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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
medium-paced
dark
funny
informative
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3 stars
Discussion about what happens to humans after they're dead mostly in the context of donation to science but a little bit about funerary rites. It was written with quite a bit of humor but honestly not my cup of tea. It was interesting and I didn't hate it but there's not much to say about this one.
Discussion about what happens to humans after they're dead mostly in the context of donation to science but a little bit about funerary rites. It was written with quite a bit of humor but honestly not my cup of tea. It was interesting and I didn't hate it but there's not much to say about this one.
funny
informative
challenging
dark
informative
okay, ang, that's enough books about death for now.
this was fascinating and disgusting all at once. the chapter on human decay was probably the pinnacle of both of these things, but i also really enjoyed the chapters on body snatching, gross anatomy labs and human composting.
i think the most unfortunate thing about this book is really that it's a product of the late 90's and early 00's. the author spends a chapter in china talking about cannibalism and chasing down a supposed crematorium that sold human meat to a local chinese food restaurant. (note: the author does call it a chinese food restaurant... pretty sure those are just called restaurants in China.) it ends up being an urban legend, but the whole chapter just reeks of racism.
the other thing regarding the time frame of this book is that ~20 years have passed since its release. at the end of the book, Roach talks about the beginning of the body worlds exhibit and the plastination/preservation of humans as being this hip, underground european thing, which obviously is not the case anymore. this probably does exist somewhere, but a republished edition of this with an updated afterword or something similar would be great.
this was fascinating and disgusting all at once. the chapter on human decay was probably the pinnacle of both of these things, but i also really enjoyed the chapters on body snatching, gross anatomy labs and human composting.
i think the most unfortunate thing about this book is really that it's a product of the late 90's and early 00's. the author spends a chapter in china talking about cannibalism and chasing down a supposed crematorium that sold human meat to a local chinese food restaurant. (note: the author does call it a chinese food restaurant... pretty sure those are just called restaurants in China.) it ends up being an urban legend, but the whole chapter just reeks of racism.
the other thing regarding the time frame of this book is that ~20 years have passed since its release. at the end of the book, Roach talks about the beginning of the body worlds exhibit and the plastination/preservation of humans as being this hip, underground european thing, which obviously is not the case anymore. this probably does exist somewhere, but a republished edition of this with an updated afterword or something similar would be great.
If possible, check out the audiobook version from your library. It's like listening to an extra long segment from NPR.
If possible, check out the audiobook version from your library. It's like listening to an extra long segment from NPR.