What do you think?
When We Die: a Book About Death
Death is the last great taboo and is then thing none of us has first-hand knowledge of. In this book, Cedric Mims takes an extraordinary look at what happens when we the decomposition of the dead, funerary rites and rituals in art and religion, the uses and abuses of the dead, and the often astounding ways in which we dispose of them. Subjects - What is death; the biological breakdown of the body - The causes of death, including, suicide, euthanasia and homicide - The definition of death and near-death experiences - Disposal of corpses; burial and cremation from around the world - Embalming, mummification and freezing - Corpses can be useful; spare parts for surgery, the magic of DNA and the pathologist's skills -Whose body? Aspects of criminal investigation including the cause of death, fingerprinting and identifying a corpse from teeth, bones, and blood - Death, the afterlife from around the world to death and the prospects for immortality
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 23, 2022
The one thing which prevents this book getting 4 stars is the occasional preachy tone adopted by the author. I may be wrong but the author seems to have an axe to grind about certain subjects and it shows in one or two passages of his otherwise illuminating work on this fascinating yet, for many of us, uncomfortable subject.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2026
Great book!
October 14, 2013
An interesting – yet imperfect – overview of death & dying
In "When We Die," Biology Professor Cedric Mims provides a succinct overview of all things macabre. He touches upon standard death and dying subjects such as embalming, burial, cremation, organ donation, and bereavement, as well as more unusual topics, including cannibalism, cellular suicide, mummification, compostoriums, acid baths, and necrophilia. No stone is left unturned in his discussion of death, dying, and "the science, culture, and rituals of death."
As much as I enjoyed "When We Die," it was not without its flaws. For starters, it doesn't seem as though the book was properly edited. I wouldn't go as far to say that Mims is a BAD writer, but it could have been better. His misuse of commas, for instance, is atrocious. He also tends to have trouble transitioning between topics. Some of the awkwardness probably stems from the fact that Mims lives in England and spent some time in Australia and Africa. His phraseology can be clumsy and cumbersome, and I'm willing to bet that it's due to cultural differences. The book was initially released in the UK, and it doesn't appear to have been "cleaned up" for its US edition. Spelling and word usage differences remain intact, when his editor really should have changed them in the US version to reflect his new audience.
Additionally, I found some of his statements to be questionable, while other claims were just plain incorrect. For example, he says that $6 million, "spent over 10 years," is enough to clean all the water in third world countries and eliminate deaths due to diarrhea (that estimate seems awfully low, no?). He also refers to the 1978 Jonestown massacre as a "mass suicide" (despite overwhelming evidence that many members were murdered outright), and makes the dubious claim that, "in all cases [of sensational homicides] the murderer is mentally deranged." Taken together, these errors made me question the rest of the information Mims included in "When We Die." Though he does list 4+ pages of references, he does not use footnotes in his text - so it's usually impossible to tell what information he pulled from which sources.
Nonetheless, "When We Die" is a fascinating and largely enjoyable read. Serious scholars may want to pass this one by, but it's an interesting and manageable discussion for laypeople.
http://www.easyvegan.info/2005/06/01/...
In "When We Die," Biology Professor Cedric Mims provides a succinct overview of all things macabre. He touches upon standard death and dying subjects such as embalming, burial, cremation, organ donation, and bereavement, as well as more unusual topics, including cannibalism, cellular suicide, mummification, compostoriums, acid baths, and necrophilia. No stone is left unturned in his discussion of death, dying, and "the science, culture, and rituals of death."
As much as I enjoyed "When We Die," it was not without its flaws. For starters, it doesn't seem as though the book was properly edited. I wouldn't go as far to say that Mims is a BAD writer, but it could have been better. His misuse of commas, for instance, is atrocious. He also tends to have trouble transitioning between topics. Some of the awkwardness probably stems from the fact that Mims lives in England and spent some time in Australia and Africa. His phraseology can be clumsy and cumbersome, and I'm willing to bet that it's due to cultural differences. The book was initially released in the UK, and it doesn't appear to have been "cleaned up" for its US edition. Spelling and word usage differences remain intact, when his editor really should have changed them in the US version to reflect his new audience.
Additionally, I found some of his statements to be questionable, while other claims were just plain incorrect. For example, he says that $6 million, "spent over 10 years," is enough to clean all the water in third world countries and eliminate deaths due to diarrhea (that estimate seems awfully low, no?). He also refers to the 1978 Jonestown massacre as a "mass suicide" (despite overwhelming evidence that many members were murdered outright), and makes the dubious claim that, "in all cases [of sensational homicides] the murderer is mentally deranged." Taken together, these errors made me question the rest of the information Mims included in "When We Die." Though he does list 4+ pages of references, he does not use footnotes in his text - so it's usually impossible to tell what information he pulled from which sources.
Nonetheless, "When We Die" is a fascinating and largely enjoyable read. Serious scholars may want to pass this one by, but it's an interesting and manageable discussion for laypeople.
http://www.easyvegan.info/2005/06/01/...
April 9, 2011
This book covered some interesting subjects relating to death but I only gave it two stars. To be honest, I would have given it another star if the author had refrained from expressing his opinion so much. It got rather old when he'd jump on his soapbox. I also didn't like how it jumped around. Granted, I am a HUGE fan of Mary Roach's book on death called Stiff, so perhaps I am a bit biased...
July 8, 2014
Excellent book dealing with every facet of the Last Journey: Death. Covered is everything from how the most ancient peoples dealt with death to modern times; causes of death (in the U.S. v. U. K.) with stats; burial customs; taking care of bodies after death (such as embalming); religious views and practices, and much more! Included are photos that help illustrate the topics at hand. A must read for thanatophiles (death lovers)!
February 27, 2016
Very well written and comprehensive review of the major topics surrounding death presented in a scientific manner without sensationalism. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it as one of the better books out there on this topic. I plan to buy this book and reference it often!
November 20, 2014
When the author implies the book is backed up by sources in the opening, usually a sign of a not well researched book. Could not finish this book.
March 31, 2016
This was good, actually got better as one went along, like the last third.
February 13, 2009
Thought not for the squeamish, this book is simply fascinating.
August 19, 2014
Very interesting read. Highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews