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Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Audiobook8 hours

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

Written by Mary Roach

Narrated by Shelly Frasier

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this audiobook

An oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem.

For 2,000 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 reassignment surgery-cadavers have been there alongside surgeons, making history in their quiet way.

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. In her droll, inimitable voice, Roach tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.

Editor's Note

Unexpected laugh…

What could be funnier than dead bodies? “Stiff” was declared one of the top 100 funniest books of all time by NPR in 2019. “Mary Roach’s dissection (heh) of humanity’s use of cadavers in science and medicine is enlivened (sorry) by her cheery enthusiasm for the subject and her deft ability to explain, say, the process of decomposition in hilarious, disgusting detail — and utter clarity,” says the writeup on NPR.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 1, 2003
ISBN9781400170975
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Author

Mary Roach

Mary Roach is the author of five best-selling works of nonfiction, most recently Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War. Her writing has appeared in Outside, National Geographic, and the New York Times Magazine, among other publications.

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Reviews for Stiff

Rating: 4.124193152594888 out of 5 stars
4/5

3,873 ratings299 reviews

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Very interesting and well written! I just think it got a little off topic in places and was a bit too long for me!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    It’s a book about what happens to the bodies of dead people. Not a good read for the squeamish. But a fascinating read for the curious!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    ⭐️REVIEW⭐️:

    Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

    First off, @scribd tag line at the top could not be more fitting for this book. You’ve reached the end. Stiff was an unusual yet oddly interesting book about cadavers, what options we as people have to do with our remains after death, history of the first autopsies performed, and several other tidbits of information. Shelly Frazier does a good job of narrating this morbid yet oddly interesting book. Please do not read this book if you are the least bit squeamish as it is very informative and interesting, but not for the faint of heart.

    I am trying to read outside my comfort zone by reading more autobiographies, genres that rarely rate as an interest, and I’m going to try a graphic novel or two (Maus). This book definitely falls outside my comfort zone of reading, but it was interesting.

    ⭐️⭐️⭐️
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was the second of Mary Roach's books that I read - it was so funny, so interesting, and so well researched. Oddly, I do not remember that this book was the least bit morbid - in the traditional sense, at least.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Pretty good, not for the faint of heart ❤️ okay
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    It was very fascinating view of death. Would recommend to others
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Delightful spin on what would normally be a rather morbidly stiff topic. I really appreciated the hints of humor and the overall delivery given by the author.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Really interesting despite its morbid content. A little iffy on the description of some cultures though
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Great start but lost my interest in the last couple chapters. Still, it’s very informative and I found the author’s dry humor to make it a lot easier to listen to considering the topic at hand. Her references to other books and topics offer a good list of things to look into when you’re done reading
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The author writes about a topic most think of as taboo with respectful wit. I felt as though we were having a conversation as friends. The narrators voice is perfect and pulls together the authors clever sarcasm perfectly.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book was amazing and thought provoking. It was respectfully humorous about death and bodies. The author did research in areas I have never considered. I would recommend it especially if you are thinking about donating your body.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Enjoyed and made me less weird about bodies and more into what can be used with us when we’re no longer us.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    The "humor" in the book felt like she was trying way too hard to be funny, like those people that try to make a pun out of everything they say and think they're hilarious, but really they're just annoying. Other than that I found the jokes about the animal experimentation flat out despicable, there's nothing even remotely funny about that subject and her "joke" about a dog watching it's own blood be drained made me literally hate the author both as a writer and a person.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    You would think a book about death and decaying bodies would be depressing, but Mary roach makes it funny. It was a pleasant addition to my quarantine cleaning
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I never imagined reading a book about cadavers and smiling,grinning, and frequently out right laughing. Mary Roach brings death and dying out into the open and kicks away the cobwebs and scariness...this book is definitely a book that I will be reading again and again..especially if I need a smile...
    Can't wait to read the next book...
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Wonderful book. Very interesting and with a charm and wit in the writing that was a pleasant surprise. Very well researched.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I love Mary Roach’s humor and how she makes science interesting to someone like me - with NO brain for the stuff. I’ve also read Gulp and have to say, it’s best if you’re not squeamish when reading her work. She makes it all fascinating though, and I loved finding out what happens when people donate their bodies to science - and what was done with bodies in the past, before bodies were donated on purpose.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Such an interesting read! I love the author’s ability to craft an educational piece in such a humorous and enjoyable way.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A very funny book about the business of what happens to bodies when they're donated to science. Experiments that are performed on them, what happens during cremation, what they can teach us, and a little on the American obsession with preservation. Amazingly, most families are happy to submit their (former) loved one to experiments if they believe it will help prevent future injury or death. I don't know if that's what i want done with my body - I especially don't want plastic surgeons performing rhinoplasty on my disembodied head.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Often tedious and not particularly interesting, except for the chapter on beating-heart cadavers. This may be because I knew too much about the subject already.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Roach's humour is not of the rib-tickling type, but portrayed through forthright, straightforward language that is cheered with a light-heartedness and a few witty asides. There is just the right amount of wit, less gruesome content than expected (although the chapter on medical treatments derived from body parts was pretty grim), and the entire book was fascinating. Roach obviously enjoyed researching this book. Including her personal opinions was smart, a good way to handle the inevitable question. Stiff says what we all think about but rarely articulate. Highly recommended.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I bought this book a while ago at a used book sale, thinking it was the type of read I'd want to explore, but would never get around to. I spotted a friend reading it who shrugged and said "yeah" when I asked her if it was any good. Not a rave review, but pushed my curiosity into actually pursuing the text myself.I'm glad I foraged through my piles of to-reads to find it, because it is enjoyable and educational. Some chapter/essays are more attention-grabbing than others, such as Holy Cadaver and Eat Me, which makes the over-all read choppy. But the life of cadavers is full of humor and life-living insights. A worthwhile endeavor for anyone who's curious about what's going on under their skin.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Informative and witty! My husband hated it. Said it was just an anatomy book written in anecdotes and sarcastic analogies , which is exactly why I loved it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Being dead doesn’t have to be boring! This book is filled with an assortment of fun activities for cadavers, as well as, many business opportunities. There is the body snatching business, the cannibalism business, the insurance business, the military (not in that way), the airlines industry, the tradition medical industry, forensic science, and if you’re an environmentalists you can become human compost. Now getting to the “other side” can be tricky. One has to watch out for embalming, rotting, cremation, freezing, crucifixion, plastination, and at its worse, becoming a bobble head (decapitation). Jumping off the San Francisco Bridge is not a good idea either, unless you’re an exhibitionist who likes their crouch and buttocks exposed (people who jump off the bridge usually have these parts of their pants missing).

