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jlesley's review
5.0
Forensic science and reconnecting unidentified decedents with their identities and families is very slay
thecampinglibrarian's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
yuzutart's review
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
This was an interesting read about forensic science specifically used in the identification of Jane/John Does. Following the case of "Ina Jane Doe", we learn about the logistics of exhumations, the opportunities and limitations of DNA analysis, privacy concerns surrounding genetic testing, and all sorts of things in between. We also learn of other examples in which these techniques were used to identify other decedents.
I did not realize that the author of the book was the host of the podcast "The Fall Line". I'm not sure how I feel about this in terms of how the book was written. On the plus side, there are some witty jokes and the writing is very user-friendly/not overly technical. I found all the explanations pretty easy to understand, likely because the author herself does not come from a science background herself.
However, there were a bit TOO many personal anecdotes that I feel led the narrative a bit too far off from its main points. I learned not only about forensic anthropology, but also about what snacks the author ate with her colleagues, her husband's driving, and which reality TV shows they watching. I also feel like she repeatedly said things like, "This isn't a 45 minute episode of Bones/CSI, things take a long time to get processed!" several times. Finally, while I can appreciate the science being easily digestible for a wider audience, I do love more detail in scientific explanations.
All that considered, as someone who does not really like cold cases because the not knowing is too frustrating, I enjoyed learning more about what can be done to get closer to the truth.
I did not realize that the author of the book was the host of the podcast "The Fall Line". I'm not sure how I feel about this in terms of how the book was written. On the plus side, there are some witty jokes and the writing is very user-friendly/not overly technical. I found all the explanations pretty easy to understand, likely because the author herself does not come from a science background herself.
However, there were a bit TOO many personal anecdotes that I feel led the narrative a bit too far off from its main points. I learned not only about forensic anthropology, but also about what snacks the author ate with her colleagues, her husband's driving, and which reality TV shows they watching. I also feel like she repeatedly said things like, "This isn't a 45 minute episode of Bones/CSI, things take a long time to get processed!" several times. Finally, while I can appreciate the science being easily digestible for a wider audience, I do love more detail in scientific explanations.
All that considered, as someone who does not really like cold cases because the not knowing is too frustrating, I enjoyed learning more about what can be done to get closer to the truth.
oliviathebookwyrm's review
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
klgoodrich98's review
I wanted to like this one but I think it was too repetitive on the information end for me. Maybe I've watched too much Forensic Files to find this interesting because it felt like a lot of what I already knew. I also wasn't a huge fan of the way this was organized. It felt a little disjointed to be jumping between informational and narrative chapters. I was also less interested in the author's life than I was in the lives of actual forensic anthropologists, and I wish this had focused a bit more on that like I was anticipating.