictures and lab discussions. And I think that this SHOULD be a college text - it brings a humanity to a subject that is too often treated in a clinical manner....less

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Becky rated it:

03/02/08

Read in December, 2004

recommends it for: people interested in gross stuff, death, mortuary science, burial practices

I'd been wanting to read this book for a long time before a friend finally gave me a copy for my birthday this year.

The scope of the book is broader than I expected. I think I was expecting a bunch of funny, sometimes bittersweet stories about anatomy labs and funeral homes. Stiff is much more than that. Yes, it covers anatomy labs (one of my favorite chapters in the book) and funeral homes, but dead bodies go many more places than that -- crash-testing labs, for example. And sometimes into ...more I'd been wanting to read this book for a long time before a friend finally gave me a copy for my birthday this year.

The scope of the book is broader than I expected. I think I was expecting a bunch of funny, sometimes bittersweet stories about anatomy labs and funeral homes. Stiff is much more than that. Yes, it covers anatomy labs (one of my favorite chapters in the book) and funeral homes, but dead bodies go many more places than that -- crash-testing labs, for example. And sometimes into the pharmacopoeia of the dead person's own culture.

Mary Roach's prose is bitingly funny, yet remains sensitive to the topic. There's a lot of gross stuff in here. This is not a book to read while you are eating anything -- especially meat. I initially sat down with this book at a Boston Market with a one-quarter chicken, macaroni & cheese, and broccoli, which was not a good thing to do at all, especially since the opening chapter is about severed human heads being used as facelift refresher surgery. I finished eating first, and then picked up the book again, and was much happier that way.

Also pretty gross is the chapter about human body parts being used as folk medicines. I found that to be possibly the most gross thing in the book, and I generally have a pretty high tolerance for this stuff.

An unexpected part of the book was the research Mary Roach did into up-and-coming body disposal methods -- alternatives to burial and cremation. I found this fascinating, and I'm hoping the Promessa method of composting bodies has received all the necessary go-aheads in the U.S. by the time I die. Just freeze-dry me and grind me up so I can help trees to grow.

The only thing that kept me from giving the book five stars was all the information about transplants and other medical procedures being tested on animals. I know this information was essential in the context of the book, but I can take a lot less grossness if it involves an unwilling animal, as opposed to a human being who willed his or her body to science....less

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Jennifer rated it:

06/19/08

Read in March, 2006

Let me tell you about The Body Farm.

The original "Body Farm" is the University of Tennessee Forensic Anthropology Facility located a few miles from downtown off of Alcoa Highway in Knoxville, Tennessee, behind the University of Tennessee Medical Center.

Anthropologist Dr. William M. Bass became head of the university's anthropology department in 1971, and as official state forensic anthropologist for Tennessee he was frequently consulted in police cases involving decomposed hum...more Let me tell you about The Body Farm.

The original "Body Farm" is the University of Tennessee Forensic Anthropology Facility located a few miles from downtown off of Alcoa Highway in Knoxville, Tennessee, behind the University of Tennessee Medical Center.

Anthropologist Dr. William M. Bass became head of the university's anthropology department in 1971, and as official state forensic anthropologist for Tennessee he was frequently consulted in police cases involving decomposed human remains. Since no facilities existed that specifically studied decomposition, in 1981 he opened the department's first body farm.

It consists of a 3-acre wooded plot, surrounded by a razor wire fence. At any one time there will be a number of bodies placed in different settings throughout the facility and left to decompose. The bodies are exposed in a number of ways in order to provide insights into decomposition under varying conditions: for example, some are left out in the open or in the woods, some get buried in shallow graves or entombed in vaults, some have been left in car trunks or submerged in water. Detailed observations and records of the decomposition process are kept, including the sequence and speed of decomposition and the effects of insect activity, and afterwards the skeletonized bones are removed from the plot and added to the Dr. William M. Bass Donated Skeletal Collection, to be used for research and teaching.

Bodies are obtained from various sources. Some have lain unclaimed at the medical examiner's office, while over 300 people have voluntarily donated their bodies to the Body Farm. Between 30 and 50 bodies are donated to the facility every year. My sister-in-law (when her time comes) will be going there for her eternal rest...or unrest...however one sees it.

