Stiff is an oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. For two thousand years, cadavers–some willingly, some unwittingly–have been involved in science’s boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. In this fascinating account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries and tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are … are no longer with them.
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As a fan of Mary Roach’s funny books about strange aspects of science, I’ve been meaning to read this book for years. I’m glad I finally did. With a look at the ways corpses are treated–as living organ donors, in crash tests, for museum exhibits–it’s a one-of-a-kind read that’s fascinating, shocking, and funny. If you’re looking to up your …
I enjoyed Stiff. It was educational reading written in a manner that kept me engaged. I read a good deal of nonfiction in hopes of bringing some level of accuracy to the fiction that I write, and to be honest, a good deal of that research can be a chore to get through. This book was many things. It was at times gross, maybe even unsettling in its …
Everything you’d ever want to know (and wish you didn’t know) about cadavers. For example, what will really happen to your body if you donate it to science? Are you …
… ready to be dropped from a plane?
… shot with rubber bullets?
… thrown through a plate glass window?
… crucified and wrapped in gauze to test theories about the Shroud …
A very unusual book. Have you ever wondered what happens with bodies as they die or those that donate their bodies? This is a book that tells all the details. Interesting, disturbing, and dare I say, morbid. Lol. Mostly very informative. I was already st up to be an organ donor, but now, what they don’t use can be left to science.
Mary Roach at her finest! If you like a dose of humor with your science facts, this is for you.
Stayed up way too late to finish it. Immediately bought Spook and Bonk when they came out. May not be for everyone as it discusses death and funerary practices, but I loved it and the others. Working on Grunt now.
Who knew learning about cadavers could be fun and interesting. I laughed, I cried, I was disgusted. This book has it all. I felt it was well researched and well written. The dry humor sprinkled throughout the story helped break up the horror of the subject. As she says in the book death doesn’t have to be boring.
I bought this book because I was laughing by the end of the introduction… to a book about dead people. Brilliant science writing for ordinary people.
This is a very humorous look at the end of Life.
When we think of death, we think of the sadness attached to the person who has died. What we don’t often think about is how their body could help others in the field of science. Mary Roach approaches the subject of death in a way that allows readers to understand how cadavers have evolved the world around us. Hear stories from doctors, forensic …
5 stars – I loved it!
“Death. It doesn’t have to be boring.”
In this informative and hilarious book, Mary Roach discusses the lives of cadavers from past to present. With detailed descriptions of experimentations, organ donation, and other options that can happen to cadavers, she takes us on a journey of the human body after death, but only if …
One would not assume the subject matter could be funny but it is. Well written and witty.
All of her books are different and interesting!
Unexpectedly fascinating and with a good dollop of humour. Extremely well written.
It is a unique experience to rate a book about cadavers a five star but boy can she write a page turner.
A funny account of “cadaverland”.
Interesting read with both fun and heart-wrenching stories. The author’s writing is authentic and thoughtful.
I think this is the best of all her books.
If you can stand the mix of medical reality and the macabre, “Stiff” is amazingly interesting — what really happens to our ‘mortal shells’ when we die? If the only answer you have is “they get buried” then this book will open your world to the wide variety of options we truely have. Delving into both historical and cultural burials as well as …
A totally different way of looking at some scientific information. Never would have thought this would be a subject I was interested in. Mary Roach is a great writer and presents things in a fun, interesting and entertaining way. Learned a lot and really enjoyed the book. Who knew the study of dead bodies could be entertaining.