Book of the Year, 2018 Saltire Literary AwardsA CrimeReads Best True Crime Book of the MonthFor fans of Caitlin Doughty, Mary Roach, Kathy Reichs, and CSI shows, a renowned forensic scientist on death and mortality.Dame Sue Black is an internationally renowned forensic anthropologist and human anatomist. She has lived her life eye to eye with the Grim Reaper, and she writes vividly about it in … Grim Reaper, and she writes vividly about it in this book, which is part primer on the basics of identifying human remains, part frank memoir of a woman whose first paying job as a schoolgirl was to apprentice in a butcher shop, and part no-nonsense but deeply humane introduction to the reality of death in our lives. It is a treat for CSI junkies, murder mystery and thriller readers, and anyone seeking a clear-eyed guide to a subject that touches us all.
Cutting through hype, romanticism, and cliché, she recounts her first dissection; her own first acquaintance with a loved one’s death; the mortal remains in her lab and at burial sites as well as scenes of violence, murder, and criminal dismemberment; and about investigating mass fatalities due to war, accident, or natural disaster, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. She uses key cases to reveal how forensic science has developed and what her work has taught her about human nature.
Acclaimed by bestselling crime writers and fellow scientists alike, All That Remains is neither sad nor macabre. While Professor Black tells of tragedy, she also infuses her stories with a wicked sense of humor and much common sense.
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Most of us are terrified of death, but Sue Black shows us that death is in fact a wondrous process, intimately tied with life itself. Written with warmth and humanity, All That Remains reveals her life among the dead, who can surely count her as their best friend.
Dame Sue Black writes about life and death with great tenderness but no nonsense, with impeccable science lucidly explained, and with moral depths humanely navigated, so that we can all feel better about the path we must all inevitably follow.
All That Remains provides a fascinating look at death — its causes, our attitudes toward it, the forensic scientist’s way of analyzing it. A unique and thoroughly engaging book.
No scientist communicates better than Professor Sue Black. All That Remains is a unique blend of memoir and monograph that admits us into the remarkable world of forensic anthropology.
Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful, It’s the transition that’s troublesome.
–Isaac Asimov
All that Remains is an absorbing memoir on death, mortality, and solving crimes by Sue Black, a renowned forensic scientist. Among her many accomplishments, she has served as Director of the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at the University of Dundee, Scotland.
Black’s experience working in a butcher shop as a school girl in Inverness, Scotland, piqued her interest in how bodies work. She shares her early college experiences and how she learned the priceless lesson that there is much the living can learn from the dead. The author is an enthusiastic proponent of people donating their bodies after death so that others may learn.
The author has used her forensic expertise in solving high-profile crimes as well as identifying bodies of missing people. She was the lead forensic anthropologist for the British team’s work in the 1999 war crimes investigations in Kosovo, helping to organize and identify bodies buried in mass graves. She goes into some detail about the terrible acts against humanity in this horrific conflict. The author also worked in Thailand after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. She has appeared in court, giving testimony about the scientific facts surrounding crimes, and also speaks on radio and television about her experience as a forensic scientist. Black shares these experiences in honest detail, acknowledging that not everyone can tolerate this information, but insisting that knowledge allows people to come to grips with the deaths of their loved ones, especially those who have been missing for a period of time.
I strongly recommend All that Remains. It’s an informative account of life and death written not only by someone who has enormous experience, but one who has compassion and understanding. The author shows her gentle humor when working in the field, often being the only woman on a team, of dealing with extreme heat, or freezing cold. She is adept in making scientific data understandable to the layman. Not everyone is comfortable with this subject, but I appreciated Black’s unapologetic look at death and immortality, and how knowledge of death can help us accept the inevitable.
Very interesting account of her many cases.
A witty book about death. Really impressive and perfect written.
Too much of a personal memoir. Not enough forensic information.
More of an autobiography than a forensic primer, this was nevertheless interesting and insightful.
Causes done to think about upbringing.
Not at all about the alleged subject matter. More autobiography than a book about forensic pathology
This is a fascinating book with a subject that usually makes people uncomfortable. Black takes an unapologetic look at death and immortality. She has stories of her youth that helped shape her outlook on life and her profession. She offers a pragmatic look on death and dying and how sometimes the process is worse for the living.
Her chapter on disaster victim identification is eye opening. I knew the importance of identifying victims, but I never thought much about it when conventional means are unavailable or when an unknown number of people are involved. She provides an outline of why having a response team for such disasters is important for all countries.
The chapter on Kosovo was illuminating. Both from the horrible acts of humanity and her ability to succinctly tell the story without doing a disservice to the victims.
It’s an excellent book on a fascinating subject. I recommend this to anyone interested in forensic anthropology or true crime.
This book provides a fascinating journey into the world of a female forensic scientist.
This book is nonfiction so none of the other adjectives really apply. It takes you inside the world of those who deal with our bodies after we die. Very interesting, especiallly the chapter about what happens if you donate your body for research and the search for a preservative other than formalin, the use of veins on the back of the hand to help identify the unknown, the fact that all bodies are not the same inside. A worthwhile read.
If you are interested in Forensic Medicine this is very informative.
I LOVED this book! Author is smart, funny and a wee bit sassy. Great READ!!!
So well-written and informative. Not for the squeamish, though.
quite fascinating
Factual. A LITTLE MACABRE, BUT NOT IN A SCARY WAY,EYE OPENING. AFTER YOU FINISH READING THIS BOOK YOU WILL DONATE YOUR REMAINS TO SCIENCE AND LIVE ON
A truly wonderful book. Ms. Black uses her experience in training to be, and then being, a forensic expert to enlighten us on anatomy, criminality, inhumanity, and humanity. She weaves these disparate topics through multiple tales that are fascinating and insightful. An exercise in edifying drollery.