Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

One would not think a book all about cadavers could be anything but morbid and gross, but this book is entertaining and informative and funny. Mary Roach makes the subject approachable and educational. I had no idea about the many “lives” of cadavers. Includes an interesting chapter on burial/cremation/composting.

This book was fascinating! What an education!
It was dark, surreal, humorous, and intriguing.
Over a year ago I decided to donate my body to science when I pass away. Admittedly the beginning of this book raised some questions to my decision;
I listened to this book and I would find myself thinking about where my various body parts would end up but in the end I am sticking with my decision.
It’s not for the weak of stomach but for those who can find humor in dark topics. I recommend it!

I really enjoyed this book. The author has such a unique writing style that kept me entertained and engaged, even when discussing some heavy and dark topics. I really enjoyed the mix of modern topics and historical review. I get the hype about this author now!

Mary Roach explores the many strange, useful, grotesque, and occasionally noble things that can happen to our bodies after death, and she does so with a consistent appetite for odd detail. I’ve heard a lot of people describe the book as funny, and I can see where they’re coming from, but it didn’t really land that way for me. I think part of the humor depends on the release of tension around the subject matter. I’m sure most readers come to it with some real discomfort, so Roach’s irreverence gives them a space to breathe. I didn’t feel that much tension through most of the book, so I wasn’t especially looking for comic relief. I chuckled a few times, but I’d describe the tone more as impertinent than genuinely funny. As the book went on, it actually started to feel a little forced, and occasionally a bit puerile. There were a few thought-provoking moments around our definition of “death” (the notion of a “beating-heart cadaver” certainly had never occurred to me). And I did some thinking about the state of the industry surrounding dead bodies—including organ/cadaver donation, the funeral industry, and a few other random enterprises. But the cumulative effect was a little numbing. Severed heads, decomposing bodies, cremation, impact studies, medicinal cannibalism—it all started to feel less like a deepening inquiry and more like a collection of oddities arranged by topic. I can see why the book works for a lot of people. I read it for an irl book group, and I have to say, it fueled an interesting & lengthy discussion. But for me, this wasn’t a very compelling read. Once the novelty of the subject wore thin—which it did pretty quickly—there didn’t seem to be anything much underlying it. I will also say, it has me wanting to take another look at Jessica Mitford’s The American Way of Death to see what a sharper, more sustained treatment would look like.

Very interesting read. I thought I would be a bit more grossed out by how things are used in this book, but the author had set it up in a way that made it sound like a procedure and not pure torture. Add a little wittiness and slight humor, it was a very educating book!