Book Review - Stiff - The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
Category Book Reviews
Based on a recommendation from my niece (I get recommendations from *everyone*!), I checked out the book Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. It's a morbid subject to many, but this book is wickedly funny...
Contents: A Head Is A Terrible Thing To Waste; Crimes Of Anatomy; Life After Death; Dead Man Driving; Beyond The Black Box; The Cadaver Who Joined The Army; Holy Cadaver; How To Know If You're Dead; Just A Head; Eat Me; Out Of The Fire, Into The Compost Bin; Remains Of The Author; Acknowledgements; Index
I really don't think much about dead bodies. In most cases, they are buried or cremated. But there's that small number that are donated for "research". That's the basic playground that Roach explores, and I haven't seen a book in a very long time that has so many passages I wanted to quote... nearly one per page. I knew I was in for a great read when the introduction opens with "The way I see it, being dead is not terribly far off from being on a cruise ship. Most of your time is spent lying on your back. The brain has shut down. The flesh begins to soften. Nothing much new happens, and nothing is expected of you." All too true of my recent Alaskan cruise. I was a definitely a cadaver!
Each chapter looks at cadaver use in various areas that aren't normally discussed or mulled over. For instance, Dead Man Driving talks about the use of cadavers in automotive safety research. Yes, there are test dummies that carry the major load, but how do you find out how a test dummy needs to be composed to simulate a real person? That's where the cadavers and body parts come in. She recounts her experience at a research lab setting up a cadaver for an impact test to a shoulder region. Her description of the events and feelings that surround the testing had me smiling or laughing with every page, and that doesn't often happen when I read.
Even as funny as the book is, there's a respect for the bodies that she brings to the table. At times, the settings are morbid and macabre, but if you set aside your emotional predispositions, you'll see the dead human body in a new light. And if you're a fan of good writing, this is a great read for style and composition. She writes like I wish I could...
Based on a recommendation from my niece (I get recommendations from *everyone*!), I checked out the book Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. It's a morbid subject to many, but this book is wickedly funny...
Contents: A Head Is A Terrible Thing To Waste; Crimes Of Anatomy; Life After Death; Dead Man Driving; Beyond The Black Box; The Cadaver Who Joined The Army; Holy Cadaver; How To Know If You're Dead; Just A Head; Eat Me; Out Of The Fire, Into The Compost Bin; Remains Of The Author; Acknowledgements; Index
I really don't think much about dead bodies. In most cases, they are buried or cremated. But there's that small number that are donated for "research". That's the basic playground that Roach explores, and I haven't seen a book in a very long time that has so many passages I wanted to quote... nearly one per page. I knew I was in for a great read when the introduction opens with "The way I see it, being dead is not terribly far off from being on a cruise ship. Most of your time is spent lying on your back. The brain has shut down. The flesh begins to soften. Nothing much new happens, and nothing is expected of you." All too true of my recent Alaskan cruise. I was a definitely a cadaver!
Each chapter looks at cadaver use in various areas that aren't normally discussed or mulled over. For instance, Dead Man Driving talks about the use of cadavers in automotive safety research. Yes, there are test dummies that carry the major load, but how do you find out how a test dummy needs to be composed to simulate a real person? That's where the cadavers and body parts come in. She recounts her experience at a research lab setting up a cadaver for an impact test to a shoulder region. Her description of the events and feelings that surround the testing had me smiling or laughing with every page, and that doesn't often happen when I read.
Even as funny as the book is, there's a respect for the bodies that she brings to the table. At times, the settings are morbid and macabre, but if you set aside your emotional predispositions, you'll see the dead human body in a new light. And if you're a fan of good writing, this is a great read for style and composition. She writes like I wish I could...
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