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Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 611 EAN: 9780393324822 ISBN: 0393324826 Label: W. W. Norton & Company Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 304 Publication Date: 2004-05 Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Studio: W. W. Norton & Company Editorial Review: Product Description: "One of the funniest and most unusual books of the year....Gross, educational, and unexpectedly sidesplitting."—Entertainment Weekly 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. They've tested France's first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800. For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender reassignment surgery, cadavers have been there alongside surgeons, making history in their quiet way. In this fascinating, ennobling account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries—from the anatomy labs and human-sourced pharmacies of medieval and nineteenth-century Europe to a human decay research facility in Tennessee, to a plastic surgery practice lab, to a Scandinavian funeral directors' conference on human composting. In her droll, inimitable voice, Roach tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Interesting... but makes your stomach churnLots of interesting facts and I was impressed at how the author managed to write about this subject. Seriously, if someone told me they were going to write a book about cadavers and it was going to be a best seller, I wouldn've thought they were crazy. That being said, Mary Roach did manage to write a best selling book on the subject, although some of the information and description of the facts made my stomach churn. Maybe I'm just squeamish, but her descriptions on the way the human cadaver ... Read More Rating:  - Funny, gross, interesting, riveting!This was one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read. The author really cuts to the chase and asks the questions everyone really want to know. I could not believe how laugh out loud funny this book was, yet she was never disrespectful to the topic, the people she interacted with, nor the "dearly departed". I recommend this to anyone who has even the slightest interest in what happens to our bodies after death. It has opened my eyes to some choices I didn't know I had (composting is intriguing...). ... Read More Rating: - All the answers to questions you wanted to ask, but didn't want to say outloud...If you have ever wondered to yourself what happens to bodies when they die, this book offers that and more. Much more. I was astounded at what is done - both stateside and abroad - with the physical body. Who'da thought? The humor keeps you from being entirely grossed out and I found myself somewhere between morbid fascination and uncontrollable laughter. Super book. Rating:  - 4.5 stars-Things to do when you're deadThis book is an enthralling read about journey of the cadaver. Roach goes into great detail about things like organ donation, medicinal uses, crime scene usage, cannibalism and a whole host of research and experimentation that have been done to cadavers. Also covered are ways to dispose of your own corpse-compost heap anyone? This book is not for the squeamish. Roach goes into very detailed accounts of every trial a cadaver is put through. So if you don't like watching surgery on TV, I would ... Read More Rating: - Don't judge a book by its cover, or its title . . .Had I done so, I would have missed out on one of the funniest books I've read in a very, very long time. When I first saw this book I asked myself, "who in the right mind would write a book about dead bodies?" Even more disturbing to me was, "why would anyone want to read such a book?" Just the same, I thought I'd pick it up and glance through it (maybe that could be called the "National Enquirer Effect?"). Surprisingly, my cursory glance through it seemed to tell me that this might, just might be interesting ... Read More |