The University of Tennessee Body Farm is also used in the training of law enforcement officers in scene-of-crime skills and techniques.

WHEW!
Now...that is just ONE section in Stiff, The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. I suggest you read the book to get the rest of the gory and humorous details....less

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Tippi rated it:

07/10/08

Read in July, 2008

First and foremost, a disclaimer: This is not a book for the squeamish. Or let me rephrase: This is not a book for those with vivid imaginations. I am often grossed out by graphic imagery, so I guess I was spared any queasiness due only to my inability to visualize in detail the disgusting descriptions author Mary Roach gives.

It's a bit morbid, a bit strange - but incredibly interesting. Roach sheds light on an industry with a lot of stigma attached to it, and effectively conveys the importa...more

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Lauranette rated it:

12/28/07

Read in December, 2007

"Stiff" first caught my attention when I was watching the TV show "Six Feet Under," and it was given to one of the main characters, an undertaker, as a gift. After that, when I saw it in the book store, I knew instantly that I would like it -- what with my interest in gore and the unknown that occurs after life. I was completely on target.

Journalist Mary Roach's NY Times Best Seller was an easy read, humorous throughout, and at the same time was extremely informative and...more

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Ashley rated it:

05/29/08

Read in May, 2008

recommends it for: everyone

I read a review of this book in a magazine and immediately added it to my "to read" list. I wanted to read it because I myself am planning to donate my body to science when I die and i was curious what kinds of things they do with cadavers. This book talks much more about just general things regarding death. creamation, scientific research, organ donation, decay... etc. I really really enjoyed this book a lot. Mary Roach is hilarious, without being disrespectful. I agree with pre...more

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Vincent rated it:

11/27/07

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in November, 2007

I have just finished reading Stiff. It's rare that a book makes me squeamish - and in some instances - scared!

What kept me from putting the book down was the narrator's slightly sarcastic, sort of matter of fact, but always friendly tone. She successfully portrayed some pretty gruesome details in a sensitive and honest/truthful manner (at least as far as I know).

It is oversimplification to say that Stiff just addresses what happens to your body when you donate it ...more

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Tung rated it:

01/09/08

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in January, 2004

In my nonfiction phase during the year, I grabbed this one and after finishing it, regretted its purchase. The book is about medical use of corpses and the human body, present-day and in the past. The subject matter is extremely interesting, and some of the methods, tests, and history behind human body experiments is worth the read. The book makes you want to be an organ donor, or want to donate your body to medical science. The problem is that the author is one of the WORST writers I have e...more

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John rated it:

(review of isbn 0141007451)

06/05/08

Read in June, 2008

recommends it for: Science readers, people of morbid interests, humor readers

After the great time I had reading Spook, I had to try Roach's other books. This is her first, and it shows: she's a little less comfortable with a full book of material, and isn't as funny as often, but when she's funny, she has me laughing out loud in public. I can't ask for more than that from a science writer. She still illuminates her subject very well, but her prose isn't as conversational throughout. Despite the plethora of interesting topics, it drags towards the middle, to the po...more

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Marsena rated it:

12/20/07

bookshelves: absolutely_fabulous

I absolutely could not put this book down. A hilarious yet somehow respectful exploration of what happens to our bodies once we're dead. Roach takes her inquisitive mind to places it wouldn't occur to me to go, way past normal burial and cremation to medical school anatomy labs, human crash test dummies, cannibalism, and the decapitated heads that plastic surgeons use for practice...and she makes me laugh every step of the way.

In the chapter, "How To Know if You're Dead:" Roach's ...more

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Jill rated it:

(review of isbn 0393050939)

05/27/07

Human bodies. Dead human bodies. This subject is not usually the most pleasant of conversation topics in any situation. However, author Mary Roach approaches this normally disturbing topic with enthusiasm and crafts a book that manages to be intriguing, gripping, gruesome, and yet hilarious at the same time. In the Alex Award winning book Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, readers will learn how scientists have used human cadavers for over 2,000 years to accomplish a variety ...more

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sage rated it:

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

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