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trin's review against another edition
3.0
A nonfiction exploration of the various uses bodies are put to after people die. This was interesting and full of light humor, if not necessarily revelatory—I feel like I learned some cool details, but my outlook wasn't exactly changed or anything; I wasn't blown away by the information contained within these pages. I also wasn't squicked by the descriptions of what goes on, with the exception of 1) a few instances involving cannibalism, 2) some descriptions of head-swapping experiments that have implications that still freak me out, and 3) MAGGOTS. Ever since an incident with a dead squirrel when I was little, I cannot abide even the thought of maggots or larvae or...well, you get the idea. And personally, I won't be eating Rice Krispies for a while. (Think about it.)
Anyway, like I said: interesting, but definitely something I'm glad I got from the library as opposed to purchasing.
Anyway, like I said: interesting, but definitely something I'm glad I got from the library as opposed to purchasing.
scytmo's review against another edition
4.0
A fascinating, if slightly outdated, exploration of all the things that can happen to human cadavers: from anatomy classes for students studying medicine, to investigating the efficacy of vehicle safety systems, to the various ways people ingest human remains, to their ultimate disposal.
“Mary Roach is an American author specialising in popular science and humour”, according to her Wikipedia page, and that’s exactly what you get here - a well researched look at what could potentially be quite a dark subject, but treated with just the right amount of humour and occasional well-pitched irreverence.
There’s some fascinating insight here into both current and historical uses of cadavers. It’s only a shame that the book is slightly dated now, having been originally published in 2003, so some of the descriptions of “upcoming” advances in areas covered by the book are now over 20 years out of date (although I’d be very interested to know how things have progressed).
“Mary Roach is an American author specialising in popular science and humour”, according to her Wikipedia page, and that’s exactly what you get here - a well researched look at what could potentially be quite a dark subject, but treated with just the right amount of humour and occasional well-pitched irreverence.
There’s some fascinating insight here into both current and historical uses of cadavers. It’s only a shame that the book is slightly dated now, having been originally published in 2003, so some of the descriptions of “upcoming” advances in areas covered by the book are now over 20 years out of date (although I’d be very interested to know how things have progressed).
stephaniesteen73's review against another edition
4.0
Great book but not for the squeamish reader. I learned so much more than I ever expected about corpses, including the related topics of the soul, hereafter, body-snatchers, organ donation, human remains composting, etc. Although one might expect scientific reading to be dull, Roach writes with great humor and I found myself laughing out loud. Particularly amusing were her frequent use of TMI or tangent-related footnotes. Highly recommend!
sklus's review against another edition
5.0
Really good book, full of a bunch of fun information and interesting perspectives. I enjoyed it!
anndempsey's review against another edition
4.0
I found this book at the Cincinnati Airport. Not in the bookstore. In the bathroom.
whistler179's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Love, love, love this book. Such an interesting read and for those with a morbid fascination this is a must read. So many amazing things achieved by people’s donations.
hirvimaki's review against another edition
4.0
You'd not think that a book about cadavers would be laugh-out-loud funny, but you'd be dead wrong. Roach has an easy, casual style of writing that is perfect for conveying this sometimes-grim information in a upbeat yet still respectful way. I was thoroughly entertained and I learned a lot. What more could you ask from a non-fiction book?