Reviews tagging 'Death'

Die fabelhafte Welt der Leichen by Mary Roach, Michaela Grabinger

133 reviews

leweylibrary's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny informative medium-paced

5.0

Gosh this was such an interesting book! I absolutely love the bit of humor that was infused throughout--that paired with the morbid subject matter was so very much up my alley. I learned so much and am thinking about death and what happens to our bodies after we die in such totally different ways. I did have to keep reminding myself that this book is like 20 years old at this point, but still.
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sadgirlsidney's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative slow-paced

2.25

NOT what I was expecting but still very interesting. Certainly has me rethinking what I'd like to have done with my remains. I'm glad Body Worlds was mentioned, albeit very breifly, because I went to that exhibit just after high school and have never forgotten that experience.
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booksbyantheia's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

This is an excellent book. It does indeed lose some of its rhythms in the second half, but it's still very interesting. I enjoyed it, even on the parts I was grossed out!
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emburs's review against another edition

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adventurous informative medium-paced

3.0

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lw_69's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

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roadki77's review against another edition

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dark informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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leanneymu's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

If you're squeamish, this is not the book for you. But if you can get past chapter 3 (decomposition) then this is a fascinating and funny read.
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bronzemist's review against another edition

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dark informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

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applesaucecreachur's review against another edition

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dark funny informative slow-paced

3.0

I appreciate this book for what it is: A professional journalist writing a history of corpses, while herself being an amateur on the subject. While much of the contemporary content is now out of date, I still walk away from the book with a few key takeaways.

1. Our corpses are not "us". In life, they were our vessels. Now, they are shells.
2. That said, as a future medical care provider and future surviving loved one, the remains of those departed are worthy of respect and care.
3. There's been a lot of thought and disagreement put into how we ought to treat corpses. Do we bury them? Burn them? Dissolve them? Compost? Scatter? Stick in an anatomy lab? Put on display? Pulverize in controlled car crash scenarios? Eat????
4. While sometimes self-aware, this book was a bit orientalizing and generally racist. (The bit about the Spanish American War and the indigenous soldiers? Come on now.)

This book was moderately informative and mildly entertaining. Now I gotta go figure out what to do with my husk when I'm done with it. 
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cammiem8's review against another edition

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dark funny informative fast-paced

2.5

Good info but the tone was all over the place and the author portrayed herself as being kind of an asshole to the people she interviewed. Keep an eye out for the Dr. Oz cameo which is very funny in hindsight 
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