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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
A really interesting book, about a subject that, I think, we are all secretly interested in: what happens to us when we die? Not the spiritual, is-there-an-afterlife subject, but the other side of it. When we die, we're essentially just meat.
But what happens to it?
It's an interesting look at it, and Roach treats the subject with a great deal of respect, and the black humour that one would expect from somebody researching decomposition and funerary rites.
My only complaint about it is that she kind of strays from her core topic in places. Yes, she talks about human remains the whole time, but not in the way that she states she is going to, and stops talking about cadavers themselves, and more about how the living deal with them.
Still, it is a good read, and I recommend it highly.
But what happens to it?
It's an interesting look at it, and Roach treats the subject with a great deal of respect, and the black humour that one would expect from somebody researching decomposition and funerary rites.
My only complaint about it is that she kind of strays from her core topic in places. Yes, she talks about human remains the whole time, but not in the way that she states she is going to, and stops talking about cadavers themselves, and more about how the living deal with them.
Still, it is a good read, and I recommend it highly.
funny
informative
medium-paced
Just wasn't vibing with this book, figured I'll return it early for others to read instead. This book wasn't as funny as it made itself out to be. Full of very unfunny, "hur hur I'm so silly XD" quips and snide remarks that I didn't enjoy at all.
informative
dark
funny
informative
medium-paced
This book answers questions I'd never have thought to ask about dead bodies. Yes, there were some passages that made me queasy and/or horrified--the chapter about experiments in head transplantation comes to mind--but the tone throughout is light and acknowledges our discomfort with the subject.
funny
informative
medium-paced
Pretty interesting book about the history of using cadavers and the ways cadaver research has helped better our understanding of the human body and how to keep them safe.
It's a fairly funny book, surprisingly.
But, yeah, a solid book.
It's a fairly funny book, surprisingly.
But, yeah, a solid book.
i listened to the audio book and really enjoyed the narrator.
overall the book was pretty decent, the information was mostly interesting but sometimes the writing was pretty meh. i didn't really find her to be all that funny but i wasn't expecting to be laughing going into it so i cannot be all that mad about it.
what really bothered me was the chapter on cannibalism. she would make references to spiritual and deep practices without really digging into them (except for serving your own flesh to a sick loved one but that situation does not involve cadavers at all which is supposed to be the focus of the book). she also spent a long amount of time focused on her hunt to talk to these men who had supposedly been cannibals only to find out it was a hoax, spending a long time writing about herself as a silly tourist and not talking about corpses much at all. a lot of the chapter felt like a big wasted opportunity as she frequently chose to focus on things that little to do with how cadavers have contributed when that is supposed to be the focus of the book.
overall the book was pretty decent, the information was mostly interesting but sometimes the writing was pretty meh. i didn't really find her to be all that funny but i wasn't expecting to be laughing going into it so i cannot be all that mad about it.
what really bothered me was the chapter on cannibalism. she would make references to spiritual and deep practices without really digging into them (except for serving your own flesh to a sick loved one but that situation does not involve cadavers at all which is supposed to be the focus of the book). she also spent a long amount of time focused on her hunt to talk to these men who had supposedly been cannibals only to find out it was a hoax, spending a long time writing about herself as a silly tourist and not talking about corpses much at all. a lot of the chapter felt like a big wasted opportunity as she frequently chose to focus on things that little to do with how cadavers have contributed when that is supposed to be the focus of the book.
The writing was great, and the organization was mostly good, but I really admire the author’s penchant for storytelling. She picked great personalities to interview for this book, and she had some very interesting experiences. There were a few chapters I skipped, like about the medical cannibalism, but other than that, I enjoyed this book.