Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

A most interesting book, provided the reader is not among the vast ranks of the squeamish or those who prefer to be ignorant of the physical realities of human existence and what happens to the body after life ends. Roach researched the book well, and what she wrote near the end, on cremation and the more environmentally friendly alternatives to the great heat of cremation, is as timely and pertinent now as when she wrote 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.

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 is marvelously original. For starters: the subject material. The subject material is interesting to say the least as well as squeamish, gross, weird, detailed, well researched, repulsively descriptive. In summary something that a normal person would not find themselves reading in their freetime. Imagine my utter surprise when I found myself completely enthralled in this book. I woke up deep in a world of cadavers and dead people and actually learned something as well as had a good time doing it. The exceptional reading experience stems from the tone and voice of the author, Mary Roach. Roach uses interjections with random stories, funny experiences, jokes and her personal running commentary to engage the reader. This alone made this book great to me, but another good aspect of the book is the wide variety of fields it covers. Even though some chapters I had no initial curiosity about, others piked my interest. Such as the chapters on crash dummies, promession as well as the history of taxonomy. And lastly, Roach does manage to find a conclusion among the diverse and divergent tangents, topics and fields that make up the book. But be warned, this is not a book for those who can’t stand blood and guts, although if you managed to get through the book ‘All quiet on the western front’ by Erich Maria Remarque then you will be fine. In short, I highly recommend this funny and engaging book to all those who think they can handle it.

Mary Roach’s investigations are always fascinating, and Stiff is no exception. With the macabre curiosity of a seasoned investigative journalist, she explores what really happens to our bodies after death. What takes place during embalming? Cremation? At the body farm? What becomes of donated bodies—and what does it do to the living people whose job is to dissect the dead? When, exactly, is someone considered “dead”? These and countless other unsettling yet oddly compelling questions are tackled with Roach’s signature mix of wit, research, and irreverence. She answers the questions you didn’t even know you had—and maybe weren’t sure you wanted answered

"Being dead is unsightly, stinky, and embarrassing", states author Mary Roach, but she also shows us just how interesting it can be in this amazingly well written book. Her prose is precise, conversational, and even entertaining at times without being disrespectful to her "subjects". From forensic body farms to car crash impact studies, from practicing surgical procedures to testing ballistics, and on to research into such off-the-wall subjects as ancient uses for poo and body composting, 'Stiff' will inform and sometimes amuse your morbid curiosity over the intriguing questions regarding our bodies after we die. Needless to say, you'll need a strong stomach and an open mind to read Roach's accounts of anatomy lab sawings, disembodied heads, "beating heart cadavers", medicinal cannibalism, "impact tolerance", human crash-test dummies, forensic decay studies, the earlier and grislier practices of autopsy, and how all these seemingly ghastly and macabre practices have brought science to the level we enjoy today. She addresses the impact of research on modern science, the origin of criteria for brain death, how organ donation occurs and how it saves lives, how cadavers have aided forensics and the ability to research cause-of-accident such as the explosion of TWA Flight 800 in 1996 beyond the black-box, even such outrageous questions as "what does the soul weigh?" The book includes acknowledgements, a very extensive bibliography, and a blurb on how to donate your own body to science. Though 'Stiff' is non-fiction, I highly recommend it for fans of horror. There's enough info inside this gooey treat to make you burp up your coffee-and-cheesecake more than once. Fortunately, there are no pictures. Enjoy!

I am a psychiatric nurse so death is not so prevalent in my field. It occurs ever so often, mostly self inflicted, despite our best efforts to protect the patient from his or herself.It is inevitable and there is nothing we can do about it if the patient is that intent on doing themselves in, period,end of story.When I told my 13 year old daughter all about the book I just finished,about how cadavers or dead bodies could have such interesting lives after death,how I told her she would enjoy it, how interesting it would make her lunchtime conversation with her friends all she was able to say was ok dad, ewwwww as she ran upstairs.Despite her unseen review,I myself have to say that this is one cool book.I admire the candid, quite regular, friendly tone it delivers as if you were talking to a close friend about their uniquely, morbidly, exquisite report on what makes cadavers tick.The sometimes extended existance of said cadavers after death and how much we don't know about them,and just what is or can be done with them is explored in a reporter like fashion and is highly readable and you will fly through this book,guaranteed.Research mostly, but a myriad of other conventional and not so conventional uses that span the globe.Every culture has a viewpoint about what to do with or dispose of their dead.Roach tackles this with class and grace as well as a humorously good attitude.The journalistic approach is apparent as she goes after her prey.No one is immune including funeral directors,crematory bosses,airline and auto crash analysts and others,none are safe from her prying but sensitive approach.This book is a wonderful addition to the bookshelf of anybody who finds this stuff even remotely exciting.This is a book that can only lead one to future inquiry about the subject matter.It may make you think twice about taking an airplane or just what your plastic surgeon does to keep his skills fresh for your next nip and tuck.Stiff is for stiff upper lip readers who enjoy reading about the unseen,unreported world of our dearly departed, who sometimes travel more than most of us in a lifetime.

As some who enjoys reading but also enjoys reading books on the death industry in many forms, I highly recommend this read. The first chapter alone will have you wide eyed going holy **** but like alright, it makes sense. We have come so far in the death industry that the curtains have been pulled back throughout the years for more transparency. Think of green burials, more cremations over burials, now we have human composting and even water cremations. I purchased this book way back in 2014 and recently picked it up again, wondering if I left a review. Well a little delayed but I'm here to say Mary Roach writes amazing books, I have quite the collection of hers and recently gave this another read. It's good to know about body donations to science and how when we have left our bodies, they can continue to help people in many forms.