A Cadaver is a Horrible Thing to Waste

Mary Roach must be an extremely morbid woman. At least that is what I thought as I stood in the aisle of my book store looking at her book Stiff, the cover of which depicts two bare feet with the title of the book on a manila tag, tied around the right big toe. In actuality, Ms. Roach is an extremely talented author who wrote an uproariously funny history about what happens to our bodies after we die. The topics that she touched upon included everything from how cadavers are used in medical research to different ways that people disposed of bodies and how bodies were procured for medical research. Ms. Roach also looks at people who conduct impact research for motor vehicle corporations as well as people who research as to whether Jesus really could have been crucified on the Cross.

The writing style that Ms. Roach employs is witty, easy to understand and very respectful, demonstrating an insight and maturity that only comes with experience in writing (which Ms. Roach has in abundance - she has had articles published by Salon and Reader's Digest). In order to approach a topic of this nature, one must also have a good sense of humor and Ms. Roach followed through on that front as well. I found myself chuckling at some of the insights that she made and how she conveyed them.

Ms. Roach, in writing this book, did a lot of in the field research. For instance, she visited medical research labs and attended meetings of mortuary professionals. I was impressed by the connections and contacts that she made in the course of writing this book. However, I wish that she had been more academic and cited more sources in her prose. I wanted to know where she was getting her information so that I could go and get those books out.

Generally, Ms. Roach did a very good job. This book is very readable and will not take you long to complete should you leave a large block of time available for it. It is appropriate for a day at the beach or curled up in front of the fire in your ski house. This is a book that will broaden your horizons and open your eyes on a subject that very few of us feel comfortable thinking about, let alone discussing. Ms. Roach tries to make her reader more informed about our options with regards to what happens to our bodies after our death. Highly recommended!