I suspect the cavalier, jovial tone of writing is what makes the subject palatable for the layman. At first the jovial tone of the book seemed disrespectful since as a student I was warned that any conversation that was inappropriate or disrespectful of my cadaver would earn me a failing grade and dismissal from the course. The author uses graphic descriptions of how human bodies have been used to further knowledge of medical science, automobile safety, organ transplantation and even effectiveness of bullet proof vests worn by our armed forces. BUT WARNING, this book is not for the weak at heart. After you get used to the mispronouncing of words, the listener can begin to hear the tale. The narration was excellent in portraying what I believe to be the authors intended tone and voice, however her constant mispronounced terminology will probably be very distracting at first, if not down-right irritating. I read the paperback book, and then a few years later I listened to the audiobook. It was entertaining to hear a non-medical person's point of view and the author's warped sense of humor was for the most part entertaining. There is NOTHING that can take the place of actual human cadavers for the study of the human body. I've learned to appreciate the incredible gift of body donation. I've worked with cadavers, I've dissected them, taught students from them, studied from them. In her droll, inimitable voice, Roach tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.

In this fascinating, ennobling account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries from the anatomy labs and human-sourced pharmacies of medieval and nineteenth-century Europe to a human decay research facility in Tennessee, to a plastic surgery practice lab, to a Scandinavian funeral directors' conference on human composting.

For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender reassignment surgery, cadavers have been there alongside surgeons, making history in their quiet way. 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. An oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem.įor two thousand years, cadavers (some willingly, some unwittingly) have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings.

Stiff and bonk author