    I really enjoyed this book and thought the author had a sarcastic sense of humor. The tone was just right without being too creepy or annoying. The book also had its sobering moments, especially the chapter on the TWA 800 crash. I also learned things too. I didn’t realize cadavers were used in crash test, and didn’t know bodies sit-up when they are cremated. So, if your somewhat morbid or curious then give this book a try.

    Table of Contents with Comments

    1. A Head if a Terrible Thing to Waste [OK]
    Practicing surgery on the dead.

    2. Crimes of Anatomy [OK]
    Body snatching and other sordid tales from the dawn of human dissection.

    3. Life After Death [Educational]
    On human decay and what can be done about it. Also included creamation and embalming.

    4. Dead Man Driving [Funny Stuff]
    Human crash test dummies and ghastly, nessary science of impact tolerance.

    5. Beyond the Black Box [Sobering Stuff]
    When the bodies of the passengers must tell the story of a crash. [TWA Flight 800]

    6. The Cadaver Who Joined the Army [OK]
    The sticky ethics of bullets and bombs.

    7. Holy Cadaver [OK]
    The crucifixion experiments.

    8. How to Know if You're Dead [Interesting]
    Beating-heart cadavers, live burial, and the scientific search for the soul.

    9. Just a Head [Educational]
    Decapitation, reanimation, and the human head transplant.

    10. Eat Me [Weird]
    Medicinal cannibalism and the case of the human dumplings.

    11. Out of the Fire, Into the Compost Bin [Different]
    And other new ways to end up. [Human Compost]

    12. Remains of the Author [Interesting]
    Will she or won't she?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What a wonderfully clever read! Funny too! Who would have thought that a book about dead bodies could be funny? Mary Roach creatively entwines facts about what happens to those of us who agree to donate our bodies to science. While some may find this a gruesome topic, Roach has masterfully injected loads of humor, along with really interesting information! I've wanted to read this book for a long time, and am so glad I finally did! Highly recommend it to all readers, except the squeamish.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Respectful and interesting take on a macabre subject. Mary Roach answers all the questions you didn't know you had.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Really fascinating and the author's sense of humor was spot on.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of the most common question children (and even adults) ask is: what happens to us after we die? While many are looking for more spiritual and existential answer, Mary Roach decided to look at the question from a pure biological and materialistic standpoint. What happens to a human body after the functioning has ceased? In Stiff, she explores all the venues where human cadavers make an appearance. From embalmers to medical schools to mechanical researchers to even biological composters, Roach goes off in search of answers to very real and pressing questions. Is there space for all our dead bodies? What and how can we learn from dead bodies? This one is easily one my favorite books I’ve read. Roach is inveterate, witty, curious (almost to a fault), engaging, and playful with her subject matter. She knows that there are some out there who may not be able to handle the idea of corpses, body farms, and decomposition, but her approach is that of a wide-eyed student. I think more people need the curiosity she displays. This is her first book, so you can tell she’s working out some stylistic kinks here, but it’s fun to read all the same. If you’ll at all interested in human anatomy or are a fan of CSI-type shows, then this will be a good one for you. A quick but exciting read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Got this in paper copy in the last few years and adored it. So I just had to get the audio book version as well. Pretty intense topics that the average citizen doesn't know about. Info on Body Farm was fascinating.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Funny, well-written, well-researched and educational. Narrator also good. However, it could have been shorter. In the last third of her book the author gets off-topic from scientific research and forensics and into cannibalism and macabre 'curiosities' such as Communist Chinese hospitals making medicines from aborted foetuses. I started to lose interest in chapter ten of thirteen. It wasn't just a matter of, er... taste.