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Stiff [Paperback]

Mary Roach (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (139 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 16.50
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Product Description

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.
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The human head is of the same approximate size and weight as a roaster chicken. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

139 Reviews
5 star:
 (102)
4 star:
 (25)
3 star:
 (7)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (139 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most helpful customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars STIFF, excellent book., April 9 2012
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This review is from: Stiff (Paperback)
An intriguing and amusing book, despite the subject matter, recommended by two friends. I'm glad I purchased this book. Well done Ms Roach!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars very informative, Oct 7 2008
By 
A. M. Metner (MB, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Stiff (Paperback)
This is on my top 10 list of great books.
If you've ever wondered what happens to the body after you die, this is very insightful. From explaining the decompositon to historical body snatchers (using bodies for anatomy research) to what actually happens if you dedicate your body to science, it's worth a read.
It's not morbid as much as it is factual and funny. Roach has her own "tell it like it is" no-nonesense apporach. If you don't want to spend years of your life doing research (history, biology, forensics), sit back and go for a ride with Mary!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious and strangely informative, May 4 2009
By 
mellyboo (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Stiff (Paperback)
This book was not only extremely informative (from a scientific and historic aspect), but it was hilarious in a morbidly funny kind of way. Mary Roach maintains a light tone in her writing style throughout this book, which contributes to the greatness of it, as many people will automatically assume it is dark and heavy read. This book will entertain and educate readers and it is laugh out loud funny!
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