Things you never knew you wanted to know

books:


	• Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers Mary Roach W. W. Norton & Company, 2004 - 304 pages average customer review:based on 355 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Things you never knew you wanted to know

This book is tied for first as my favorite book of all time. This book is informative, educational, and exceptionally well-cited. Beyond that, it is an easy and conversational read. The best parts (there are two) about this book are that a) it might be the funniest thing I have ever read. Yes, its about cadavers - whole ones, pieces of them, ones that are buried, burned or chemically digested, dismantled for research or organ donation - but Roach has an uncanny and remarkable sense of humor about the whole thing. I literally laughed out loud at several points during the book - this is not just something they put on the book jacket as a sales pitch. If you wish to be amused, pick this up. And b) my second favorite thing about this book is that it provides a new starting place for deciding about the way in which I wish to dispense with my own remains. She provides information about organ donation, donation of bodies to science, donation of brains, and the nitty-gritty of what happens to the body depending on which more traditional disposal method one selects. I'll spare you the details of my own decision about this, but suffice it to say, this book has given me a whole new set of things to think about. This book doesn't have to move you or impact your life or decision-making, but it can.

In all, a fantastic reading experience that I recommend to anyone with a sense of humor and even the slightest bit of morbid curiosity.

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Really good!

In my anatomy class my teacher said i HAD to read this book. But don't read if someone you know has recently passed or if this kinda stuff bothers you. Take it lightly and humorous.

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Very Interesting Read

Anything you never wanted to know about dead bodies you will read in this book. The author presents the information with a "Dry as a dry martini" sense of humor. Information that would typically not be discussed at the dinner table is what you will find in this book.

There is a variety of information, everything from how dead bodies are used to determine the best seats for airline crashes to the once considered disposal of the same.

One example is a gentleman in New York many moons ago that thought using human fat to keep the street lamps burning. He felt this was a good idea and a cost saving measure.

Another is how cremation came to be and various tried and failed techniques such as freeze drying bodies.

It is not a book of gore in the least, the reason it is not is the way the information is presented. This book is an all time favorite of mine. If you enjoy science, biology, and how things work you will enjoy this book.

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Talent for Diplomacy

Ms. Roach has missed her true calling...I believe she could convince even John Bolton of her good intentions. The book was worth the $3.99 "used" price I paid. It's a light, humorous yet illuminating read if not somewhat contrived; in one section it is noted that victims' bodies aren't actually physically used in analyzing airplane crashes, thus their "lives" aren't so curious after all. Still they must be referred to as cadavers to agree with the central theme. This is a good nightstand book since you can well wait to see how it ends. R.I.P.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, page 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

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