A Month of Literary Gratitude, Day 20 - Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, by Mary Roach

Sunday, November 20, 2016

I love Mary Roach's books. Her unique writing style and extensive research on her topics make her a joy to read, and she always picks interesting topics. But my favorite is Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers


This book was so fascinating. Mary Roach explored the uses of human cadavers, how they can help in medical research, medical training, safety tests, and more. She explores funeral traditions, and how human cadavers have been viewed over history. She travels from place to place, interviewing Funeral Directors, Doctors, and companies that broker body parts for research purposes (no shit). Her findings took out a lot of the "ick" factor associated with dead bodies, and clearly articulated the value of donating our bodies to science for the good of everyone.

So while I still think embalming is the grossest, most violating thing I've ever heard of, I'm all good with the military industrial complex using my raggedy ass lower leg to test combat boots for effectiveness against IEDs and land mines, or a surgical training center using my busted out knees to practice knee replacement surgery, or a safety organization using my carcass as a crash test dummy. After all, I won't be using it anymore, and if by donating it to science I can improve the lives of other people, it's all to the good.

1 comments:

Random Michelle K said...

That is my favorite of her books as well--she is just so delightful to read.