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A review by cinchona
Written in Bone: Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind by Sue Black
5.0
Sue Black is remarkable, and this is a remarkable book. For me, teaching anatomy, it's an incredible gift: to go literally lesson by lesson through stories with a senior anatomy teacher, picking up bits of story, style, and knowledge that I can add to my own discussion of the skeleton. For someone else, the presentation might be a little dry or academic: though I think each chapter has enough interest to pull through true-crime fanatics or those who like memoirs of fascinating people.
It's a hard book to recommend to others, since so much of what Professor Black does is identify the remains of children. The language is never unnecessarily grotesque or dramatic, but it is precise and methodical, about the kind of work she does and the kind of swift, violent deaths she often uncovers. Avoid, I think, if you have any aversion to reading about such violence.
Her personal style (of writing, of thinking, of existing) is so distinct and unapologetic it makes her quite a character. I think if, when you start reading, you don't find yourself liking her immensely: you will probably find the book frustrating. Personally, I found her in most places charming: her stalwart self-identity as a Scot and her explanation of what, precisely, she thinks that means -- her embrace of her mother-hen image while doing some of the least stereotypical feminine work i can imagine -- her strong admonitions of this tattoo or that dissection practice -- her cheerful recounting of pranks involving baby bones.
On the whole, it gives an impression of a formidable powerhouse of a professor, a quirky and bizarre emotional landscape of a human, a good-hearted Boomer with a strong sense of moral justice. This book puts you sitting in her lectures, dazzled by her competence and showmanship. It puts you in the police precinct, grieving and grateful for her care and precision. It puts you at her dinner table, rolling your eyes at her thoughts on kids these days and laughing at her sharp wit. I enjoyed the journey immensely and will read it again to pull on the threads of expert knowledge to liven up my own work.
It's a hard book to recommend to others, since so much of what Professor Black does is identify the remains of children. The language is never unnecessarily grotesque or dramatic, but it is precise and methodical, about the kind of work she does and the kind of swift, violent deaths she often uncovers. Avoid, I think, if you have any aversion to reading about such violence.
Her personal style (of writing, of thinking, of existing) is so distinct and unapologetic it makes her quite a character. I think if, when you start reading, you don't find yourself liking her immensely: you will probably find the book frustrating. Personally, I found her in most places charming: her stalwart self-identity as a Scot and her explanation of what, precisely, she thinks that means -- her embrace of her mother-hen image while doing some of the least stereotypical feminine work i can imagine -- her strong admonitions of this tattoo or that dissection practice -- her cheerful recounting of pranks involving baby bones.
On the whole, it gives an impression of a formidable powerhouse of a professor, a quirky and bizarre emotional landscape of a human, a good-hearted Boomer with a strong sense of moral justice. This book puts you sitting in her lectures, dazzled by her competence and showmanship. It puts you in the police precinct, grieving and grateful for her care and precision. It puts you at her dinner table, rolling your eyes at her thoughts on kids these days and laughing at her sharp wit. I enjoyed the journey immensely and will read it again to pull on the threads of expert knowledge to liven up my own work.