Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers image number 0

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 confirmation surgery, cadavers have helped make history in their quiet way. "Delightful--though never disrespectful" (Les Simpson, Time Out New York), Stiff investigates the strange lives of our bodies postmortem and answers the question: What should we do after we die?

"This quirky, funny read offers perspective and insight about life, death and the medical profession. . . . You can close this book with an appreciation of the miracle that the human body really is." --Tara Parker-Pope, Wall Street Journal

"Gross, educational, and unexpectedly sidesplitting." ?Entertainment Weekly

Item Information Item Information

Format: TradePaperback
Author: Roach, Mary
ISBN: 9780393881721
Condition: Used
Dimensions: 8.31 x 0.93
Number Of Pages: 320
Publication Year: 2021

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Who knew death could be so fun?

Hannah B. - 2 years 1 month ago

Rip-roaring fun, Mary Roach had me laughing out loud from the first paragraph of this dark comedy of the varied life of corpses. Mrs. Roach takes the reader on her journey to learn more about the different options people have for their bodies once they pass on. From Crash Test Dummies, to medical donations, to the body farm, 'Stiff' offers an insightful, and often hysterical, look at life after death.
HPB Staff Review
Often creepy and crawly, but always credible and charming

Julie S. - 5 years 6 months ago

A morbid fascination with death lurks under the surface for many of us, and Stiff answers all the questions I could have come up with on my own. Mary Roach has done all the work for us, diving into the bowels (sometimes literally) of what happens to our physical bodies when we die. As a journalist, she writes with authority and completeness, and as an entertainer she writes with humor and curiosity. Her research is thoroughly engaging and informative. The subject matter is heavy, but her writing makes it easily digestible for anyone with a remote interest in what happens when we die.
HPB Staff Review
Great book that puts an uneasy subject into the light

peggy w. - 5 years 11 months ago

I thought this book was great. Very interesting stuff. It is light hearted and informative. I want to re read it, but my dog chewed it up.

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Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

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Customer Reviews

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Who knew death could be so fun?

Often creepy and crawly, but always credible and charming

Great book that puts an uneasy subject into the light