Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

Author: Mary Roach
Stars: 5
Review by: Mary NK

"Uproariously funny", "respectful", "irreverent", and "historical" - How can all these refer to the same book? Only when the book is by Mary Roach. Skilled in making complex science accessible to us lay persons, Roach investigates the apparently not-so-final remains of dear departed both recent and historical. We learn that corpses were once used to test guillotines and currently help design safe cars and plastic surgery techniques. We follow Roach on a quest to find an island of Chinese cannibals. We read about worldwide burial customs and inaccurate anatomical beliefs. We visit a dissection class where the students investigate the lives of their 'subjects' so they can be given the respect & gratitude felt by these future doctors. Doesn't sound humorous? Often I was laughing too hard to explain what was so hilarious. Between the chuckles, you can't help but absorb some pretty incredible facts about our own afterlife. And if you regret the end of this book, there's still Roach's other gem Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex.