Stiff
Roach, MaryMary Roach takes the age-old question, "What happens to us after we die?" quite literally. And in Stiff, she explores the 'lives' of human cadavers from the time of the ancient Egyptians to current campaigns for human composting. Along the way, she recounts with morbidly infectious glee how dead bodies are used for research ranging from car safety and plastic surgery to the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin.
Comments from Groups
This book was a total surprise! Rated very highly... Why? Because it was thought-provoking and the information / descriptions stayed with many readers. The uses of / for a cadaver had never really been thought about...... Stiff is well written. We all loved the authours style which dealt with what could have been squeamish topics with humour and vivid descriptions of science. Nelson 020 So interesting, so [well] researched - Such a discussion - on going..... Parnasuss 001 Polarised opinions of this book. Some found it incredibly interesting, others couldn't read it. A couple didn't like the way it was written - too flip. Created a good discussion. Christchurch 058 Enjoyed by everyone, interesting. Inspired alot of discussion. Winton 002 Food for thought! ...Even though it was not exactly light reading we were very interested in the details given. Amazing the amount of research done and she had such a deft quirky writing style. Tauranga 005
Pages
303
303
Year
2004
2004
Reviews
22-10-2021
Most enjoyed this unusual book. 3 people felt that the author occasionally provided detail that was almost prurient, but overall it stimulated a good discussion.
22-10-2021
A lot of members of our group thought this book too gruesome and 'unethical' - just too unpleasant. A few finished it and those people learnt a lot and thought the author wrote about the topic well, and with just the right amount of quirky humour.
22-10-2021
Definitely not 'delightfully cheerful' as described on the front cover, but very 'disturbingly interesting'. Great discussion book.
22-10-2021
An odd book - the writer was determined to show her worth as an author, not as a journalist, and unfortunately it showed in her writing. Death, dead bodies and the handling of them is a subject that should be treated with respect, and sadly she tried too hard to make the book an easy read with humour coming to the forefront at unsuitable moments. In saying that we all read the book and had a very enjoyable discussion...
26-08-2019
Only the minority finished it. Of those who didn't, some found the topic unpleasant, while others found the treatment of the subject gratuitously facetious. The discussion however was vibrant, with most contributing their knowledge and experiences of the subject. Those who had read it differed in the parts they liked, but felt they had learned much.
26-08-2019
The book generated lots of discussion about both the topic and the writing style. Overall, we agreed it started well but became disjointed and seemed to force in some stories/asides of dubious relevance.
26-08-2019
Very informative, if a little too flippant in places.
26-08-2019
In spite of some initial reluctance to read this "unjolly" book, the brave among us (most) embarked on an intrepid journey into a subject about which we knew very little. And of course we learned a lot - the green disposal part was very interesting, and it was tempered by humour. Good notes with NZ relevance - good discussion - worth the horror!
26-08-2019
Interesting discussion on this book. A challenging, in-your-face read. The author handled the subject matter gracefully, with dark humour at times.
26-08-2019
Mixed reaction! Some couldn't get past the first page! Overall an interesting book written in an entertaining style so it's not at all morbid. For those wanting to know about body decay, it was fascinating!
19-08-2019
Who knew that a book about what happens to our bodies after we die could be so interesting. This book covers everything from the horrific to the incredibly fascinating. Mary Roach writes about what happens when you donate your body to science. She tries to be humorous, but many of our group did not find it so. It is a good dose of edutainment. Fascinating facts and history. Makes you think about your future and the future of your body. Many of our group found it too grotesque to read.