A review by purplemuskogee
Still Life with Bones by Alexa Hagerty

emotional informative sad medium-paced

5.0

Alexa Hagerty has written an incredibly poignant and powerful book here - informative, precise, but also very touching. and kind. She describes her work as a student, moving from California to Guatemala, and then Argentina. I was more familiar with the events in Argentina than in Guatemala and I found her easy to follow without being vague or simplistic. Her meetings with the "disappeared"'s families added so much to the book, but I also enjoyed following her learning experience, getting more comfortable handling bones. She is also very honest about how the work impacts her mental life and how difficult it is to detach oneself, to go home and enjoy one's spare time without thinking constantly about the baby's skull found at the bottom of a well, or the details she notices and remembers when exhumating someone: a man's work boots, the same her colleagues all wear; a woman's lovingly embroidered blouse. 
It was such a beautiful and moving book; I think I will keep thinking about that one for a while.

Free ARC sent by Netgalley.
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