A review by readwithmeemz
Still Life with Bones by Alexa Hagerty

5.0

A profoundly moving, often devastating read about death, dying, and the stories our dead can tell us, this is a book that will stick with me for quite some time. It’s a little surreal reading about a brutal genocide supported by the US government, right now, while we’re watching a genocide unfurl before our very eyes, also supported by and funded by the US government (among others). This book serves as a testimony - a witness to the horrors and brutality that unfolded in Guatemala and in Argentina. In this work, our author, an anthropologist, works with forensics teams in Latin America, in order to exhume, identify, and  prove what happened. As our narrator learns about bones and how to put them together, she also learns about the stories bones tell — the slice of a machete, the crush of grave dirt, the bodies shaped by starvation - alongside witness testimonials, these bones bring to life the people who once wore them, their stories, their lives, and the unbearable tragedy of their deaths. This book is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Horrifying and haunting, while simultaneously beautiful and tender, this book is full of care, compassion, and humanity. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time. 

I received a digital (audio) copy of this book from the publisher.