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Opinion
From Library Staff
From Library Staff
While a somewhat macabre topic, Mary Roach's exploration of the many different things a human body can do once it ceases to be living is engrossing (and sometimes gross). From crash tests to forensics to alternate methods of cremation, the book is filled with bizarre and fascinating information p... Read More »
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Summary
Add a Summaryfunny and engaging. a terrific overview of the life (?) of a corpse. from crash dummy, to being on display as a plastinated piece of art in a museum to helping forensic anthropologists determine rate of decay . we all die, we all end as corpses. sometimes even dead we have a life!
Mary Roach, a journalist, describes various ways cadavers are used or have been used historically. In a series of sketches, Roach visits sites where cadavers are used, describes what she witnesses, and interviews the people who work with cadavers. She discusses the use of cadvers by surgeons who wish to improve their techniques without harming a patient; how cadavers have been procured historically, including a discussion of medical colleges relying on body snatchers; the decay process of cadavers and its use in forensics; the use of cadavers to test safety features in cars; how cadavers are used to determine the cause of airplane accidents; the use of cadavers to determine the impact of bullets and bombs; the use of cadavers by scholars interested in crucifixion; organ donation; the possibility of head transplants; cannibalism; various methods of disposing of dead bodies. In the final chapter, the author muses about how she would like her own body to be disposed.
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mvkramer
Jul 12, 2016
Other: The only chapter that really disturbed me was the one about Soviet head-transplant experiments on dogs. Yeesh. Trigger warning for animal cruelty and mad science.
Comment
Add a CommentI thoroughly enjoyed reading Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. What a fascinating read! After working in the funeral industry for a couple of years, this book was, in a lot of ways, familiar to me. There were things I was wondering about that Mary Roach, the author, in her thorough research, answered for me. This book, though, is not for the squeamish. It was a gift given to me from my beautiful wife, who thought it best to add to my knowledge of the deceased. I now know the order of decomposition of a human body, the many ways a body can be used for medicinal cannibalism, what happens to a body when we hit water at a high velocity, and so forth. I am interested in reading more books authored by Mary Roach. Excellent writing, very thorough and well thought out. I can see why Stiff, as the cover proclaims, is a New York Times bestseller.
Fantastic read! Mary Roach gives a unique perspective to a topic that many people are uncomfortable with or don't want to talk about. She provides wonderful humor in a book that spares no detail with corpses.
Mary Roach is a great author, and I enjoy all of her books, no matter what the topic!
I wasnt as intrigued with this as other people were. Its possible I didnt give it enough time seeing how I didnt even finish the book.
The book is researched well and covers a lot of ground. Roach does a good job of balancing respect for the dead and a bit of irreverence. I grew up with a nurse and some of her humor reminds me of what I heard from my mom and her friends. Personally, I'm interested in being composted and being used to grew at least one tree so that it can be turned into books. That's definitely a green choice.
If you're squeamish, do not read this book. It's about dead bodies, which is plainly given in the title. I skipped the chapter on plane accidents because I'm not always comfortable flying and the chapter unnerved me a bit. I don't think I missed anything by doing so. I don't understand why people read/watch/listen to things they know will bother them and then complain about it, which I've seen with this book.
Read this when it first came out and I was working in the funeral industry. Fascinating book.
Fascinating read about a weird but ultimately very educational topic! I never knew how many uses you could put a good cadaver to, and how much it helps our living world in so many ways.
hard to understand
Admit it, you want to know all the gruesome ins and outs of what happens to your body after death. Hey, we're all gonna die! We might as well get an informed report from a sly and witty storyteller. Roach's clinical research is thorough to a fault, often wandering into bizarre tangent lands. Overall you get a delicious story of the corpse's life. Memento mori.
You may not expect a book about dead bodies to be so hilarious - but trust me, this book is just that. Reading this book is like sitting down to converse with your weird friend - very discursive, running off on tangents all the time, but still extremely interesting and informative. Also, it may sell you on human composting. Highly recommended!