A review by marginaliant
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

3.0

At first I was frustrated by her constant asides to her own feelings and squeamishness but, I suppose, I don't know what else I expected. Well, actually, I do: I expected history writing. And this certainly isn't that. Once you get accustomed to the fact that Roach is writing as a reporter rather than a historian, this text becomes a lot easier to read. It's like a cultural report on the current state of several aspects of dead bodies, with particular attention paid to what happens when you donate your body to "science." It's not ground-breaking for someone who has read rather a lot on this sort of thing (or if you're a member of the Order of the Good Death) but it might be a useful primer for the interested. As long as you haven't had someone die recently. It isn't a feel-good kind of book.