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Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

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From Publishers Weekly "Uproariously funny" doesn't seem a likely description for a book on cadavers. However, Roach, a Salon and Reader's Digest columnist, has done the nearly impossible and written a book as informative and... See more » From Publishers Weekly "Uproariously funny" doesn't seem a likely description for a book on cadavers. However, Roach, a Salon and Reader's Digest columnist, has done the nearly impossible and written a book as informative and respectful as it is irreverent and witty. From her opening lines ("The way I see it, being dead is not terribly far off from being on a cruise ship. Most of your time is spent lying on your back"), it is clear that she's taking a unique approach to issues surrounding death. Roach delves into the many productive uses to which cadavers have been put, from medical experimentation to applications in transportation safety research (in a chapter archly called "Dead Man Driving") to work by forensic scientists quantifying rates of decay under a wide array of bizarre circumstances. There are also chapters on cannibalism, including an aside on dumplings allegedly filled with human remains from a Chinese crematorium, methods of disposal (burial, cremation, composting) and "beating-heart" cadavers used in organ transplants. Roach has a fabulous eye and a wonderful voice as she describes such macabre situations as a plastic surgery seminar with doctors practicing face-lifts on decapitated human heads and her trip to China in search of the cannibalistic dumpling makers. Even Roach's digressions and footnotes are captivating, helping to make the book impossible to put down. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From School Library Journal Adult/High School-Those curious or brave enough to find out what really happens to a body that is donated to the scientific community can do so with this book. Dissection in medical anatomy classes is about the least bizarre of the purposes that science has devised. Mostly dealing with such contemporary uses such as stand-ins for crash-test dummies, Roach also pulls together considerable historical and background information. Bodies are divided into types, including "beating-heart" cadavers for organ transplants, and individual parts-leg and foot segments, for example, are used to test footwear for the effects of exploding land mines. Just as the nonemotional, fact-by-fact descriptions may be getting to be a bit too much, Roach swings into macabre humor. In some cases, it is needed to restore perspective or aid in understanding both what the procedures are accomplishing and what it is hoped will be learned. In all cases, the comic relief welcomes readers back to the world of the living. For those who are interested in the fields of medicine or forensics and are aware of some of the procedures, this book makes excellent reading. Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. See all Editorial Reviews See less »

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Comments (5)

From the list : Better To Give (Mature) by parnell

For Ian.

From the list : Fave reading material by hunnybunny

This was one of the most interesting and funny books i have ever read.

From the list : books that you must not miss by maxandevelyn

I read this for my Psychology of Death & Dying class. It was very interesting, funny too.

From the list : Books by southerncharm

I loved this book. Mary Roach managed to be respectful yet funny.

If only everyone had an interest in what happens to our bodies! This book is so enlightening--gross sometimes, but eye opening.

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Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

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