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rachleigh251's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Medical content, Death, and Car accident
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Abortion
sophiemartin's review against another edition
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Blood, Death, and Medical trauma
becphe's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Child abuse, Cannibalism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Child death
tpal_'s review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Animal death, Medical trauma, and Death
Moderate: Excrement, Cannibalism, and Car accident
Minor: Abortion
solenodon's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gore, Body horror, Death, Animal death, and Medical content
Moderate: Excrement, Cannibalism, Racism, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent
stephanieridiculous's review
3.0
My biggest gripe with this book, though, is the chapter on crucifixion experiments. While all the other chapters have lengthy bibliographies and reference a plethora of resources, this chapter is woefully insufficient. It seems like Roach phoned this one in for the shock factor of it's inclusion and failed to give it the same level of respect and research her other topics received. And adjacent to that, the chapter I was most hesitant to read, about cannibalism, was mostly unsubstantiated rumors turned into more shock factor fluff, seemingly just to get you to read/be grossed out/I dunno what.
Despite all that, I learned a lot and have much to consider about my own future cadaver and what should be done with it.
Graphic: Blood, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Death, Violence, Body horror, Cannibalism, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide
jhbandcats's review against another edition
5.0
Dead bodies have all sorts of potential futures. At a funeral home they can be embalmed, cremated, or dissolved via aquamation. Donated to science, they can work in med school anatomy labs, be subjected to crashes to analyze car and airplane safety, decompose naturally to assist forensic scientists in determining time of death, or be used in surgery continuing education classes.
Roach details the history of dead bodies, including stories on Burke and Hare's murder and grave robbery scheme and the first anatomy classes. She talks about failed whole head transplant operations; body composting; and bullet, bomb, and landmine studies to improve body armor. Her curiosity drives her to ask unexpected and occasionally inappropriate questions.
I think Mary Roach is a fabulous author. I'm glad I reread this fascinating book. She has taught me so much that I likely couldn't learn elsewhere. I can't recommend this highly enough.
Graphic: Eating disorder, Excrement, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Animal death, Cannibalism, Car accident, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Terminal illness, and Violence
bxtskr's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, Child death, Death, Body horror, Blood, Car accident, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, and Suicide attempt
hanarama's review against another edition
4.0
• Science
• Non-fiction
• Single topic
• Conversational
In Stiff, Mary Roach investigates our relationship to human corpses. Through history and into modern day, Roach explores how we feel about dead bodies as well as how they have helped us advance science and medicine.
I love non-fiction books focusing on single topics or phenomena, and this is no exception. Though lacking in a narrative, Roach allows the subject matter to work as a throughline through the chapters, creating a sense of cohesion as the book moves from donated bodies in anatomy labs, to crash tests, and to some truly horrifying mad science.
Roach's conversational writing makes Stiff easily digestible. It's a fast and easy read, and often feels as though an acquaintance is sharing this information with you over coffee.
Perhaps my only gripe is that Roach lets personal opinion color some of the chapters on alternative burial. Outside of the decapitation/head transplant chapter, this is the only time it feels like Roach is uncomfortable. Today more people are thinking about their death wishes and considering alternative burial, and I feel like Roach was a bit dismissive towards these methods. If we're going to be death positive, we should be more open to different methods of internment.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Medical trauma, Medical content, Cannibalism, Death, and Car accident
nissa_ann's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Abortion, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, War, and Violence