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mariaberry 's review for:
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
by Mary Roach
TL;DR this book is amazing and I want to be Mary Roach when I grow up.
Stiff is hilarious, gruesome, and utterly fascinating. I can't remember a time where a book caused me to grimace so much as I was reading it. Between moments of horror, I physically laughed out loud multiple times while reading (another uncommon occurrence), making my partner stop what he was doing so I could read him choice passages and footnotes. (those footnotes!!)
As others have said, if you are particularly sensitive about death, this book might be a tough read. However, I still think it's completely worth it. Maybe my Catholic upbringing has hardened me a bit (memento mori and all that), but death is inevitable. I think it's worth learning about death, reflecting on it, and deciding what you want done with your body when you're gone. Plus, Mary Roach's sense of humor is impeccable and brings some needed levity to this work.
Besides loving Stiff, I have found a new role model in Roach and plan on diving into the rest of her work. (I am currently reading Bonk, which I appropriately bought during a bachelorette trip, and am having just as much fun with it). As a person, I feel like I have been cosmically predestined for Roach -- I am a scientist by trade, with a deep love for science communication and ~fun facts~ in hyper-niche fields of study. I love editing and grammar (but ignore whatever mistakes I make here). Also, based on the opinions of my teachers and friends, respectively, I am a good writer and a funny person. With all of this in mind... Mary, if you are reading this and in need of an assistant, HMU.
Stiff is hilarious, gruesome, and utterly fascinating. I can't remember a time where a book caused me to grimace so much as I was reading it. Between moments of horror, I physically laughed out loud multiple times while reading (another uncommon occurrence), making my partner stop what he was doing so I could read him choice passages and footnotes. (those footnotes!!)
As others have said, if you are particularly sensitive about death, this book might be a tough read. However, I still think it's completely worth it. Maybe my Catholic upbringing has hardened me a bit (memento mori and all that), but death is inevitable. I think it's worth learning about death, reflecting on it, and deciding what you want done with your body when you're gone. Plus, Mary Roach's sense of humor is impeccable and brings some needed levity to this work.
Besides loving Stiff, I have found a new role model in Roach and plan on diving into the rest of her work. (I am currently reading Bonk, which I appropriately bought during a bachelorette trip, and am having just as much fun with it). As a person, I feel like I have been cosmically predestined for Roach -- I am a scientist by trade, with a deep love for science communication and ~fun facts~ in hyper-niche fields of study. I love editing and grammar (but ignore whatever mistakes I make here). Also, based on the opinions of my teachers and friends, respectively, I am a good writer and a funny person. With all of this in mind... Mary, if you are reading this and in need of an assistant, HMU.