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Title: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach ISBN: 0-393-32482-6 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: May, 2004 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.57 (115 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Unforgettable
Comment: Stiff is the best book I've read this year. I picked it up half-heartedly, as something I thought I should read to make myself more comfortable thinking about death. But, I was wary. I thought that I would have a hard time reading about such a morbid topic. But, I was absolutely delighted by the book. Don't get me wrong -- parts are troubling, and I don't recommend eating a snack while reading it. But, Roach covers the topic brilliantly, with chapters dedicated to the history of the use of cadavers in medicine, the study of human decomposition, the use of cadavers in car crash tests, and the use of the guillotine as a means of execution in revolutionary France. The information she presents is riveting, and as a former travel writer, she's not afraid to go the distance, all the way to China in one case, to investigate. Moreover, I'm not sure how she does it, but Roach actually injects humor into her tale. How can she treat the subject with such respect and yet make it a laugh out loud, funny read? You'll have to read it to find out. You won't be disappointed. This is investigative journalism at its best.
Rating: 5
Summary: light-hearted narrative, serious content
Comment: Mary Roach's book is perhaps the one nonfiction book that I've experienced the most fun while reading. Writing about cadavers probably sits on the top 10 list of morbid subjects to produce a book on, but Ms. Roach's wonderful (and mostly appropriate) sense of humor through it all is infectious. I still can't keep from supressing a smile on my face after learning about Sir Harold and his guinea pig experiments.
She also has a delightful knack for including details that would spur the interest of a majority of readers who ever wondered about this particular topic. For instance, she includes chapters on embalming, the use of the dead to test vehicles for safety,forensic pathology,donor transplants, and cremation. Her details are engrossing and informative. In addition to studying scientific papers and other works (the traditional route for most nonfiction book writers on science), Ms.Roach has travelled across the country and overseas to interview first-hand the specialists on this particular field.
As far as the grossness level, I would not worry about anyone losing their lunch because of this book. But then again, I am someone who watches "Operation" on TLC while munching on a pepperoni pizza. She does not include any graphic images that might be horribly ingrained in your memories. Meticulous detail and much description are the things mostly found in her writing.
She is by far one of the funniest writers I've ever read, but despite her light-hearted wit, she definitely treats her subject with much sensivity and respect. I encourage anyone with an inquisitive mind to read this!
Rating: 5
Summary: Wonderful!
Comment: I loved this book and wish there were more books like this written!
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Title: Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab/the Body Farm/Where the Dead Do Tell Tales by William M. Bass, Jon Jefferson, Bill Bass, Patricia Cornwell ISBN: 0399151346 Publisher: Putnam Pub Group Pub. Date: 23 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Written in Bones: How Human Remains Unlock the Secrets of the Dead by Paul G. Bahn ISBN: 1552976599 Publisher: Firefly Books Pub. Date: March, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Corpse: Nature, Forensics, and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death by Jessica Snyder Sachs ISBN: 0738207713 Publisher: Perseus Publishing Pub. Date: 15 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: The Dollhouse Murders: A Forensic Expert Investigates 6 Little Crimes by Thomas Mauriello, Ann Darby, Photographs by John Consoli ISBN: 0131451650 Publisher: Pi Press Pub. Date: 20 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: A Million Little Pieces by JAMES FREY ISBN: 0385507755 Publisher: Nan A. Talese Pub. Date: 15 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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