Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

I really enjoyed this book. I am donating my body to science so I thought it would be interesting to learn how my body might be used after I pass. This book served to confirm my decision to benefit science. If you are squeamish about death or dead bodies I wouldn't recommend reading this book, however. It's a tiny bit graphic - not gory, but it could be disturbing to sensitive people.

It's quite lighthearted despite the premise. Maybe my brain is programmed differently. I enjoyed it very much. You will need a wry sense of humor, I think.

As I stated above, I very much enjoyed this book right up until the start of chapter. Before I get into that part, I'd like to talk about what I loved in the book. Talking about death and the shell we leave behind can easily veer into disrespect or being overly clinic. Mary did a great job of walking this fine line for much of the book. I gained a greater understanding and appreciation for the humble human cadaver. Then at chapter 10 it all went off the rails. That chapter was little better than a cookbook for preparing human bodies as various forms of food. Chapter 10 needs a re-write. It was extremely gross and disrespectful.

Having read Mary Roach’s newest book, Grunt, in which she talks about the science of keeping soldiers alive, I decided to read her first one, Stiff, for two reasons. One was to see how much she’d changed as an author, but two – and the bigger reason – was a fascination with the subject. Stiff‘s subtitle is The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, and the book is about exactly that: what happens to our remains after we die? Like she did with Grunt (and, I’m presuming, all of her books), Roach divides the book into independent chapters, each focusing on different aspects. There’s the bodies that end up in mortuary schools, as well as those that end up dissected by medical students. There are cadavers used as crash testers, those that end up at the Body Farm (where decay is studied, among other things), those that are used to help understand airplane crashes…and those that were used to understand what happened to Jesus and others who were crucified. And there’s much more to be found here, including bodies as compost, as art, and more.It’s a fascinating subject, and one that put Roach on the map – and having read the book, it’s not hard to see why. Done wrongly, the book could seem insensitive, ghoulish, or just depressing. But Roach celebrates these cadavers, reminding the reader just how much has been gained from this research and just how important these bodies have been to not only medicine, but to our society as a whole. At the same time, she never shies away from the discomfort people feel; indeed, one of the most compelling threads in each chapter is discussing with the various people she meets how they manage to maintain a proper emotional balance when they’re working with the dead all the time.Roach is more of a presence in Stiff than she is in Grunt; it feels like more of a first book, and something she might grow away from as she went. But that also feels like a key part of why the book works; after all, death is a fundamentally personal event, and there’s little way to read Stiff and not spend time thinking about what you would want done with your own remains, be it cremation, burial, donation, or more. And Roach builds her own debate into the book, concluding the book with a chapter that finds her pondering what to do with her own remains, having done all these studies and researches into our possible fates.But lest that sound too heavy, Stiff is every bit as engaging and fun as you would hope from Roach’s reputation. Her digressive footnotes and odd asides are still evident, her willingness to ask questions no less charming, and her ability to bring a light tone to even heavy subject matters no less welcome. More than that, she finds depth and thoughtfulness to discuss beyond what you would expect, to the point where you get the impression that she could write a whole second book about bodies and never run out of things to say. That she does all this while being incredibly informative, demonstrating a gift for conveying complex things quickly, and managing to even tell stories, is just testament to her skills as a writer, and the deservedness of her reputation.

I'm in the medical field and deal with death, this book is fabulous for a "what happens when we die" scenario....particularly what happens if you donate your body to silence. Dark humor is a must, and this book provides it.

I defy anyone to dislike a book whose first sentence is "The way I see it, being dead is not terribly far off from being on a cruise ship." Mary Roach's grand tour of the afterlives of corpses makes for compelling--and very often hilarious--reading. The book opens with the first of many colorful scenes, a roomful of plastic surgeons practicing their grotesque (at the best of times) trade on a bunch of severed heads. "The heads have been put in roasting pans--which are of the disposable aluminum variety--for the same reason chickens are put in roasting pans: to catch the drippings." As this passage illustrates, the author keeps the tone of her book light. She is a clever writer, and she makes the sorts of observations of her grim material that the Mystery Science Theater bots might make.But however light her touch, Roach is describing some truly horrific things. There is, for example, the body farm at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where bodies go to rot for science, their skin sloughing off and their genitalia bloating in full view of researchers and their guests--who leave with their footwear uncleanably soiled with the "liquids of human decay." There is the graduate student who composted a ne'er-do-well to see how efficacious a means of disposal mulch-making might be for third-world countries. ("And because the man was buried whole, Evans had to go out with a shovel and rake to aerate him three or four times.") And there is Roach's attempt--failed--to verify the details of a 1991 Reuter's article which claimed that "a man who worked in a crematorium in Hainan Province was caught hacking the buttocks and thighs off cadavers prior to incineration and bringing the meat to his brother, who ran the nearby White Temple Restaurant." Roach hired an interpreter to facilitate her discussion with the director of the crematorium she believed had employed the buttock-hacker. But how to explain to the interpreter what she needed to know? "In the cab, I tried to think of a way to explain to Sandy what I was about to have her do. I need you to ask this man whether he had an employee who cut the butt cheeks off cadavers to serve in his brother's restaurant. No matter how I thought of phrasing it, it sounded ghastly and absurd. Why would I need to know this? What kind of book was I writing?"For those with a strongish stomach, Mary Roach's book is, really, a delightful read. And eye-opening. And unlike most books, it may have the quite real effect of influencing your after-lifestyle choices.

As I said in the headline, some people might consider it morbid - it's all about cadavers...(dead bodies) !!!This is the 2nd time I've bought the book, because I lost it about 10 years ago, but anyway, I personally "did not" find it morbid at all. I found it just very factual, scientific and mostly fascinating and that's why I'm buying it again. I'm really not even an avid reader, but I enjoyed the book that much. Anyhow, its "different strokes for different folks", but I thought the book was highly interesting and I would definitely reccommend it, but that's up to you. I offered it to a few friends to read and they found it too morbid, but I think if they had been just a bit more open minded and gave it a little bit of a chance, they would have really enjoyed the book, but "buyer beware"(You might find it morbid)... it's your choice - Good Luck.

I now have a new view on cadavers, what they do for us and the respect that is offered to them. After reading this I immediately purchased two more of her books to go through.If you appreciate a sense of humour, and want to know how things work and what occurs, this is the book for you. But good luck putting it down as she's very good at keeping you interested. It's not the best source for light social chatter I have found out though. ;)

Zugegeben: Ich habe mich von den überaus guten Bewertungen blenden lassen.Das Buch ist nicht schlecht - bei einem weniger bekannten und erfahrenen Autor hätte ich vielleicht vier Sternen gegeben.Leider schwächelt die Darstellung dann aber doch daran, dass es eine Mischung zwischen Sachbuch und persönlcher Reportage sein will, die nach meinem Gefühl weder dem einen, noch dem anderen Genre wirklich gerecht wird. Die Perspektive springt hin und her, die Prosa wirkt zum Teil langatmig - ich habe mich öfters gefragt, wann Mary Roach denn nun zum Punkt komme.Ein guter Lektor, der sich auch traut, den Text um 30% zu kürzen, hätte dem Buch gutgetan.

I really liked the vast and rich research that the author did in order to write this book. I also loved reading the witty humor. You know the things you think to yourself but would never say? She says them in the most glorious and unashamed manner.

Mary Roach's humor and insights make this book an at times gruesome but always interesting journey.