Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
Made the terrible mistake of eating rice crispies while reading the body farm chapter. Still feel a bit ill.
dark
funny
informative
fast-paced
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this fascinating book about the "life" of our bodies after we die. Roach really went the distance in order to bring us this wealth of facts, stories, bits of history and detailed descriptions of all the ways cadavers contribute to humanity. My only complaint was Roach gets a little too cutesy with the jokes sometimes. I liked the anecdotal parts of the book and how much of her personal experience she inserted, but the humor was sometimes really corny and unnecessary. Overall though, I think she really succeeded in writing an excellent and surprisingly entertaining book on an overlooked subject.
It took me like two or three weeks to power through this, but it was worth it. It's very well written, but it was just so...clinical and a little dry at times that I struggled. Mary Roach has an incredible voice and I would consider reading her again. If I had the patience and time. I definitely learned a lot about dead bodies from this. And I also learned that when I will my body to science, as I've been planning for years, I will have to specify what I don't want to happen to my body. Like testing military weapons and stuff.
Anyway. This is very good, but you really have to commit to it and understand what you're getting yourself into.
Anyway. This is very good, but you really have to commit to it and understand what you're getting yourself into.
dark
funny
informative
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
another bland read from Mary Roach. Maybe her books just receive too much hype and i am inevitably let down when i read them. Some chapters are great, some not so great, and all too often do her humorous, witty comments land in the non-so-humorous section.
With a special interest in death, this book was an obvious choice. With a bit of a squeamish disposition, this was at times a difficult choice of book. In Stiff, Mary Roach dives into the mysterious world of the life our bodies may experience after death. What does it mean to donate your body to science, what processes make up natural and assisted decomposition, what ways have the ethics of working with human corpses evolved throughout recent history.
While it might be expected that reading a book about human cadavers would bring the reader a certain existential dread about their corporeality, I found much peace. Taken together, Roach's exploration of human remains reveals that perhaps dealing with the body of the dead is best left to the living. I like the idea that it's okay to become material—for the earth, science, growth, healing, and comfort. It makes the bodily fear of death much less heavy on the mind.
While it might be expected that reading a book about human cadavers would bring the reader a certain existential dread about their corporeality, I found much peace. Taken together, Roach's exploration of human remains reveals that perhaps dealing with the body of the dead is best left to the living. I like the idea that it's okay to become material—for the earth, science, growth, healing, and comfort. It makes the bodily fear of death much less heavy on the mind.