Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
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Book Reviews of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Book Review: Slightly Disturbing, Utterly Fascinating
Summary: 5 Stars
As others have said in many other reviews, this book is both respectful AND funny. The historical sections are excellent and highly amusing. The various sections on research cadavers participate in - she covers medical cadavers used for teaching, crash-test cadavers, military-research, traditional and non-traditional body disposal a la funerals, CSI-type research, organ and other transplants, and more - were interesting, particularly when they dealt with our FEELINGS about bodies, research, and ethics. (Shooting cadavers is mostly okay; exploding them with bombs is not.)
The book gave me a great deal to think about; as a professional who deals with end-of-life planning, I felt it helped me understand death better and more fully and think more clearly about it and about the emotions people attach to death.
Parts of this book are not for the weak-stomached. The two parts I found most disturbing were the descriptions of the forensic lab bodies decomposing for research purposes, and the talk about the victims on Flight 800. The latter was not graphic; it was merely the most upsetting because it was not so much about cadavers as individuals whose lives were cut short. The former was just fairly disgusting.
Book Review: Roach's best yet
Summary: 5 Stars
Mary Roach has taught me so much--not just about science, but about writing as well. This book is well-researched, well-written, and funny, as Spook and Bonk are, and it's intellectually heftier than either. Roach approaches a potentially disturbing subject with sensitivity and humor, never flippancy. After all, she has a personal interest in the topic. After reading Stiff, I decided to sign up for a willed-body program in my area, with the understanding that such a choice is ultimately up to family members who will live with it.
Roach populates her book with people at every stage of a cadaver's many possible journeys: doctors, medical students, automobile safety testers, crime scene investigators, professors, embalmers, cremation specialists, people developing ecologically-friendly burial methods, and more. Her conversations with these professionals are supplemented by historical and medical research.
Stiff is a fascinating, entertaining, and thoughtful examination of a nearly-taboo topic, and a model of journalistic technique. (I also enjoyed the little black-and-white illustrations at the beginning of every section: an extra treat.)
Book Review: Loved this book!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book has been one of the most strange, bizarre, yet interesting books I've ever read! The initial attraction for me was because as part of physical therapy school, I had to dissect a human cadaver (with 3 other classmates). While the author (Mary Roach) does touch briefly on dissection, she deals with a variety of topics relating to the dead: human composting (it sounds awful, but does have its merits), medicinal cannibalism, what happens to a body during a plane crash and even more ghoulish things. Here's an excerpt in regards to plane crashes:
Generally speaking, people falling from planes have booked their final flight. According to Snyder's paper, the maximum speed at which a human being has a respectable shot at surviving a feet-first - that's the safest position - fall into water is about 70 mph.
It kind of makes you think twice when booking that flight, now doesn't it? Grossness aside, I thought this was a great read and Mary Roach has a fun way with words. She's very funny, yet respectful; witty and makes you think about things that normally you wouldn't.
Book Review: You'll be dying to read this!
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow. This book was educational, interesting, well-researched and humorous. If you are a fan of the CSI TV show or Patricia Cornwell novels, you will LOVE this book. If you are not a big fan of forensic science, pathology or anatomy, you will still like this book. It is a subject that will touch each of us one day and Mary Roach addresses it with respect, humor and an infectious interest that shines through in her writing. Roach injects her incredible humor into a subject that can be morose and disgusting, turning it into a wonderful study of the "afterlife" of dead bodies. She travelled extensively and researched thoroughly and it shows. From ancient practices to cutting-edge technology, no subject is off limits. Many scientific and safety advances that we enjoy today can be directly attributed to cadavers and the dedicated folks who work with them. Whether you believe in a spiritual afterlife or not, Mary Roach will give you a brief glimpse of the good that can come from the end of a life and the heroes that dedicate their bodies to the betterment of mankind.
Book Review: You'll Die Laughing
Summary: 5 Stars
Look, this is a gross subject, and who would've stuck with the book if it didn't have an interesting twist of humor? The author does a masterful job at informing the uninformed as to what happens to donated bodies. I thought it was completely respectful of the dead. Her humor was mostly self-deprecating and reflective of her own feelings while researching the book. If it helps get more people to donate their bodies to science, then hooray for Mary Roach!
Incidentally, my personal beliefs are of the non-religious type, and I feel that as long as someone is remembered, then that person is still alive, so to speak, and contributing to the world of today. I would think that a large percentage of those who will their bodies to science are those who have no close relatives, so what better way to remember someone than by honoring their donation to science? I think Mary Roach has succeeded in saluting the unsung heroes of science -- the guinea pigs. The dead guinea pigs.
Read the book. You'll love it.