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Loading... Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (2003)by Mary Roach
Informative, funny and sometimes a bit disturbing. Easy to pick up and read. ( )4Q 5P A gruesome yet fascinating glimpse into the world of human cadavers. From morgues to car test dummies, Mary Roach bravely investigates the grisly histories and current uses of cadavers. Disgusting and enlightening all at once, this is non-fiction that reads like fiction and would be a brilliant companion for students taking biology or anatomy classes. In a comment I mentioned, that I got curious about this book when seeing it on someone else's wishlist. Curious enough to get me a copy, especially when I read in the blurp and praise that is was well written, funny and at times even hilarious. I do not comment on the style of writing. The text was clear, interesting, it was imaginable what I was reading (not that I wanted that, most of the time, but still). Despite it was quite interesting, I didn't like the book very much. Too dry, I hardly found anything witty in what I read. Maybe the humor escaped me, of course that's always a possibility. The chapters I liked most were the ones about the body farm and the plastic surgeons practicing and the plane crash one. The last about the writer's own aspirations after death was also nice. Glad I found it on someone's wishlist: now it continues its journey through BookCrossing STIFF: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach For anyone interested in the “messy” part of human science, this is the book for you. Mary Roach has a unique sense of humor that makes her off beat topics fun to read. You will learn many facts while being amused and bemused. STIFF tells what happens to the human body after death whether that death is natural or not. You will discover how long decomposition takes and exactly what happens. You will find out who did the first autopsy and the first anatomical dissection and why those activities were and continue to be important. Roach covers plane crashes and gun shots and automobile crashes among other ways humans die. She discusses funeral practices and all the other topics dealing with death that you might (or might not) have ever wondered about. The style is straightforward, no medical background is necessary. Teenage boys will love it. Girls will be grossed out and parents may be dismayed, but everyone will learn something – rather painlessly I was standing in line to get this book autographed when the person behind me tapped me on the shoulder and asked me what the book was about and I said "dead bodies" and she said "WHAT?!? OMG!" It turns out that her daughter sent her to get the book and she didn't know what it was about. So be warned: this book is about dead bodies and the indignities that they suffer. I have enjoyed reading Mary Roach's articles so I assumed that I would also enjoy her book. Other reviewers have mentioned that they did not like her meandering to other topics and her humor but those things must not have bothered me because I found the book entertaining. It was full of medical curiosities and much easier to read then some of the popular forensics books authored by pathologists. no reviews | add a review
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